Description
India General Service Medal 1908, bar Afghanistan N.W.F. 1919, 6501 Private Fred Marsh, 1st King’s Dragoon Guards, An Old Contemptible served through the war since 1914.
Officially impressed: “6501 Pte F. Marsh. 1. K. D. Guards.”
Edge prepared prior to naming, as commonly seen on this medal to the 1st KDG.
Confirmed on the medal roll. With Tank Corps enlistment book entry.
Fred Marsh, was born in the parish of St Pauls. Burton on Trent, Staffordshire, circa 1891.
He was a “Clogger” by trade before enlisting, his father was also a Clog Maker, living in Yoxall.
His father Thomas Marsh lived on Wood Lane in Yoxall, near Burton. Mother called Clara.
First enlisted into the Cavalry on 28th November 1911, joining the 1st Kings Dragoon Guards at Lichfield, aged 20.
He saw the following overseas service:
THE GREAT WAR
France, 11th November 1914 – 14th October 1917
India, 15th October 1917 – 28th November 1919.
For his services he also earned the 1914 Star Trio with the Mons Clasp.
His conduct was said to be “Exemplary”
After finishing out both the Great War and the 1919 Afghanistan War, he was transferred to Section B on 1st Jan 1920.
He appears to have been mobilised on 11th April 1923, before being discharged on 27th Novmber 1923 at Canterbury to the reserve.
He chose to re-enlist again with the Army Reserve, Cavalry Pool from 27th October 1924.
With his discharge he returned back home to Yoxall.
In 1921 he was back at the family home, working as a Cow Man for a Framer in the area.
He was still in Yoxall by 1939 working as a “Cowman, Heavy Worker”.
WORLD WAR 1
At the begining of the war, Fred was serving with the 1st KDG already, who were at the time stationed in Lucknow, India, but they were quickly brought over all the way to France, landing at Marseille on 11th November 1914.
Upon their arrival they fought for some time on the Western Front, fighting at the Battle of Festubert in May 1915, the Battle of Ypres in the same month as well as the Battle of Morval in September 1916.
He returned to India with his unit arriving there on 15th October 1917.
Thing were initially quiet, the men were garrisoned at Meerut until October 1918 when they swapped stationed with the 21st Lancers moving over to Risalpur.
THE THIRD AFGHAN WAR OF 1919 CAVALRY CHARGE AT DAKKA
Risalpur in the Nowshera Province, now part of North West Pakistan, happened to be close by the border between India and Afghanistan, about 100 miles to the east.
With the Great War over, the Afghan “Amir Amanullah” seeing weakness due to the war, took an aggressive stance to neighbouring India, seizing control of wells on the Indian side of the border near the 1st KDG. Although he was warned to withdraw his men and return to Afghanistan, he chose to send even more troops and reinforce the wells, as well as bring even more troops over to the border.
As a response, the British forces in India were deployed to deal with the threat, Marsh and his men were mobilised for active servce on 6th May 1919 and joined the British Indian Army’s 1st Risalpur Cavalry Brigade.
They served throughout this war and gained fame when they fought in the Khyber Pass.
They advanced through over the border into Afghanistan where they made camp at Dakka (Daka) in Afghanistan on 13th may 1919.
However Brigadier General Guy Baldwin who chose the spot had doubts and two days later Major General Charles Fowler replaced him, ordering the camp to be moved out two miles west as they were ill suited to defend from this position.
Just before they could move and build fortifications, the Afghan Army attacked the British camp, launching an artillery bombardment followed by an infantry assault.
During the battle, the 1st King’s Dragoon Guards mounted up and made a tremendous cavalry charge upon the infantry, they might not have known but they were taking part in one of the final British Cavalry Charges in history, as the upcoming wars would be fought with Tanks and Armoured Cars instead of horses, the cavalry was soon after mechanised.
Soon after the even on 5th June 1919 as Parliament, Captain Brown asked the Secretary of State for India “Whether British Cavalry had charged Afghan troops in the recent fighting, reformed their ranks when through the hostile force, and then charge back again.”
