Monday 6th July - Antiques, Jewellery, Militaria, Coins, Vinyl, Toys, Ceramics, Collectables
Monday 6th July - Antiques, Jewellery, Militaria, Coins, Vinyl, Toys, Ceramics, Collectables
A First World War Memorial Plaque, cast in bronze and colloquially known as a Death Penny, awarded to the next of kin of Private Joseph Downie. The plaque features the standard design by Edward Carter Preston with the initials E.C.P. visible near the lion’s front paw. It depicts Britannia standing with a trident and laurel wreath over a rectangular field containing the cast name JOSEPH DOWNIE. The design includes a lion at Britannia’s feet and two dolphins, with the legend HE DIED FOR FREEDOM AND HONOVR around the circumference. The plaque is mounted in a period-style square oak frame featuring a carved egg and dart decorative border and a circular aperture. The lot includes three pages of Commonwealth War Graves Commission research printouts confirming Private Downie served with the 15th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry, service number 82735. Records indicate he died on 9 September 1918 at the age of 19 and is commemorated on the Vis-en-Artois Memorial in France, having no known grave.
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