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THE BENTLEY PRIORY BATTLE OF BRITAIN TRUST APPEAL CHARITY AUCTION Medals and Memorabilia to the Baxter and Gray Families 47 Second Lieutenant E.F. Baxter 47 The Great War Pair to Second Lieutenant E.F. Baxter [V.C.], Liverpool Regiment British War and Victory Medals (Lieut. E.F. Baxter.), nearly extremely fine, with the following related items and documentation: - The recipient’s related miniature awards, comprising the Victoria Cross, British War Medal, and Victory Medal - An emotive leather-bound scrapbook, containing contemporary newspaper cuttings regarding the recipient, his death, and the award of the V.C. - A large number of original letters from the recipient to his mother and sisters, covering the period 9.1.1916-12.4.1916, all signed ‘Felix’ - Various portrait photographs of the recipient - The recipient’s ‘motorbike’ notebook, and various photographs of the recipient and his motorbike - Invitation to Mrs. Baxter to Their Majesties’ Afternoon Party, Buckingham Palace, 26.6.1920 - Correspondence from Mrs. Baxter to her mother following the death of her husband, regarding receiving the Victoria Cross from the King, and visiting her husband’s grave - Portrait photographs of the recipient’s wife and daughter - Correspondence and photographs from the Imperial War Museum regarding the presentation of the recipient’s Victoria Cross to the Museum, August- November 1988 (lot) £5,000-7,000 WWW.SPINK.COM
September 6, 2012 - LONDON conspicuous gallantry he was awarded the Victoria Cross. As Baxter’s Commanding Officer wrote to his widow after the action: ‘The raid was successful, due to a great extent to the gallantry and resource of your husband. The men say his gallantry and coolness were marvellous. He has not been with us very long, but we had realised what a splendid fellow he was. I have lost one of my best officers; no words of mine can express my admiration of him. The whole Battalion is very upset over his loss.’ Baxter’s Victoria Cross was presented to his widow by King George V in a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace, 29.11.1916: ‘The Victoria Cross is really beautiful and I am so very proud of it. I wasn’t the least bit nervous and King George is awfully nice- he didn’t make any stiff speech, just chatted and asked me how long I had been married. He is charming.’ (letter from the recipient’s widow to her mother refers). He is buried in Fillievres British Cemetery, France. Following his death his widow re-married in October 1922 Alexander Gray, the future Air Vice Marshal. V.C. London Gazette 26.9.1916 2nd Lt. Edward Felix Baxter, late L’pool R ‘For most conspicuous bravery. Prior to a raid on the hostile line he was engaged during two nights in cutting wire close to the enemy’s trenches. The enemy could be heard on the other side of the parapet. Second Lieutenant Baxter, while assisting in the wire cutting, held a bomb in his hand with the pin withdrawn ready to throw. On one occasion the bomb slipped and fell to the ground, but he instantly picked it up, unscrewed the base plug, and took out the detonator, which he smothered in the ground, thereby preventing the alarm being given, and undoubtedly saving many casualties. Later, he led the left storming party with the greatest gallantry, and was the first man into the trench, shooting the sentry with his revolver. He then assisted to bomb dugouts, and finally climbed out of the trench and assisted the last man over the parapet. After this he was not seen again, though search parties went out at once to look for him. There seems no doubt that he lost his life in his great devotion to duty.’ Second Lieutenant Edward Felix Baxter, V.C., was born in Stourbridge, Worcestershire, on the 18th September 1885, the son Charles and Beatrice Baxter, and was educated at Hartlebury Grammar School and Christ’s Hospital, before working as a tutor at Skerry’s College, Liverpool. A keen motorcyclist, whose favourite machine was a Rex, he competed in both track racing and road trials with much success, and in 1910 competed in the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. In February 1906 he married Miss Leonora Mary Cornish, with whom he had one daughter, Nora. At the outbreak of the Great War he volunteered as a Royal Engineer motor-cyclist despatch rider, and was attached to the Mersey defences, before being Commissioned Second Lieutenant, 1st/8th (Irish) Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment in September 1915. Embarking for France on the 10th January 1916, he tried to get secondment to the Royal Flying Corps: ‘I am still waiting and hoping for my transfer to the R.F.C., apparently I shall need a large store of patience’ (the recipient’s last letter to his mother, dated 12.4.1916 refers), but was instead trained as the Battalion’s Bombing Officer. On the 16th April 1916 he joined a raiding party of some 40 men, led by Captain Mahon. For two nights they were involved with wire-cutting close to the enemy trenches near Blairville, south of Arras. On the morning of the 18th April, the wires cut, he led the storming party into the enemy’s trenches- having shot the sentry with his revolver, assisted in bombing the dug-outs, and finally assisted the last man over the parapet, he fell in his moment of victory, his body never seen again. For his most Baxter’s Victoria Cross was donated to the Imperial War Museum by his family in August 1988, and now forms part of their permanent collection. Second Lieutenant E.F. Baxter leads a raiding party into a German Trench, where he shoots the sentry, taken from Deeds that Thrill the Empire. 107
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Page 114 and 115: V.C. London Gazette 11.8.1917 Capta
Page 124 and 125: THIS EXQUISITE LIMITED EDITION BADG
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Page 130 and 131: 5.13.1.3 as soon as possible follow
Page 132: £25 © Copyright 2012 STAMPS COINS
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