WW1 KILLED IN ACTION PASSCHENDAELE MEDALS & PLAQUE 7205 PALMER 2/2ND LONDON REGT

A British War and Victory Medals, impressed named 7205 PTE. G. PALMER. 1- LOND. R. Court mounted for display.; Memorial plaque named GEORGE PALMER. Comes with copies of Medal roll, M.I.C., Soldiers effects, Commonwealth War Graves Commission certificate and 2/2 Battalion London Regiment war diary 26/10/1917 extract.

George Palme was born in 1897 in Poplar, London. It is unknown when he first enlisted however notes from Soldiers Wh Died record that he was formerly 5118, 10th London Regiment (Pals Battalion Stockbrokers). He was posted to the 1^st (City of London) Battalion (Royal Fusiliers) and landed in France 18/12/1916 with the new service number 7205.

He was transferred again to the 2/2^nd Battalion London Regiment and given the new service number 203561. This probably occurred when the 2/2^nd?landed at landed at Le Havre 22/1/1917.

Private Palmer was killed in action during the attack on the 26^th?October 1917 and has no known grave. The 58th Division took three pillboxes at Cameron House, before being stopped at Spider crossroads by German machine-gun fire and exhaustion due to the muddy conditions. From 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. German counterattacks from the north cut off the foremost troops and then advanced from a sunken road between Papa Farm and Whitechapel, which pushed the rest of the brigade back to the start line, where the Germans were also caught in the mud and pushed back by British reinforcements. The war diary is scathing about the British artillery fire support.

The Battalions losses as recorded by the war diary for the attack stands as follows:? Killed 3 officers & 32 other ranks. Wounded 3 officers & 180 other ranks. Missing 104 other ranks. Wounded and missing 2 officers & 68 other ranks.

The soldiers effects and the medal roll records 'Death presumed' 26/10/1917.