Offered is a good father and son’s medal group, primarily to Private S. A. Read, who served with both the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry & Royal Marines during WW1, later seeing home service during WW2.

Comprising of British War and Victory Medals (1914 – 18) impressed named 25112 PTE S.A. REID. OXF & BUCKS. L.I.; British Defence and War Medal (1939 -45) un named as issued; Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (G.V.) impressed named PO. 216252. S.A. REID. R.M.; Royal Naval Reserve Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (E.VII) impressed named E.773 J. REID. SEAN 1CL.R.N.R. Court mounted for display and comes with copies of service papers, and original wedding photograph.

Sidney Albert Read was born on 25/2/1900 at Southsea, Hampshire. At an unknown date he enlisted as an under-age soldier in the Army serving in France with the 2^nd Garrison Battalion, Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry with the Service No 25112. The Battalion was formed at Portland in July 1916, and moved to France on 22/8/1916. It’s not known how long he served in France before being discharged from the Army, but it was sufficient to qualify for the British War and Victory Medals.

On the 7/3/1918 he enlisted into the Royal Marine Artillery at Southampton (he had just turned 18) with the new Service No PO.216252. He served H.M.S. Ramillies (Revenge-class super-dreadnought battleship) 7/2/1919 – 26/7/1919 & 29/8/1919 – 8/6/1921. During this period the ship was part of the Mediterranean Fleet and served in the Black Sea as part of Britain's responses to the Greco-Turkish War and the Russian Civil War. On 16/3/1919 landed parties of Royal Marines and sailors from the Ramillies assisted the British Army in occupying Constantinople. The following month, Ramillies and Revenge were sent to Georgia to monitor the situation as Bolshevik troops approached that country, in mid-June Ramillies bombarded Turkish Nationalist forces advancing on Ismid, expending 46 fifteen-inch shells and 657 shells from her six-inch guns and landed a Royal Marine contingent to reinforce the 242nd Infantry Brigade defending the city. The ships returned to the Atlantic Fleet in August.

He continued to serve on a variety of H.M. Ship and shore bases including: Crescent, Ramillies 1921 – 1923, Malaya 1923- 1926, Portsmouth 1926 – 1928, Centaur 1928 – 1930, Champion 1930 – 1932, Royal Sovereign 1932 – 1935, President IV (London Accounting Base for small ships) 1935 -36, Iron Duke 1936 – 1938 finishing his service at the Portsmouth Division 1938 – 6/3/1939 retiring to a pension.

Recalled for WW2 on 25/8/1939 he was initially posted to President III which was the accounting base for DEMS (Defensively equipped Merchant vessels) when a sailor was posted to a small ship all his administration was done through President III 2/9/1939 – 30/3/1940. Portsmouth Division 31/3/1940 – 18/4/1940. H.M.S. Dolphine (Submarine base) 19/4/1940 – 31/7/1945 possibly as an instructor in a gunnery roll or for service on a sub, being discharged 3/10/1945.  He died in October 1969 at Gosport, Hampshire.

James Read was born in 1854 at Littlehampton Sussex, he was lived in Sunderland and working as a dock worker serving with the Royal Naval Reserve from 28/11/1886 - 8/4/1900, all of his service being from Sunderland most probably at the R.N. Docks. He was presented with his R.N.R. L.S. & G.C. medal in Sunderland 12/12/1910.