Lot 129
Royal Irish Rifles, Awarded the Military Medal for the Transloy Ridge 1916, Killed in Action Zonnebeke 1917 ‡
Clandestine Operations - Inc The D.J. Croll Medal Collection & Other Properties | M26002
Auction: 16 September 2026 at 10.30 BST
Description
The 1914 Star awarded to Rifleman Patrick Shields, 1st Battalion Royal Irish Rifles, who was awarded the Military Medal for an Action at the Transloy Ridge in 1916 and who was Killed in Action in the Battalion Attack at Zonnebeke on the 16th of August 1917 comprising, 1914 Star entitled to Aug-Nov Clasp, (9672 Pte P. Shields. 1/R. IR: Rif.), very fine, (1)
Military Medal the London Gazette 6th of January 1917
9672 Pte. P. Shields, R. Ir. R.
Howard Williamson The Great War Medal Collectors Companion States that this is a big Gazette, mostly for the Somme Aug-Nov 1916, primarily October and the Transloy Ridges and the Ancre, Le Sars and Regina Trench -
Ray Westlake British Battalions on the Somme sates - 1st Royal Irish Rifles
Lesboeufs (Transloy Ridge) 23rd of October 1916. Attack on Rainbow and Spider Trenches, Attack Zenith Trench 3,50am 24th October, The Assault went forward well but within seconds was simply “Swept away”.
Killed in Action on the 16th of August 1917 in the Battalion Attack at Zonnebeke, 2 Officers Killed, 5 Died of Wounds, 3 Wounded. Other Ranks, 27 Killed, 7 Died of Wounds, 170 Wounded 63 Missing. He had been in France since ethe 6th of November 1914.
Rifleman Patrick Shield’s body was not located after the War and he is remembered on Panels 138-140 of the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing, Passchendaele.
Sold with Copy Medal Index Card, Copy London Gazette entries, Copy Medal Rolls, Copy Battalion War Diary, Commonwealth War Graves information
