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Militaire which has been added later
And the miniatures plus the French MM were sold in 2014
1895 Jun 5. Born Birmingham
1901 census at 95, Wolseley Street, Aston
1911 census at 32 Belgrave Road Oldham Lancashire
1915 Aug 24. Landed in War Zone. The MIC is wrong in stating the date of his first entry into a Theatre of War as 28.4.15. It should read 24.8.15 when he was sent to Gallipoli to reinforce the 6th Battalion LNLancs which had almost been annihilated. This is confirmed from his service record and the Battalion war diaries.
1917 Jun 18. DCM Citation
In fact both his DCM and the Medaille Militaire were awarded for services in Mesopotamia, specifically for his conduct as part of a small group beleaguered on a bend of the Diyalah River between 8-10 March 1917 and where the officer in charge, Captain Oswald Reid was awarded the VC (London Gazette 8 June 1917).. When relieved the little force was down to four officers and 35 men, many of them wounded, out of bombs and down to the last of the ammunition. Their senior officer, Oswald Reid, received the Victoria Cross.The Wikipedia entry For Capt Reid reads
On 7 March 1917 at the Battle of Diyalah River, Mesopotamia, the men of the King's Own Lancaster Regiment tried to cross the river, but even before the first platoon had crossed were under Turkish cross-fire. The Royal Engineers building the pontoon were killed from 50 yards away across the river by machine-guns and artillery. A second pontoon was attacked by mustard gas killing or woundng all the engineers. In all five attempts were made to cross the river but the positions were dominated by enfilade fire. Dead and wounded bodies were seen floating down the river.
The next night a surprise assault was made, but other pontoons behind were held up as Turk senries awoke to the noise. As a result 100 Lancashire soldiers were left stranded on the north bank of the river, cut off without reinforcements. A much stronger Turkish force attacked all day and all night. With great skill they managed to throw back the grenades thrown into their positions by the Turks. Sometimes at the point of a bayonet they fought back the Turks, time and time again constantly for 30 hours. The one piece of good fortune was the redoubt thrown up by the bend in the river, that offered some shelter. Finally on the morning of 10th March, a rescue was effected. They found 30 exhausted survivors; bodies piled up around the defensive parapets.
Captain Reid consolidated a small post with the advanced troops on the opposite side of the river to the main body, after his lines of communication had been cut by the sinking of the pontoons. He maintained this position for 30 hours against constant attacks by bombs, machine-guns and rifle fire, with the full knowledge that repeated attempts at relief had failed and that his ammunition was all but exhausted. It was greatly due to his tenacity that the crossing of the river was effected the next night. During the operations he was wounded.
Reid's bravery in defending the position, and isolated bridgehead was vital, and crucial, allowing enought time for reinforcements to cross the river. The manouevre allowed General Sir Stanley Maude to outflank the Turks and to effect entry into Baghdad on 11 March 1917.
1917 Sep 26 LG gives the French Medaille Militaire awarded to Slynn "For distinguished services rendered during the course of the campaign" (Mesopotamia)
1918 Aug 19. Commissioned 2nd Lt. His first commission in August 1918 was in The King's (Liverpool) Regiment.
1920 Feb 19 Promoted Lt
1921 May 23. He relinquished his commission "on completion of service" on 23 May 1921 (London Gazette 19 July 1921), and is on the 1921 electoral roll for Oldham, Lancashire.
1921 Nov 2. Accepted in England. Joined ADRIC with service no. 2158. Posted to J Coy.
1922 Jan He still appears to be serving at the demobilisation of ADRIC
1939 Register Living at 3 Loughrigg Avenue , Royton U.D., Lancashire. He is a bus driver.Ex Lt in Kings Liverpool Regt. DCM
1940 Jul 28. Lt in DLI
1941 Jul 28. He transferred from the DLI to the Pioneer Corps in the rank of Lieutenant (London Gazette 26 August 1941).
1942. He remarried , his first wife having died in 1941, and must have served somewhere as a Special Constable in the rank of Sergeant given the Long Service Medal he was awarded.
1943 Transfers to the RAF Regiment on his existing rank and remained there until July 1945 when he returned to the Pioneer Corp