Beschreibung:

Six: Captain F. N. Le Mesurier, 2nd Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, formerly West African Field Force, who was killed in action at St Julien on 25 April 1915 Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 4 clasps, Talana, Orange Free State, Transvaal, Cape Colony (Capt., Rl. Dub. Fus.) clasps mounted incorrectly in the order stated; King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps (Cpt., Rl. Dub. Fus.); Africa General Service 1902-56, 1 clasp, Kissi 1905 (Captain, S. L. Bn. W.A.F.F.); 1914 Star (Capt., R. Dub. Fus.); British War and Victory Medals (Capt.); together with memorial plaque (Frederick Neil Le Mesurier) good very fine (7) £4000-5000 Footnote Captain Frederick Neil Le Mesurier was born at Brighton on 7 March 1875 and educated at Marlborough College. He joined the Royal Dublin Fusiliers in September 1895, being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant later that year. During the Boer War he served with the Mounted Infantry of his regiment in the early part of the South African War in 1899 and was taken prisoner with them to Pretoria. He was held at The Model School prison camp, this being the same place that the young Winston Churchill famously escaped from. Some time after Churchill’s own escape, Lieutenant Le Mesurier made his own successful bid for freedom, along with Captain Haldane of the Gordon Highlanders and one other man and after an aurduous trek (he sprained his ankle on the second day) he finally reached Delagoa Bay. This story, as told by Captain Haldane was recounted in Blackwood’s Magazine, published in 1900 and a copy is included with the lot. Having rejoined his regiment, Le Mesurier suffered with a bad fever and was invalided home. He was promoted to Captain in March 1900 and returned to South Africa in the same year, being engaged with his regiment in the operations in the Transvaal between December and May 1901 and again from January to May 1902. He was mentioned in despatches London Gazette 10 September 1901. Captain Le Mesurier was seconded from his regiment in 1904 on appointment to the Sierra Leone Battalion of the West African Frontier Force, and in the same year took part as Second in Command in the operations against the Kissis. During a retirement he was commanding the rearguard and on his own initiative halted in a favourable position and lay in ambush until the enemy came within a few yards of him, when he charged and defeated them in a hand-to-hand fight. In October 1910, he retired from the army, and continued his work in Sierra Leone as an Assistant Commissioner in the Colonial Service. On the outbreak of the Great War, Captain Le Mesurier rejoined the army and was posted to a company in the 2nd Battalion of his old regiment, with which he served in the trenches at St Ives throughout the winter of 1914-15. In April 1915, their division was ordered to relieve the Canadians, who had been gassed in the Ypres salient, and he led his company in the attack on St Julien until they were brought up at the village by a wire entanglement enfiladed by machine guns. Captain Le Mesurier ordered his men to lie down and himself went forward to cut a way for them through the wire, and it was while making a second attempt to carry this out that he was killed. (The Bond of Sacrifice, Volume II refers).