Description
(British Army) First Day of the Somme 1 July 1916 – 1914 Star
Named to Sgt George Sedlen, service number 17904, Somerset Light Infantry.
Sgt Sedlen was wounded on 1 july 1916 durign the First day of the Somme Battle. later he would be reported to have a gunshotwound to the head on 03 July 2016, which suggest being wounded on the first day of the battle of the Somme.
Sedlen survived the war and was discharged on 6 April 1919.
The 1914 Star is on the reverse engraved with L. Cpl. J.G. Sedlen 1/Som.L.I. and servicenumber 8419.
The medal comes with several pages of research.
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Background:
The First Day of the Battle of the Somme was to be the first mass offensive mounted by the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and the first battle to involve a large number of New Army divisions, many composed of Pals battalions that had formed after Kitchener’s call for volunteers in August 1914. In total this day 57,470 casualties suffered by the British, including 19,240 killed, which were the worst in the history of the British Army.
More background:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_day_on_the_Somme
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Somme
