24/05/2025 General News
When it comes to medals, it is generally the major awards such as the Victoria, George and Military Crosses which grab the attention in the saleroom, writes Oscar Crocker.
But for me, and an increasing number of collectors, the real fascination comes in those medal groups which tell a more personal story – and our June Medals and Militaria Sale has one such group, relating to five brothers from Norfolk who all fought in the First World war, four of whom never came home.
The story of two of the brothers is particularly poignant. Charles Robert Creasey was born in 1896 in Little Melton; Thomas James Creasey was born the following year in Roughton. Both joined up on the same day – they even had consecutive serial numbers. Charles and Thomas joined C Company 1/5th Norfolk Regiment and spent the war together, mostly in the Middle East, including at Gallipoli and the Dardanelles.
They took part in the infamous second Battle of Gaza in April 1917, when the Norfolk Regiment was involved in an ill-fated attempt to take the city of Gaza from the Turkish Ottoman Army. The battle was a disaster, with the regiment suffering nearly 50% casualties in just three days. Tragically, Charles and Thomas were both killed on the third and last day of the battle, quite possibly fighting shoulder to shoulder.
The oldest of the Creasey brothers was Horace Creasey, who was killed in the third battle of Ypres in November 1917. We don’t have so much information about Horace, and his medals are not included in the collection.
The second oldest was George Henry Creasey, who was born in 1884. For reasons which are not entirely clear, he was adopted in 1900 by a widow, Emily Clarke. He joined the 8th Battalion of the Northamptonshire Regiment in June 1916, receiving a commission as 2nd Lieutenant in August 1917, when he transferred to the 1st Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment.
Now 2nd Lt Clarke, he reached the front on November 1917, just nine days after Horace had been killed. He spent the next five months with the Battalion in Italy before returning to the front in April 1918. He was killed just a few days later, aged 33; by the time of his death, he would have known that Charles and Thomas had been killed.
Of the five brothers, just one survived the war. John Edward Creasey, who was born in 1891, joined the Royal Navy in 1909. Staring as a boy sailor on HMS Ganges, he served on HMS Maidstone, which acted as the principal depot ship for the offensive submarine force in Harwich. Promoted to Leading seaman in 1917, he continued to serve until 1921, marrying the following year. He died in 1968, aged 76.
All four brothers who were killed are remembered on the West Runton war memorial; George is also remembered at Cromer.
The collection which goes under the hammer next month includes the casualty medal groups for Charles, Thomas, George, along with John’s medal trio and an extensive collection of photos and papers, including postcards and letters sent between the brothers.
Such a family tragedy was sadly not unique during the First World War, and collections such as this serve to remind us of the bravery and sacrifice shown by so many.
Keys Medals, Militaria and Coins Sale takes place on Wednesday 11th June at their Aylsham salerooms and live online. More details at www.keysauctions.co.uk.