A VERY UNUSUAL ROYAL ARMY MEDICAL CORPS
(H.M. HOSPITAL SHIP ALBION & CAVALRY FIELD DOCTOR)
att: 9th LANCERS “BATTLE CITATION” MILITARY CROSS,
with 1914-15 Trio.
To.
Captain G.A. LILLY. R.A.M.C. HMHS ALBION & 9th Lancers.

[BIOGRAPHY]
George Austen Lilly, was born on 5th January 1888 at St Pancras, London and after WW1 lived at 67 Sussex Gardens, Hyde Park, W and latterly at Cane Hill, Coulsdon, Surrey.

He was the son of wealthy businessman Charles Edward Lilly, who was born in Wisconsin USA of British parents and who was related to Eli Lilly the famous pharmaceutical entrepreneur.

George Austen Lilly was an early medical corps entrant on 14th October 1914 with initial service in HM Hospital Ship ALBION in which he tended many of the early casualties being brought back to hospitals in the U.K. from France. Although an early entrant, and being a sea based non-combatant he qualified for the 1914-15 Star rather than the 1914 Star. He was clearly an M.A.”Cambridge” medical student while in his initial early role aboard HMHS Albion but gained his full M.D. & FRCS status in 1917.

[MEN OF THE 9th LANCERS, FRANCE 1918]
He was at this point transferred into the service of the front line cavalry with an attachment to the 9th Lancers.

It was while serving with the 9th Lancers in early 1918 that he performed several acts of selfless gallantry by crossing many yards of exposed ground to tend wounded men who had been shot down in no man’s land, and then by later rescuing a badly wounded cavalryman by carrying him to safety when the enemy began shelling the unit’s horses.

MILITARY CROSS CITATION
(London Gazette, 26th July 1918)

“ For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. In order to attend the wounded he frequently crossed an exposed piece of ground 300 yards in length. Later, when the horses had to be moved owing to heavy shelling, he rescued a badly wounded man, carrying him to safety”

Dr George Austen Lilly of 49 Graydon Avenue, Donnington, Chichester died at Chichester on 6th April 1970 leaving the considerable sum of £22,631.

An excellent MILITARY CROSS, “Totally Mint” with its original pin & ribbon in its original mint case, together with the “totally mint” 1914-15 trio which retains the three named card boxes of issue.





A Lovely Fresh & Original Group.

(SOLD ...IN 24 hrs )