A Fascinating Battle of Britain, Burma & Netherlands East Indies Multi-Campaign Medal Group of 7: Private Leslie William Short, 6th Battalion South Wales Borderers

Prior to transferring to the South Wales Borderers on 16 June 1945, the recipient had served in below following regiments:

- Royal Welch Fusiliers
- 63rd (Queen's) Searchlight Regiment Royal Artillery
- 4th Battalion, The Queen's Royal Regiment (63rd Searchlight Regiment)
- The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)

The medal group being sold comprises:

- Burma Star
- Defence Medal
- War Medal
- GSM 1918-62 'S. E. Asia 1945-46' (6087829 Pte. L. W. Short. S.W.B.)
- Jubilee Medal 1935
- Coronation Medal 1937
- Efficiency Medal, G.VI.R.,Territorial (6087829 Gnr. L. W. Short. R.A.)

Sold together with archive of insignia & ephemera including:

a). Pair of South East Asia Command cloth shoulder titles
b). South Wales Borderers bi-metal cap badge (polished)
c). Royal Welch Fusiliers khaki cloth shoulder title
d). Royal Welch Fusiliers 'Back Flash' embellished with units served
e). A ribbon bar of 5 ribands, faded & including 1939-45 & F&G Stars (Sic)
f). 36th Infantry Division woven formation bade
g). 26th (Tiger Head) Indian Division cloth formation badge
h). Imperial Japanese Army cloth rank badge
i). 3 x gilt metal 'Wound Stripes' arm insignia
j). A double row medal riband bar, with long hinged pin & clasp fittings
k). Souvenir 'SEAC' album including photos & ephemera a/f

Items a). - i). are all mounted on a fabric covered board, in a glazed frame. Note the items on the board will be removed from the glazed frame, and the board will be sent to the buyer (sans frame)

Medal Verification: The GSM with clasp S.E. Asia 1945-46, confirmed per the respective campaign medal roll of 6th Battalion South Wales Borderers (ref WO 100/514) that was compiled & signed at Preston, Lancashire, England, on, 28 May 1948

Note: We do not know in what capacity the recipient was awarded the Jubilee & Coronation medals, and are sold as-found, and as-worn by the recipient

Leslie William Short first enlisted in the British Army in 1937, in which year he enlisted in the Territorial Army and joined The Queens Royal Regiment (West Surrey), being given his unique Army Number 6087829, that was in the block allocated to The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) in 1920, and issued sequentially through to circa 1941 (reference Surrey County Council, Regimental Rolls and Recruitment Registers 1908-1947). On 1 November 1938, Leslie is confirmed transferring to 4th Battalion The Queen's Royal Regiment (63rd Searchlight Regiment), his unit being converted to an Anti-Aircraft role as a 'Searchlight Regiment' for the defence of the Home Counties. His unit was mobilized for several weeks in 1938, and in late August 1939, immediately prior to the declaration of war in September 1939, Leslie was mobilized for full-time active service (call out notices for these events are included as ephemera with the lot)

Battle of Britain: From early June 1940, there were almost nightly alerts as the Battle of Britain got under way, and on the night of 18/19 June several Luftwaffe bombers were picked up by searchlights of 63rd Rgt and destroyed by AA guns and night fighters

On 3 July 1940, 3rd (Ulster) S/L Rgt, just returned from the Dunkirk evacuation, took over control of 474 S/L Bty and the Kings Worthy layout.Later, another newly formed battery, 524 S/L Bty, was assigned to 63rd S/L Rgt

On 1 August 1940 all the converted searchlight units were transferred to the Royal Artillery (RA) and their companies were re-designated 'batteries'. The 4th Queen's became 63rd (Queen's) Searchlight Regiment, was awarded the privilege of retaining its Queen's regimental cap badge and buttons

Southampton was attacked by daylight on 13 August and several times in September. However, the night bombing Blitz, starting in September, saw the S/L units fully engaged, with three big raids on Southampton in November and more in December and January 1941

The S/L layouts had initially been based on a spacing of 3500 yards (3200 m), but due to equipment shortages this had been extended to 6000 yards (5500 m) by September 1940. In November this was changed to clusters of three lights to improve illumination, but this meant that the clusters had to be spaced 10,400 yards (9500 m) apart. The cluster system was an attempt to improve the chances of picking up enemy bombers and keeping them illuminated for engagement by AA guns or night fighters. Eventually, one light in each cluster was to be equipped with Searchlight Control (SLC) radar and act as 'master light', but the radar equipment was still in short supply

A new 524 Bty joined the regiment on 14 November 1940. This had been formed at 232 S/L Training Rgt at Devizes from a cadre of experienced officers and men provided by 66th S/L Rgt. 63rd (4th Queen's) S/L Rgt, in turn, supplied a cadre to 230th S/L Training Rgt at Blandford Camp where it provided the basis for a new 561 S/L Bty formed on 17 April 1941. This battery later joined 69th (3rd City of London) S/L Rg

Leslie is confirmed as transferring form the Royal Artillery to the Royal Welch Fusiliers on 17 February 1945. He remained with the Royal Welch Fusiliers until transferring to the 6th Battalion South Wales Borderers with effect on 18 June 1945 (reference Royal Welch Fusiliers Transfer-In Registers, 1938-1945, Book 13). At the time of his transfer to 6/SWB, the battalion was serving with the 36th Infantry Division in Burma, indicating that he had been earlier serving with 2nd Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers, which battalion had been serving with 36th Infantry Division in Burma since 1944. 6/SWB served with 72nd Indian Infantry Brigade of 36th Infantry Division in Burma through to 18 July 1945, subsequently transferring to 71st Indian Infantry Brigade of 26th (Tiger Head) Indian Division in July 1945. Leslie's post-war campaign service in Netherlands East Indies saw him serving variously in Sumatra, by which time 6/SWB was part of 4th Indian Infantry Brigade, while continuing to serve under higher formation 26th (Tiger Head) Indian Division

In the group photograph illustrating the lot, Leslie Short is the bare-chested soldier standing on the left. Note the SWB cap badge worn on centre of his slouch hat, also note his NCO L/Cpl comrade and Indian Army soldier both wear the campaign ribands for the 1939-45 Star & Burma Star

Although the ephemera accompanying the medals is patchy (the recipient had lost his original Pay Book on return to the UK) and the recipients service summaries (in album & ephemera) are confusing (the Welch Fusiliers back flash and decorative boards, all have Dunkirk & D-Day on them (indicating entitlement to 1939-45 & France & Germany Stars (sic), and that there is no evidence that he was ever wounded once, what is certain, beyond any doubt, is that from the facts known, Leslie Short had a fascinating war!

Postage: This is a heavy & bulky lot reflected in the appropriate postage quote (which may be revised upwards pending on specific country of destination). Note however, we will not send the glazed frame to any destination - only the insignia on the backing board would be sent, sans glazed frame

The medals mounted as-worn in the swing style. The reverse of the mounting bar retaining the original long hinged pin & clasp fittings

Condition: Medals GVF

Code: 21526