WW1. 1914-15 star trio. Thorpe. York & Lancaster Regt. Casualty
£115.00
The medals are correctly impressed to 17615 Pte N. Thorpe. York & Lanc R. ( Y. & L. R.) They come with original lengths of ribbon and are in good very fine condition.
Numa Thorpe is entitled to the Silver War Badge. He was reported wounded on 24th October 1916, very likely a Somme casualty. He was discharged in July 1917. I purchased these medals from a relative and here are his reminiscences of the man who was his great uncle, in his words and unedited.
"I know alot about them as one was my great grandfather and the other was his brother, Numa Thorpe. Numa lost his leg in that war aswell (due to recieving a grenade...throwing it back... before they threw in back again). However they both survived which was a fluke as they were both together at the somme. I even have pictures, an Ipres picture embroided on a cover that Numa brought back because it showed a street he ran down as the building were calapsing behind him. There was also a funny thing about Numa.. he was always very honest and respected but when he entered the war he lost his belief in god and became a devout aitheist however he was at mons and always swore there was 'the angel on mons' seen by many who were there... that appeared and turned the wind to send the poisonous gas back to the germans as soon as it appeared which i always found strange. They lived in Thornhill West Yorkshire. Long line descendants from Lord Robert de Thorp, Lord Chancellor of England appointed to Edward III but the family lost all wealth by backing Charles I during the civil war even though they were protestants themselves. Any more information about them I dont mind letting you know.
Numa never really liked talking about it but he once said that he it was raining for days in their trench and the water collected high and they couldnt move position from the mud seat they were in at the time and the water was poluted with gas clouds and made their skin burn and itch alot so they kept having to try advancing on an impossible german position and he was hit in the arm three times as a machine gun passed and he fell and almost drowned in a pool almost entirely of blood with his comrades piled high around him.. so its really quite unimaginable how these folk coped in such conditions for so long. All in all there were 17 family in world war 1 but as far as I know only one died and that was 1 day before the end of the war was declared(!); Colonel Austin Thorpe but he was given the VC for it as he died carrying a Sergeant he was best friends with into safety."
I can find no record of Austin Thorpe VC. However Lt Col Austin Thorpe was KIA on 30.10.18.
