For sale is a set of British medals comprising the 1914
Star impressed named 8444 PTE W. McCRORY. 2/DEVON. R.; British War and Victory
Medals (1914 – 18) impressed named 8444 PTE W. MC CRORY. DEVON. R. They come
with copies of his medal index cards, medal rolls and newspaper article.
Corporal Wilfred Wallace McCrory was born on 1/8/1890 in
Salcombe, Devon. His service records are still held at the M.O.D. however it is
known that:
He enlisted in the 2nd Battalion Devonshire Regiment about 1907
with the service No 8444. (Service No 8290 joined on 13/2/1907 & 8615
joined on 23/1/1908).
Before the war he served with the battalion in Crete and Malta
and they were stationed in Egypt in Cairo when the war started. The battalion
returned to England in October 1914 and redeployed to France where he landed
with them on 6/11/1914 as part of the 23rd Brigade, 8th Division.
He appears in the casualty lists as wounded dated 6/5/1918,
the lists are 4 – 6 weeks behind the event and it is highly likely that he was
wounded stopping the German Spring offensive March -April.
At an unknown date he was posted to the 8th Battalion
Devonshire Regiment with the service No 0896. Possibly as a result of being
wounded and on recovering being posted to the 8th. The 8th were part of the 20th
Brigade, 7th Division who were in Italy from November 1917.
He survived the war and was given the new service No 5609320
in 1920. The Devonshire Regiment was given the number block 5608001 – 5662000 so
he may have been serving with the 1st Battalion then based on his service No.
He was granted his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal on
13/10/1926.
2nd Battalion spent the post-war years in India and Aden,
returning to England in 1927. 1st Battalion was stationed in Ireland for three
years from 1919, but began a 15-year spell in China and India in 1927.
His obituary records that he served 22 years with the
Regiment, 19 of them overseas. He served as the 2nd Devons Officers Mess
caterer retiring in 1937. The 1939 census records him working as a club
steward. During WW2 he started a Officers Club in Plymouth which he managed,
post war he was a manager of the N.A.A.F.I. in Plymouth. He died in September
1961 in St Germans, Cornwall, England.
It is unknown when he became the Officers mess steward,
possibly as a result of being wounded during the war and as a ‘old prewar regular’
he was given the post after the war?
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