An Interesting WW1 ' Chemist’s Mesopotamia Campaign' Pair' & 1909 India General Service Medal Group awarded to 84022 A. CPL. F. Holliday, R.A.M.C.

Fred Holliday was born on the 19th of June, 1884, at Rawcliffe, Yorkshire, where he worked as a Chemist running his own pharmacy - F. HOLLIDAY, THE VILLAGE PHARMACY, RAWCLIFFE, R.S.O, YORKS.

He attested for the Royal Army Medical Corps on the 8th of December, 1915. Later a telegram from the Recruiting Officer, Goole was sent to the Recruiting Officer, Pontefract, on the 23rd of July 1916, which reads as follows -

‘Fred Holliday, Chemist, Rawcliffe, Yorks has been selected for service in Mesopitomia, as a chemist. Will you order him to report himself here, bringing his documents with him on Wednesday, when he will be posted and sent to the Depot R.A.M.C. at Aldershot.’

He served in Mesopotamia, embarking from Southampton aboard the H.T. Norman on 06.12.16, and disembarking at Basrah on the 17.01.1917, and served there through to the 29th of March, 1919. He then served in India during the Third Afghan War, sometimes known as the War of Afghanistan Independence from the 30th of March 1919, through to the 21st of September 1919. The War began on the 6th May 1919, when the Emirate of Afghanistan invaded British India and it ended with an armistice on the 8th August 1919. The War resulted in a treaty with the Afghans gaining control of foreign affaires from Britain, and the British recognising the Durand line as a border between Afghanistan and India.

Pte Holliday was trasfered to Class Z Reserve on the 27th of November, 1919.

The medals are mounted for display, sold with copied research confirming all of the above, plus that this is his full medal and clasp entitlement (no 1914/15 Star entitlement), and are as follows -

British War Medal, 84022 PTE. F. HOLLIDAY. R.A.M.C.; Victory Medal, erased naming; 1909 India General Service Medal, clasp, AFGHANISTAN N.W.F 1919, 84022 A. CPL. F. HOLLIDAY, R.A.M.C.

Condition, good very fine