Beschreibung:

The Collection of Medals to the Tank Corps formed by the late Bill Green An exceptional Great War ‘German Spring Offensive’ M.C. group of four awarded to Lieutenant T. A. Van Zeller, 5th Battalion, Tank Corps, and Lovat’s Scouts, for conspicuous gallantry near Brie on 23 March 1918 Military Cross, G.V.R., reverse inscribed ‘2nd Lt., 5th Bn., Tank Corps, Brie, 23.3.18’; 1914-15 Star (2220 L.-Cpl., Lovat’s Scts.); British War and Victory Medals (Lieut.) very fine (4) £1200-1500 Footnote M.C. London Gazette 26 July 1918. The recommendation states ‘For conspicuous gallantry near Brie on 23 March 1918, when in command of a tank. This officer was covering the withdrawal of the infantry across the Somme, and moved with his tank from Cartigny to Brie on the east side of the river, between our infantry and the enemy. During this period he inflicted heavy casualties, and was under heavy and continuous shell fire. On arrival at Brie in the late afternoon he found that the bridge was about to be blown up, and that his tank could not cross. The tank accordingly had to be destroyed, and 2nd Lieutenant T. A. Van Zeller directed his crew to assist in carrying wounded across the bridge, under very heavy shell fire. Finding two men seriously wounded who had been left behind, 2nd Lieutenant Van Zeller, with three of his crew, decided to make an effort to get them across at the last moment; when half-way across, the bridge was blown up both in front and behind them. 2nd Lieutenant T. A. Van Zeller succeeded in getting his three men and the two wounded men across the debris under heavy shell fire, and finally brought the entire party back behind our lines on the west side of the river.