Five: Lance-Bombardier A. Freer, 1st Maritime Artillery 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star;...

Five: Lance-Bombardier A. Freer, 1st Maritime Artillery 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star, 1 clasp, North Africa 1942-43; Italy Star; War Medal 1939-45, in original O.H.M.S. box of transmittal, named to ‘Mr. A. Freer, 17, Colwell Road, Leicester, Leicestershire’, extremely fine (5) £120-£160 --- Alan Freer was born in Leicester on 25 May 1923. An apprentice book binder, he enlisted at Beverley for the Territorial Army, training initially with the General Service Corps before transfer to the 1st Maritime Artillery at Lochwinnoch. Qualifying on the 4-inch breach loading gun on 5 April 1943 and oerlikon gun on 17 April 1943, Freer was soon embarked aboard a wide variety of merchant vessels, tasked with providing anti-aircraft defence. The recipient’s Service Papers offer a challenge to any future custodian, being somewhat difficult to read, but he appears to have served aboard the Empire Guernsey, Melrose Abbey, Sloterdjk and Ashantian. The latter was sunk by torpedo on 21 April 1943, with 45 survivors making their way to Halifax. Transferred to the Fort Fidler off North Africa in 1944, Freer appears to have ended his campaign aboard the Algenib. Sold with a particularly attractive First Regiment Maritime Royal Artillery Certificate of Appreciation, 1940-45, to 14201135 Gunner Freer A., approx. 29cm x 39cm, this torn to the base and side and requiring repair, but a rare survivor; the recipient’s original Soldier’s Service and Pay Book, well annotated, with entries from 1942-45; the recipient’s two fibre identity discs, three snapshot photographs in military uniform, original Transfer to Reserve document, dated 6 May 1946, letters to and from home, two photographs of the Regimental soccer team, the recipient identified, and his original testimonial, dated 4 May 1946: ‘L/Bdr. Freer has served in Maritime Royal Artillery for 3.5 years. Sober, honest, trustworthy, he is efficient and reliable and possesses a good knowledge of military administration.’; and a white metal compass of Great War vintage, etched to reverse ‘Pte Freer 164917 June 17th 1918’, likely the property of the recipient’s father, and another compass of Second World War manufacture, unmarked, black finish worn to high relief.