1914-15 Star (275897 PTE. J. IRVINE. R. SCOTS.); British War Medal (3219 SJT. J. IRVINE. R. SCOTS.); Victory Medal (3219 SJT. J. IRVINE. R. SCOTS.); Meritorious Service Medal GVR (725897 SJT. J. IRVINE. 16/R.SCOTS.); Coronation Medal 1953 - unnamed as awarded.
James Irvine was born in Edinburgh in about 1890. A Civil Servant, he enlisted with the 1/6th Battalion, Royal Scots on 8.6.1915 and was sent with them to Egypt where he participated in the Senussi Campaign from 15.9.1915. After the successful completion of that campaign he was posted to France on 16.5.1916 seeing service on the Western Front where, on he was appointed Clerk to the School of Cookery at Etaples on 9 October 1916.
The 1/6th Battalion Royal Scots were formed in August 1914 at 33 Gilmore Place, Edinburgh and were part of the Lothian Brigade, Scottish Coast Defences. The battalion was at Selkirk and Peebles in 1915 before moving to Edinburgh in August 1915 and, on 5 September 1915 moving to Egypt where they landed at Alexandria on14 September.
They moved to France, landing at Marseilles 16 May 1916 and were placed into quarantine for a month owing to a suspected case of Typhus. On 15 June 1916 they amalgamated with 1/5th to become 5/6th Battalion.
Irvine claimed to have been suffering from "myocardial disease of the heart caused by exposure, privations and strenuous marching on the Western Frontier during the Senussi campaign in Egypt from November 1915 till April 1916."
He confirmed an initial 3 months service in Scotland, 9 months in Egypt and 2 years 7 months in France. He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in the LG of 3 June 1919 and was awarded the 1953 Coronation Medal as the Principal Collector of Taxes in the UK Civil Service.
Medals are in good condition unless otherwise indicated. Sold with research.
