PRIVATE T. LYNCH, 2ND BATTALION HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY. India General Service Medal 1908, George V, Royal Mint issue, 1 clasp, North West Frontier 1935 (3309685 Private, Highland Light Infantry). Attractively toned, Extremely Fine and virtually

PRIVATE T. LYNCH, 2ND BATTALION HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY. India General Service Medal 1908, George V, Royal Mint issue, 1 clasp, North West Frontier 1935 (3309685 Private, Highland Light Infantry). Attractively toned, Extremely Fine and virtually as struck.

After service on the North West Frontier of India during the campaign of 1935, the 2nd Battalion Highland Light Infantry transferred to Palestine, and was still there when the Second World War broke out. After service in North Africa, the battalion was selected for specialist training and went on to form the infantry component of “No. 2 Beach Brick” during the invasion of Sicily, tasked with holding a section of the beachhead and providing the initial foothold for following units. Subsequently withdrawn from Sicily, the battalion was re-organised as a three company strong mountaineer battalion, for special operations (the officers and men of the regiment were now given the rank of Mountaineer). It formed part of 2nd Special Service Brigade, a commando formation that went on to fight alongside Tito’s partisans in Yugoslavia. In Yugoslavia the battalion took part in a wide range of assault operations, both on land and at sea. Subsequently, the battalion transferred to Greece. There it confronted E.L.A.S., the Greek communist “Peoples Liberation Army”, which was busy taking over the Green capital, and had already murdered most of the police and commandeered their stations as a prelude to taking over the whole country. After six weeks heavy fighting, Athens was cleared of E.L.A.S. and the communist threat to Greece neutralised. In January 1945, the 2nd Highland Light Infantry transferred back to Italy, and ended the war forming part of 25th Brigade, 10th Indian Division, chasing the crack German 1st Paratroop Division out of Italy.