{"product_id":"cameron-highlanders-kia-1914-mons-star-medal-pte-cumming-isle-of-skye","title":"Cameron Highlanders KIA 1914 Mons Star Medal Pte Cumming Isle of Skye","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eFirst World War 1914 “Mons” Star \u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e– Private Donald Cumming, 1\u003csup\u003est\u003c\/sup\u003e Bn. Cameron Highlanders\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e1914 “Mons” Star – \u003cb\u003e6933 PTE D. CUMMING. CAM'N: HIGHRS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eSlight bend to the bottom left part of the star\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eDonald Cumming\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e was born in \u003cb\u003e1883\u003c\/b\u003e at \u003cb\u003ePortree, Inverness-shire\u003c\/b\u003e, Isle of Skye, and was a native Gaelic-speaking Highlander from the crofting community of \u003cb\u003eGarlepin (Garalapin), Portree\u003c\/b\u003e. He was the son of \u003cb\u003eMrs Jessie Cumming\u003c\/b\u003e, of Garlepin, Portree, Isle of Skye, and came from a district that would contribute heavily to the ranks of the \u003cb\u003eQueen’s Own Cameron Highlanders\u003c\/b\u003e at the outbreak of the First World War.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eCumming enlisted at \u003cb\u003eInverness\u003c\/b\u003e, joining the \u003cb\u003e1st Battalion, Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders\u003c\/b\u003e, and was issued \u003cb\u003eregimental number 6933\u003c\/b\u003e. As a regular battalion of the British Army, the 1st Camerons were amongst the very first Highland units mobilised for overseas service in August 1914. Donald Cumming embarked for \u003cb\u003eFrance on 14 August 1914\u003c\/b\u003e, landing with the \u003cb\u003eBritish Expeditionary Force\u003c\/b\u003e during the opening weeks of the war, a period characterised by rapid movement, limited entrenchment and severe fighting against a numerically superior German army.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eThe 1st Battalion Cameron Highlanders were heavily engaged almost immediately following their arrival in France, taking part in the \u003cb\u003eRetreat from Mons\u003c\/b\u003e, a fighting withdrawal marked by exhausting marches, repeated rearguard actions and significant casualties. The battalion subsequently became involved in the early battles along the \u003cb\u003eRiver Marne and the River Aisne\u003c\/b\u003e, where the BEF attempted to halt the German advance and establish a defensive line. These early engagements were fought before the widespread construction of trenches, exposing infantrymen to intense rifle, artillery and machine-gun fire in open or partially covered terrain.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003ePrivate Donald Cumming\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e was \u003cb\u003ekilled in action on 14 September 1914\u003c\/b\u003e, exactly one month after landing in France. He was \u003cb\u003e31 years of age\u003c\/b\u003e. His death occurred during the opening phase of positional fighting that followed the Battle of the Marne, as the opposing armies attempted to outflank one another in what would later become known as the \u003cb\u003e“Race to the Sea”\u003c\/b\u003e. Losses during this period were particularly heavy, and many men killed in the mobile fighting of September 1914 have no known grave.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eDonald Cumming has \u003cb\u003eno known burial\u003c\/b\u003e and is \u003cb\u003ecommemorated on the La Ferté-sous-Jouarre Memorial\u003c\/b\u003e, France, which bears the names of over 3,800 officers and men of the British Army who fell during the fighting on the Marne in 1914 and whose graves are unknown. Commonwealth War Graves Commission records confirm his service with the \u003cb\u003e1st Battalion, Cameron Highlanders\u003c\/b\u003e, and name him as the \u003cb\u003eson of Mrs Jessie Cumming, of Garlepin, Portree, Isle of Skye\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eHis death places him among the \u003cb\u003eearliest Cameron Highlander casualties of the First World War\u003c\/b\u003e, and as a man killed just weeks after landing in France, his service represents the extreme risks faced by the original BEF battalions in the opening month of the conflict.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003ePLEASE NOTE: All research will be sent to the buyer via email. I am unable to provide printed copies, as I do not have access to a printer.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eAJMS Medals\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"AJMS Medals","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53149321101658,"sku":null,"price":155.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0958\/9850\/1466\/files\/20251219_121402.png?v=1766159019","url":"https:\/\/ajms-medals.com\/products\/cameron-highlanders-kia-1914-mons-star-medal-pte-cumming-isle-of-skye","provider":"AJMS Medals","version":"1.0","type":"link"}