A historically interesting group of four medals consisting o...

Estimate

£150 - £200

A historically interesting group of four medals consisting of the 1939-45 Star, the Africa Star and the War medal 1939-45 together with the Royal Navy Long Service &
Good Conduct medal (GVR coinage head) named to PLY 202620 W H Cook, Sgt RM. William Hedley Cook enlisted in the Royal Marines in 1918, served a full engagement with the Royal Marines and was discharged to pension in December 1939. He was immediately recalled for war service and, as a Colour Sergeant, was posted to the Mobile Naval Base Defence Organisation (MNBDO) which was sent to Crete in early 1941 to help defend the island against the imminent German invasion.
The MNBNO, fighting as infantry, covered the evacuation of the British, Australian, New Zealand and Greek forces from Sfakia, and provided the heroic rear guard defence against German parachute and mountain troops. C Sgt Cook was left behind and, together with around 5000 other Allied troops left on the beaches at Sfakia, was taken prisoner by the Germans on 1 June 1941 when the evacuation of
Allied troops ended. He spent the next four years as a POW in Stalag 18A at Wolfsburg, in Austria, until liberated in June 1945. With his record of service, biographical notes, a historical note on the MNBDO and some copy photos of Stalag 18A. Extremely Fine (EF).