Description
(British Army) First Day of the Somme 1 July, two commemorative frames.
Named to Second Leutenant Thomas Arthur Raymond R.E. Willey, “D” Coy, 15th Bn., West Yorkshire Regiment
Died 01 July 1916 at the First Day of the Somme. He was only 19 years old.
Second Leutenant Thomas Arthur Raymond R.E. Willey is buried at the Thiepval memorial at section Per and Face 2 A 2 C and 2 D.
-> https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/821893/thomas-arthur-raymond-r-e-willey/
The two frames consist of:
- A small frame wit on top a West Yorkshire “Horse” design. It contains a portrait of T. Willey. Ont eh reverse side is a label which tells about Willey’s history and how he died and where he is buried
- Another commemorative frame with typed citations of comrades who remember Lieutenant T.A.R.R.E. Willey.
The frames come with several pages of research.
This is a special little lot that shows sadly very well the history and sadness of all the brave young men that went “over the top” in the Great War.
RARE.
- – –
Background:
The First Day of the Battle of the Somme was to be the first mass offensive mounted by the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and the first battle to involve a large number of New Army divisions, many composed of Pals battalions that had formed after Kitchener’s call for volunteers in August 1914. In total this day 57,470 casualties suffered by the British, including 19,240 killed, which were the worst in the history of the British Army.
More background:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_day_on_the_Somme
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Somme
