Medals of mysterious hero soldier killed in First World War set to go under the hammer

Captain William Paul’s actions saw him awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and Military Cross (MC) but he never made it home and lies buried in France after succumbing from wounds in 1917.

His medals archive goes under the hammer with Richard Winterton Auctioneers in Lichfield on Thursday, May 26, with the whole collection, which is contained in a small leather Freemason style case, expected to fetch up to £4,000 at auction.

The group consists of Capt Paul’s George V Distinguished Service Order, in box of issue; George V Military Cross, in box of issue; 1914 Star, British War and Victory Medal trio; together with George V Army Long Service and Good Conduct medals.

Neither the DSO or MC were issued named; the others are all named to Captain Paul, who came from Shenstone.

Also included is his memorial death plaque named William Paul, together with the original card tube containing his memorial parchment scroll and King’s condolence note, plus the original issue slip for his WW1 trio and an Acme officer’s whistle attributed to Paul.

Prior to the Great War, he was an active Freemason and there are six boxed Freemasonry medals included in the archive.

Militaria specialist Nick Thompson researched Capt Paul’s archive and said that while he was clearly a heroic soldier who served in the 1st Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment, comparatively little is known of him.

He said: "There are no known photographs, we don’t know where or when he was born and records show there was no age supplied for his grave marker, so consequently it is not known how old Paul was at the time of his death.

"But given the Army Long Service medal, which would have marked 20 years’ service, and a Freemasonry medal denoting membership of the White Horse Lodge in November 1902, we think it’s likely he would have been serving in the Army towards the end of the Boer War.

"Therefore, he must have been in his 30s when he was killed."

Captain Paul's final combat operation came when Paul led a retaliation to heavy bombardment at Bourlon Wood on November 30 1917.

The operation ultimately succeeded in pushing back the Germans and restoring the line, but the victory cost him his life as he was wounded and died the next day, so was buried in the Rocquigny-Equancourt Road British Cemetery at Manancourt in France.

The military sale at The Tamworth Auction Rooms at 34-35 Church Street in Lichfield starts at 10am on Thursday, May 26 and also includes collections of stamps and ephemera.

The catalogue can be viewed online a week before the sale.

Viewing takes place the day before the auction on Wednesday, May 25, from 10am to 4pm by appointment.

To book, telephone 01827 217746 or email tamworth@richardwinterton.co.uk.