WW1 AUSTRALIAN BRITISH ARMY GALLIPOLI MEDALS DUNCAN 6TH YORKSHIRE REGIMENT

Offered is a set of WW1 medals to Private Donald Duncan, an Australian who enlisted in the British Army, having only arrived by ship in Middleborough just 2 days after the UK declared war on Germany.

British War and a Victory Medal (1914 – 18), impressed named 10800 PTE. D. DUNCAN. YORK.R. Comes with copies of medal rolls, M.I.C. and service record.

Donald Duncan was born in Mossvale, New South Wales in 1886. He landed in Middlesbrough on 6/8/1914 from the S.S. Port Macquarie after making his way to Stockton on Tees he enlisted into the 6^th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment (service number 10800) on the 21/8/1914 for a 3-year period of service.

The 6^th Y.R. sailed from Liverpool on 2/7/1915, going via Mudros to Suvla Bay, disembarking there on 6/8/1915. They were successfully ashore on 'B' Beach at Suvla Bay, by 10pm. In the early morning of the 7th August, immediately after landing, the 6th Yorkshires led the attack on the Turks at Lala Baba using mainly bayonets, so as not to take unwanted prisoners. Fifteen officers, including the commanding officer and 250 'other ranks' were killed clearing the Turks from their trenches. The Battalion remained on Gallipoli until December 1915 when they were evacuated from Gallipoli and moved to Imbros.

Duncan embarked for Alexandria at Imbros on 2/2/1916 staying there guarding the Suez until deploying to France 25/6/1916. He served with the Battalion until suffering an injury (?) to his left knee on 20/11/1916, this resulted in being medically downgraded to P.B and posted to base details 27/12/1916. On 1/6/1917 he was transferred to the Royal Engineers 1/6/1917 (Department of Docks) as a Sapper crane driver with the new service number 308729, later renumbered WR507664. He was admitted to Hospital 5/11/18 – 20/11/1918 and returned to England 25/2/1919 for discharge being repatriated to Australia departing on 2/5/1919.

He is further entitled to the 1914 - 15 Star.