For sale is a set of medals comprising British War and Victory Medals (1914 – 18) both impressed named 15283 PTE J. WILSON. S. GDS. They come with extracts service records, MIC, war diary extract and medal roll.

John Wilson was born in Leicestershire, Lancashire, England in 1892. Pre-Great War he was working as a gardener when he volunteered for the Army on 11/12/1915 and posted to the Army Reserve.

He was called up on 10/2/1916 and posted to the 3rd Battalion, Scots Guards for training. He was posted to the 2nd Battalion S.G. on 12/10/1916 and landed in France the same day serving with the battalion until 20/5/1917 when sent back England with influenza. He was posted to the 3rd Battalion until recovered and then back to the 2nd Battalion in France on 28/12/1917.

He was wounded in action on 28/3/1918 at Boyelle during the German Michaelle Offensive, receiving a gunshot wound to his arm. The battalion war diary records on the 28th receiving a heavy German barrage followed by strong German attacks on both flanks. The Guards held the line however the diary makes no mention of daily casualties but at the end of the month on the 31st it states “The 9 days have been very strenuous; the men are very tired but full of heart. We have been heavily shelled and have suffered about 160 casualties”.

Evacuated back to England from 3/4/1918 – 15/8/1918 when he returned yet again to France on the 16th. He was in hospital with dysentery when the war finished, and he remained in France/Germany until 29/1/1919 when he returned for discharge on 26/2/1919.

On the humorous side (not for Wilson) he was charged with ‘Being extremely idle on the common’, receiving 2 days C.B. for his pains.