Great War Gallipoli and later Officer’s 1914-1915 Star trio awarded to Lance Corporal E. Rankin, 5th Battalion, Essex Regiment (Territorial Force) who saw service at Gallipoli from 9th August 1915 and would be invalided back to England with dysentery on 30th November 1915. He would subsequently return to England and would be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Machine Gun Corps on 27th April 1917 before later seeing service in Mesopotamia and Egypt.
Group of 3: 1914-1915 Star; (1638 L.CPL. E. RANKIN. ESSEX R.) British War Medal and Victory Medal; (LIEUT. E. RANKIN.)
Condition: Good Very Fine
Along with:
Small silver framed and glazed image of Rankin in uniform.
Hallmarked silver medallion the obverse; ‘Winner Lance Corpl E. Rankin. 1912’ and the reverse‘Church Lads Brigade Bocking Company, Presented with Rifle Shooting Challenge Cup’.
Bronze Medallion, the reverse engraved ‘3rd Lahore Division, Platoon Football Competition 1918, Lieut. E.T. Rankin.’
Edward Thomas Rankin enlisted into the 5th battalion, Essex Regiment (Territorial Force) on 14th May 1912 and would be embodied on 5th August 1914 immediately after the outbreak of the Great War. He would see service at Gallipoli from 9th August 1915 and would be invalided back to England with dysentery on 30th November 1915.
On 25th May 1916 he would embark the Oriana at Devonport to travel to Egypt where he would arrive on 29th May 1916. He would be appointed a Lance Sergeant on 27th June 1916, subsequently attending a course of instruction on machine guns and passed as a 1st class instructor. He would then be approved by Commander in Chief to be sent to England to undergo a course of instruction as a Cadet Lieutenant.
He would subsequently be discharged to a Commission with the Machine Gun Corps on 27th April 1917.
Rankin would then leave Southampton on 15th January 1918, arriving in Karachi on 17th February 1918 and then Basrah on 22nd February 1918 and on 8th March 1918 would be posted to the 132nd Machine Gun Company on 8th March 1918. He would leave Basrah on 3rd May 1918 and would disembark at Suez on 17th May 1918 and would relinquish his commission with effect from 27th May 1920.
Surviving the war, his medals would be sent to his home address at 20 Church Street, Bocking, Braintree, Essex.
