The 1914-15 trio and memorial plaque awarded to Rifleman Ernest Stevenson, 25, of the 2nd Rifle Brigade, who died on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, July 1, 1916.
To commemorate those who lost their lives during the Great War or who died due to the effects of war before 1922, the government sent an individually named memorial plaque to each casualty’s next of kin to commemorate that he or she ‘died for freedom and honour’. This is sometimes referred to as the ‘death plaque’ or ‘dead man’s penny’.
They are priced at £1350 with Great War Medals at the Britannia Medal Fair in London on March 19. Before the war, Stevenson was a keen sportsman, being a noted sprint runner and playing as a Northern Union footballer for Swinton FC. Single, he lived with his mother in Pendleton.
