First Day Battle of the Somme Killed-in-Action Medal Pair: Private James Spencer Sutton, 'D' Company, 22nd (Tyneside Scottish) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers

- British War Medal. Silver issue (22-362 Pte. J. S. Sutton. North’d Fus.)
- Interallied Victory Medals (22-362 Pte. J. S. Sutton. North’d Fus.)

Killed-in-Action: Private James Spencer 'D' Company, 22nd (Tyneside Scottish) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers, is confirmed having been 'Killed-in-Action' during the First Day of the Battle of the Somme

The body of James Spencer Sutton was never recovered from the battlefield, but his military service and supreme self sacrifice is commemorated in perpetuity by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on a regimental panel on the Thiepval Memorial, France 

102nd (Tyneside Scottish) Brigade: Note on the medals the battalion number prefix 22 as part of the recipients service number - a distinctive feature of medals awarded to the various Northumberland Fusiliers battalions in the 102nd Infantry Brigade 

The 102nd Brigade was an infantry formation of the British Army during World War I. It was raised as part of 'Kitchener's Army' and assigned to the 34th Division. After the original formation was converted into a reserve brigade, the number was transferred to a brigade of 'Tyneside Scottish', four 'Pals battalions' of the Northumberland Fusiliers recruited from men of (mainly) Scottish birth or heritage working on Tyneside. The brigade landed in France at the end of 1915 and then served on the Western Front for the rest of the war. The brigade suffered appalling casualties on the First day of the Battle of the Somme, The four battalions of the Tyneside Scottish suffered the worst casualties of any brigade that day - the Brigade casualty estimates 9killedm wounded and missing) on that fateful day was: The 1st battalion (about 800 men) lost 584 men, the 2nd battalion about 550, the 3rd lost 537 men while the 4th battalion lost 629. All four battalion commanders were killed.

Medals Verification: Both medals confirmed s entitled per respective medal rolls cited below - and the recipients full medal entitlement for his Great War services:

- British War Medal. Silver issue: WO 329/697
- Interallied Victory Medals: WO 329/697

James Spencer Sutton, son of William 'Henry' Spencer Sutton (a Bricklayer Foreman) & Sarah Sutton (nee Robertson) was a native of Bradling Village, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England, where he was born on 4 February 1882. Prior to the Great War James had been employed as a 'Miner' by trade, and was married to . In the 1911 National Census for England & Wales. James is recorded living with his wife Emma Sutton (nee Reid) at their residence located at 2 South Road, Forest Hall, Longbenton, Tynemoth, Northumberland. James and Emma were blessed with  two children; Evelyne Spencer Sutton (b. 1911) & James Spencer Sutton (b.1916). At the time of the compilation of the 1921 National Census for England and Wales, the widow and children of James, were residing at, 33 Portland Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland

The medals each retaining their long lengths of original watered silk 'moire' ribands

Condition: BWM toned the pair about EF

Code: 25874