WW1 BRITISH ARMY 1918 GERMAN SPRING OFFENSIVE MILITARY MEDAL GROUP OF 3 HOPKINS

Offered is a classic WW1 Military Medal group to Private James Hopkins, being awarded his M.M. for tending wounded under heavy shellfire.

Military Medal G.V.R., impressed named 74080 P^TE J.H.HOPKINS. 139/F.A.R.A.M.C.; War Medal & Victory Medal impressed named 74080 PTE. J.H.HOPKINS. R.A.M.C. Comes with copies of medal roll, medal index card, casualty admittance 135^th Field Ambulance records, Newspaper cuttings, London Gazette & National Roll of the Great War. CMedals are court mounted for display.

James Harold Hopkins was born in 1890 in Birmingham, Warwickshire. Enlisted in September 1915 to the Royal Army Medical Corps. 139^th Field Ambulance 41^st Division. He remained with the unit throughout the war. Unfortunately his service records did not survive the Blitz. It is known that he landed France March 1916, and was with the division when it was engaged in the battles of Somme, Arras, Vimy Ridge, Messines, Ypres and Passchendaele. November 1917 to Italy until returning to France March 1918.

From the National Roll of the Great War “He was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in the field in March 1918 for tending the wounded under heavy shell fire”.

The 41^st Division was formed at Aldershot in September 1915. The majority of the units that comprised the division were originally locally raised ones, primarily from the south of England. The division was inspected by king George V and Field Marshal Lord French on 26 April 1916.

The units of 41st Division moved to France between 1 and 6 May 1916. The division then remained on the Western Front until October 1917 and took part in the following engagements:

1916: The Battle of Flers-Courcelette & the Battle of the Transloy Ridges, being phases of the Battles of the Somme.

1917: The Battle of Messines. Third Battles of Ypres 1917 (Passchendaele). The Battle of Pilkem Ridge & The Battle of the Menin Road.

On 7 November the Division was notified that it was to be transferred to Italy. The move (by train) began five days later and by 18 November all units had concentrated north west of Mantua. The Division took over a sector of front line behind the River Piave, north west of Treviso, between 30 November and early on 2 December.

1918: On 28 February 1918 the Division concentrated in Campo San Piero, preparatory to returning to France. By 9 March it had completed concentration near Doullens and Mondicourt. The Battle of St Quentin (M.M. awarded during this action), The Battle of Bapaume, The Battle of Arras. The Battles of the Lys. The Advance in Flanders. The Battle of Ypres. The Battle of Courtrai. The action of Ooteghem.

The 41st Division memorial sits in Flers in commemoration of their liberation of the village.