A Good WW1 1914 Star Trio & L.S.&G.C. Medal Group to 4749 Sjt R.V.F. Triggs, 17th Lancers.

Richard Francis Vernon Triggs was born on the 11th August 1895, at Lewisham, South London. He enlisted on the 1st April 1913 and disembarked France with the 17th Lancers on the 8th November 1914.

At the outbreak of World War I the 17th were to find themselves stationed in India. They had been there since 1905 and initially they thought that they might miss the entire war. However, in November, 1914 they were sent to Marseilles as part of the Indian Cavalry Corps. By this stage of the war, the mobile opening moves of the armies had come to an end. The cavalry had played a vital role in this stage of the war, but would find its role severely limited from this point on by machine guns, barbed wire and mud. In the next three years, the cavalry barely moved 20 miles in any direction from its starting point at Amiens. They sat in the reserves forever hoping that a breakthrough might be made that would require there assistance. They were generally used more to plug gaps and relieve infantry battalions that had taken beatings on the front line. The one opportunity that the regiment had to break through the German lines was actually a sign of things to come for the regiment. The 17th Lancers were present at Cambrai when tanks were employed en masse for the first time. A break through was so nearly achieved but for the weight of a British tank that destroyed a vital bridge at a critical point in the campaign. However, despite this setback, it was obvious to some that the time for horses on the battlefield were becoming numbered. The fate of cavalry regiments was not completely sewn up at this time and the 17th soon had the opportunity to demonstrate their value. In 1918, the Germans made one last desperate attempt to win the war with their most successful push since 1914. The Allied lines were in disarray and falling back as quickly as they could. The 17th were used as a mobile infantry unit, being sent to plug gaps wherever they appeared. At one instance, the 17th Lancers charged 600 yards under fire to rescue units of the 9th Australian Infantry Brigade. Their mobility could still have uses even on the modern battlefield. When the 17th got to join the British counter attack they were once again to find themselves accompanying tanks. And they were to find that it was safer for them to be way behind the tanks rather than have their horses exposed to machine gun fire. These were ambiguous lessons that the British army was not completely to learn from for some years to come. At the end of the war, the 17th were sent to Cologne for occupation purposes, whilst here it lost so many men to demobilisation that it had to have a company of the Rifle Brigade assigned to it to look after the horses. The unit was then sent to Ireland and to help in the war against Sinn Fein and the IRA. Here, it was made up to full strength again. The troubles gave the new recruits the dangerous opportunity of learning the necessities of battle preparedness. It was also to serve the unit well as the army was reorganised once more as the British Army scaled back to a peace time establishment again. In 1921 the Geddes axe was threatening to destroy a number of famous cavalry regiments. As a compromise to avoid losing the names and battle honours of so many famous regiments, a number of cavalry regiments were doubled up in identity. Hence, the 17th and 21st Lancers were joined together to form the 17th/21st Lancers.

The medals are mounted for display, sold with some copied research (MIC confirms the two service numbers are to the same man) and are as follows -

1914 Star, 4749 L. CPL. R.V.F. TRIGGS. 17/LRS.; British War & Victory Medals, 1749 CPL. R.V.F. TRIGGS. 17 - LRS.; GV Long Service & Good Conduct Medal, bar REGULAR ARMY, 312074 SJT. R.V.F. TRIGGS. 16 - 5 L.

Condition, good very fine