DUNKIRK & MULTI CAMPAIGN WW2 MEDALS 3185007 SERGEANT BURNS SEAFORTHS, KOSB & MILITARY POLICE

Offered is an outstanding 3 clasp GSM medal group to Sergeant Burns, who served with the King's Own Scottish Borderers, Seaforth Highlanders and Military Provost Staff Corps, beginning his career as a drummer and seeing multiple campaigns, before, during and after the second world war

General Service Medal (1918 - 62) with 3 clasps PALESTINE, PALESTINE 1945 - 48, CYPRUS, impressed named 3185007 PTE. P. BURNS. K.O.S.B., 1939 - 45 Star, Africa Star, France & Germany Star, Defence and War Medals (1939 - 45), Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (G.VI.) Regular Army, impressed named 3185007 S. SGT. P. Burns. M.P.S.C. Court mounted for display and comes with copies of the various medal rolls.

Staff Sergeant P. Burns was serving as a drummer with the 1^st Battalion Kings Own Scottish Borderers, when he qualified for the GSM with clasp Palestine. The 1^st Battalion was serving in Palestine from 1936.

During WW2 the 1^st Battalion embarked for France landing there in 1939 to join up with the rest of the 3^rd Division B.E.F. They advanced into Belgium in May 1940 and after heavy fighting fought their way to Dunkirk and were evacuated to England on the night of 31^st May - 1^st June.

Upon return to England, Burns was transferred to the 2^nd Battalion Seaforth Highlanders on the 14/7/1940. The 2^nd Battalion had been captured at Saint-Valery-en-Caux during the Battle of France June 1940. The 2nd Battalion was rebuilt, and as part of the 51st (Highland) Division, served in the Middle East, fighting in the Second Battle of El Alamein, and the subsequent Tunisia Campaign, and in the Allied invasion of Sicily. In late 1943 the 51st Division returned to the United Kingdom and then took part in Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy, taking part in Operation Totalize and Operation Astonia, the capture of the French port of Le Havre. The battalion later participated in Operation Veritable, Operation Plunder and the invasion of Germany.

Post war he transferred to the Military Provost Staff Corps. He qualified for the clasp Palestine 1945 - 48 whilst serving with the 57^th Detention Barracks 28/9/45 -  19/10/45 with the rank of Staff Sergeant. He subsequently served in Cyprus (qualifying date 1955 - 59).

Given the nature of the insurgency that was being fought in Palestine and Cyprus, it is possible that Burns was running at a detention centre for terrorists, rather than minding naughty British squaddies. The Sean Connery film 'The Hill' springs to mind when discussing WW2 British Detention Barracks.

When his records are finally released by the M.O.D., they will surely make for interesting reading. He qualified for his LS & GC with the M.P.S.C. sometime between 1948 and 1953.