A rare 1919 South Russia Expeditionary Force, Royal Air Force Meritorious Service Medal group of four awarded to Leading Aircraftman Joseph Turton, Royal Air Force, late Manchester Regiment and Royal Flying Corps, who received gunshot wounds in action in Gallipoli, on 21 August 1915, the date of the battle of Scimitar Hill which was the last major battle of the campaign, and on recovery he transferred into the Royal Flying Corps. In April 1919 he embarked with the South Russian Expeditionary Force and served as a clerk in Headquarters for which he was subsequently awarded the Royal Air Force Meritorious Service Medal.
Four: 1914-15 Star (78334 PTE. J. TURTON, MANCH. R.); British War and Victory Medals (403683 1. A.M. J. TURTON, R.A.F.); Royal Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, G.V.R. (303683 L.A.C. J. TURTON, R.A.F.)
Condition. Mint state, Extremely Fine.
These in the named card boxes of issue and sold with an original portrait photograph of the recipient in Royal Flying Corps uniform; cloth ribbon bar representing the Great War awards; other ranks Royal Flying Corps cap badge; an RAF silk postcard; three 1917 dated Russian medallions, the first depicting a man breaking from chains with text translating to ‘Yes, Hello Democratic Republic’, the second with a rising sun design and text translating to ‘Freedom’ to the obverse and text translating to ‘All to the liberated people’ to the reverse, and the final medallion with 1917 to the reverse and a seated flag holding female figure in ancient robes with man working with hammer behind and an anchor in the foreground; a white metal bound souvenir booklet containing a concertina folded run of 9 miniature annotated postcard photographs or Russian towns or memorials; a hard back edition with dust covers of Gallipoli by John Mansfield, a 1928 edition of the classic homage to the heroes of Gallipoli, signed by the recipient on the inside page and filled with newspaper cuttings kept by the recipient relating to the Gallipoli Campaign.
Joseph Turton was born in the parish of Ardwick, in the town of Manchester, Lancashire. He joined the Manchester regiment on 9 April 1912 at the age of 19 and following the outbreak of hostilities embarked with withe Mediterranean Expeditionary Force on 20 Sept 1914. He went on to serve in Gallipoli where, on 21 August 1915, the date of the battle of Scimitar Hill which was the last major battle of the campaign, he suffered gunshot wounds to the buttocks. Following his recovery he transferred into the Royal Flying Corps on 21 March 1917 and re-embarked with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and did not returned home until 15 Jan 1919.
Having transferred into the newly formed Royal Air Force on its formation on 1 April 1918 as a Clerk 1st Class, he was reclassified as Leading Aircraftman on 1 Jan 1919.
On 14 April 1919 Turton embarked for South Russia with the Expeditionary Force and at the time of the 31 Jan 1920 Census was serving at Headquarters, South Russia. He returned home on 19 July 1920 and was discharged a month later.
Turton was awarded the R.A.F. M.S.M. for Meritorious Service in South Russia and it was announced in the London Gazette of 12 July 1920.
