A fantastic WW1 Medal and Badge Set to two cornish brothers, Richard Henry Kitto, CEF, 2nd Canadian Infantry (incapacitated by Shellshock at Hooge, Ypres) AND George Albert Kitto, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry and Hampshire Regiment.
The set contains -
- WW1 Mons Star, WW1 Victory Medal, WW1 War Medal and WW2 Defence medal for Richard
- WW1 Victory Medal, WW1 War Medal for George
- Canadian 2nd Battalion cap badge for Richard
- Canadian veterans badge for Richard
- original WW1 group photo showing Richard
- original WW2 Home Guard group photo showing Richard (he is marked)
- research materials - including copies of an 80 page service record for Richard (not pictured)
Richard Henry Kitto (18522)
Born in August 1893 in Stoke Climsland, between Liskeard and Tavistock. Richard emigrated to Canada after the 1911 census to the Toronto area.
He enlisted on 16/09/1914 at Valcartier Camp as a Private. To D Company, 9th battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade, with service number 18522. After delays on travel to France, he transferred to the 2nd Canadian Infantry Battalion (Eastern Ontario Regiment) in March 1915, where he fought in the 2nd battle of Ypres, St Julien and Festubert. He sadly got shell shock on the 6th June 1916 after a shell landed near him in Hooge, causing him severe concussion, vomiting and coughing up blood.
He transferred first to Etaples field hospital, then to Edinburgh and then to Colchester hospitals after developing heart problems as a result of his condition. He did make it back to his unit eventually but did mostly sanitation duties before returning home quickly due to heart complications.
Richard then moved back to Cornwall and served in the Home Guard in WW2 earning the Defence Medal.
George Albert Kitto (33769, 010915)
George served in the 1st and 10th battalions of the Duke of Cornwalls light infantry, with service number 33769. He later transferred to the Hampshire Regiment at the rank of Lance Corporal, with service number 010915. I haven't dug up as much about George but I know he was entitled to wear the wound stripe, so was evidently wounded at some point. He was also mentioned in War Office Daily List No.5604 on 28/06/1918.
Please contact if you need any more information or would like to see the research/service records.
