PRIVATE W. LAWRENSON, 9TH (COUNTY TYRONE) BATTALION ROYAL INNISKILLING FUSILIERS. Victory
£35.00
PRIVATE W. LAWRENSON, 9TH (COUNTY TYRONE) BATTALION ROYAL INNISKILLING FUSILIERS. Victory Medal (officially impressed: 19331 PTE. W. LAWRENSON. R. INNIS. FUS.). Good Very Fine to Almost Extremely Fine.
Medal accompanied by 9 pages of copied service papers, Medal Index card and WW1 medal rolls. William Lawrenson was born in Liverpool and enlisted into the 9th Inniskillings at Randalstown on 5/1/1915. At the time of enlistment he was 36 years old and gave his trade as that of plumber. He first saw active service in France and Flanders, entering that theatre of operations on 5/10/1915 (the 9th Inniskillings landed in France as a unit in 1915). He was hospitalised on 4/2/1917, being evacuated from the front line to the 10th Field Ambulance and was posted to the 4th Labour Rest Camp on 25/2/1917. Lawrenson, no longer fit for front line duty, transferred to the Labour Corps on 3/11/1917 and, following periods of leave in the UK, from 9/1/1918 to 23/1/1918 and 10/1/1919 to 24/1/1919, was finally demobilised, after 4 years and 48 days service with the colours. At the time of discharge he was diagnosed as having shrapnel wounds, sciatica and emphysema (probably as a result of gas poisoning). He is recorded on discharge papers as being a married man with children.
Private Lawrenson was also entitled to the 1914-15 Star and British War Medal.
The 9th Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was raised at Omagh in September 1915, from the Tyrone Ulster Volunteers. The battalion landed in France in October 1915 and was still serving in France when the war ended on 11/11/1918.
The 9th Inniskillings took part in the Battle of the Somme and suffered enormous casualties on the first day of that battle, 1/7/1916, the battalion being cut down by machine gun fire from Thiepval, the battalion losing 447 officers and men killed, wounded and missing. The first day of the Battle of the Somme was a VC action for the 9th Inniskillings, the Victoria Cross being awarded to Captain Eric Bell.