A 'Jock's 1915 'Killed-in-Action' Day 1 of Battle of Hanna, Mesopotamia, medal group of 3: Private Samuel Rennie, 2nd Battalion Royal Highlanders (Black Watch)

- 1914-15 Star (S-7120 Pte. S. D. Rennie. R. Highrs.)
- British War Medal. Silver issue (S-7120 Pte. S. Rennie. R. Highrs)
- Interallied Victory Medal (S-7120 Pte. S. Rennie. R. Highrs)

Sold together with:

- Glengarry cap badge of the Royal Highlanders / Black Watch. King's crown

Killed-in-Action: Private Samuel Rennie, 2nd Battalion Royal Highlanders (Black Watch) was Killed-in-Action, on the first day of the Battle of Hanna in Mesopotamia (now Iraq), on, 21 January 1916

The body of Private Rennie was never recovered from the battlefield for identification and burial, but his service and supreme sacrifice is perpetuated for posterity by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, at the Basra Memorial located in Iraq, that commemorates more then 40,500 men of the British and Commonwealth forces who died in operations in Mesopotamia between the Autumn of 1914 to the end of August 1921 and whose graves are not known

Black Day for Black Watch - The Battle of Hanna: After a short bombardment on 20 and 21 January 1916, the British 7th Indian Division - including 2/Royal Highlanders - charged the Ottoman lines. In an advance across 600 yards of flooded no-man's land, the British sustained a shocking 2,700 casualties. The well prepared Ottoman positions, notably the well-sited machine gun nests, forced them to abandon the assault and withdraw the relief force to the base of Ali Gharbi

Medical care was practically nonexistent, and the night after the attack saw freezing temperatures. Many British wounded suffered unnecessarily, and morale plummeted. The besieged garrison in Kut-al-Amara could hear the distant sound of the fighting relief force, and when it remained distant morale there suffered as well

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, record that 76 x 'All Ranks' of the 2nd Battalion Royal Highlanders (Black Watch), including Private Rennie, are recorded as having died at Hanna, on that single fateful date, 21 January 1916

Medals verification: All medals the medals are verified as entitled per the respective medal rolls of the Royal Highlanders (Black Watch) as cited below;

- 1914-15 Star: Ref WO 329/2742
- British War Medal Silver issue: Ref WO 329/1352
- Interallied Victory Medal: Ref WO 329/1352

Note: The recipients Medal Index Card makes no reference to a dated clasp or roses ever being sent or claimed by the recipients notified next of kin - however the recipients eligibility to the dated clasp is beyond any question, as he had entered theatre of war, 'France' with his battalion on, 14 August 1914

Samuel David Rennie, son of Rennie & Helen Rennie (nee McCullogh) was a native of, Dailly, Ayrshire, Scotland, where he was born in 1896. At the time of the compilation of the National Census for Scotland in 1901, Samuel is recorded living with his mother, Helen Rennie, who was described as 'Head of House', and employed as 'Out Door Worker'. Samuel was then the youngest child, and his elder siblings comprised: 2 x brothers (Andrew (b.1889) & James (b.1892) together with his sister Agnes (b. 1890). Shortly after he outbreak of the Great War - and after having attained of 18 years - Samuel volunteered to 'Join-Up' and serve in the British Army. After enlisting, he was posted to te Royal Highlanders (Black Watch), with which regiment he was allocated the regimental number S-7120 - the prefix 'S' denoting that he was a 'War-Time' enlistment. He first entered theatre of war, 'France', on, 21 September 1915, and posted to the 2nd Battlion Royal Highlanders (Black Watch). In December 1915, 2/Royal Highlanders embarked at Marseilles for destination Mesopotamia (Iraq), where they landed at Basra, on 31 December 1915. In Mesopotamia, the 2/Royal Highlanders were a constituent unit of the 21st Brigade, under higher formation of 7th Indian Division, Samuel Rennie was subsequently 'Killed-inAction', on 21 January 1916, at the Battle of Hanna - a heavy British defeat by the Ottoman Turkish Forces

The medals sometime mounted for display, and since removed from a glazed frame. The cap badge and medals all mounted on a crimson coloured flock / velvet covered board. With ink description labels on card. The medals suspended from their original silk 'moire' ribands, and the cap badge retaining its brass cotter pin

The 1914-15 Star with minor areas of discolouration on the obverse

Condition: Mostly GVF

Code: 22801