Description

Offered is a 1914 Star, impressed named 7874 P^TE J. PROSSER. 1/WILTS.R. WITH clasp 5^th AUG – 22^nd NOV 1914; British War Medal (1914 – 18) impressed named 7874 PTE. J. PROSSER. WILTS.R; British Victory Medal named to 716 SEPOY ASGHAR KHAN. 40 PATHANS. Court mounted for display. Comes with copies M.I.C. and medal rolls.

John Prosser’s service records may still be held at the M.O.D as he was a pre war Regular Army soldier who was still serving in 1919.

Based on his Wiltshire Regiments service number being 7874, it is probable that he enlisted late 1907 – early 1908 as 7728 joined on 10/1/1907 and 8108 joined 8/3/1908.

He landed in France 21/8/1914 a week after the Battalion which had landed on the 14^th. It is doubtful if he was time expired and recalled to the colours as he survived the war and was discharged 26/6/1919, at the termination of his enlistment.

The 1^st Battalion was based in Todworth at the start of the war, on mobilization the Battalion left for France on the 13 August, taking part in the battle of Mons 10 days later and followed by the retreat from Mons. The ‘retreat ‘was a fighting withdrawal with a number of significant actions fought along that route. The battalion remained intact and ended the retreat on the outskirts of Paris. Once the line stabilized the battalion took part in the First Battle of Ypres, and Neuve Chapelle by which time they had lost 26 officers and 1000 men.

The 1st Battalion was part of the 7^th Brigade 3^rd Division when it first landed. On the 18/10/1915, the Brigade trensferred to the 25^th Division.

He may have been serving as a machine gunner within the Battalionbecause as at some stage he transferred to the Machine Gun Corp (with the new service number 18081), serving with 7^th Company M.G.C (which joined 25th Division, 12/1/1916). This moved into No 25 Bn, MGC 1 March 1918.