{"product_id":"duke-of-cornwalls-light-infantry-ww1-medal-trio-memorial-plaque-kia-ypres-1916","title":"Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry WW1 Medal Trio Memorial Plaque KIA Ypres 1916","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eGreat War Casualty Trio \u0026amp; Memorial Plaque - Private Alfred Laver, 7th Battalion, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry – Killed in Action Ypres 1916\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e1914–15 Star – \u003cb\u003e18127 PTE A. LAVER. D. OF CORN:L.I.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eBritish War Medal – \u003cb\u003e18127 PTE. A. LAVER. D. OF CON. L. I.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eVictory Medal – \u003cb\u003e18127 PTE. A. LAVER. D. OF CON. L. I.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eMemorial Plaque – \u003cb\u003eALFRED LAVER\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eComes with original Memorial Plaque card envelope. Medals have some glue residue on them.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eAlfred Laver\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e was born in \u003cb\u003eLambeth, London\u003c\/b\u003e, on \u003cb\u003e16th July 1885\u003c\/b\u003e, the son of \u003cb\u003eAlfred Laver (1852–1906)\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eJane Turpin (1850–1935)\u003c\/b\u003e. He grew up in the \u003cb\u003eKennington and Vauxhall\u003c\/b\u003e area of South London alongside his siblings \u003cb\u003eBertie\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eAlbert Victor\u003c\/b\u003e, the family forming part of London's thriving working-class community during the late Victorian period.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eOn \u003cb\u003e16th September 1906\u003c\/b\u003e, Alfred married \u003cb\u003eEmily Newman\u003c\/b\u003e at \u003cb\u003eSt Anselm's Church, Kennington Cross\u003c\/b\u003e, beginning what appeared to be a happy young family life. The couple made their home in \u003cb\u003eVauxhall\u003c\/b\u003e, where Alfred worked before the outbreak of the Great War. Together they had four children:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul style=\"margin-top: 0cm;\" type=\"disc\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eAlfred Maurice Laver\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e (\u003cb\u003e1906–1909\u003c\/b\u003e), who tragically died in childhood.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eRosina Ellen Laver\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e (\u003cb\u003eborn 1908\u003c\/b\u003e).\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eEmily Sarah Laver\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e (\u003cb\u003eborn 1910\u003c\/b\u003e).\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eCharles Frederick Laver\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e (\u003cb\u003eborn 1912\u003c\/b\u003e).\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eThe \u003cb\u003e1911 Census\u003c\/b\u003e records Alfred living with his wife and young family at \u003cb\u003e9 Lapford Place, Vauxhall, Lambeth\u003c\/b\u003e, just five years before his life would be cut tragically short.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eFollowing the outbreak of the \u003cb\u003eFirst World War\u003c\/b\u003e, Alfred enlisted at \u003cb\u003eCamberwell, London\u003c\/b\u003e, joining the \u003cb\u003e7th Battalion, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry\u003c\/b\u003e, receiving the service number \u003cb\u003e18127\u003c\/b\u003e. The battalion formed part of \u003cb\u003e61st Brigade, 20th (Light) Division\u003c\/b\u003e, one of Kitchener's New Army formations that underwent extensive training before crossing to France.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eAlfred entered the \u003cb\u003eWestern Front\u003c\/b\u003e during \u003cb\u003e1915\u003c\/b\u003e, qualifying for the \u003cb\u003e1914–15 Star\u003c\/b\u003e, before serving with his battalion during some of the hardest fighting of the early Somme period.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eOn \u003cb\u003e11th April 1916\u003c\/b\u003e, aged just \u003cb\u003e30\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003ePrivate Alfred Laver was killed in action\u003c\/b\u003e in \u003cb\u003eFrance and Flanders\u003c\/b\u003e. His death occurred during the bitter fighting around the \u003cb\u003eYpres Salient\u003c\/b\u003e, only months before the opening of the Battle of the Somme.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eHis body was never recovered or positively identified and, like thousands of other soldiers with no known grave, he is commemorated on the \u003cb\u003eYpres (Menin Gate) Memorial\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003ePanel 20\u003c\/b\u003e, where his name is permanently inscribed amongst those who disappeared in the defence of the Salient.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eThe official pension records paint a particularly moving picture of the family Alfred left behind. His widow, \u003cb\u003eEmily Laver\u003c\/b\u003e, was awarded a \u003cb\u003ewar widow's pension\u003c\/b\u003e to support herself and their \u003cb\u003ethree surviving children\u003c\/b\u003e:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul style=\"margin-top: 0cm;\" type=\"disc\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eRosina Ellen\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e, born \u003cb\u003e17th September 1908\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eEmily Sarah\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e, born \u003cb\u003e6th June 1910\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eCharles Frederick\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e, born \u003cb\u003e28th May 1912\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eThe family's loss is further illustrated by a remarkable group of surviving photographs. These include \u003cb\u003epre-war portraits of Alfred and Emily together\u003c\/b\u003e, preserving the image of a young married couple before war intervened; a \u003cb\u003ewartime photograph of Alfred in military dress wearing his trench coat\u003c\/b\u003e; and perhaps most poignantly, a \u003cb\u003epost-war family photograph of Emily with their three children\u003c\/b\u003e, in which she wears a \u003cb\u003eDuke of Cornwall's Light Infantry cap badge suspended as a necklace\u003c\/b\u003e. This deeply personal act of remembrance serves as a lasting symbol of the sacrifice made by Alfred and the enduring grief carried by the family he left behind.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eFor his sacrifice, Alfred was posthumously awarded the \u003cb\u003e1914–15 Star\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eBritish War Medal\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eVictory Medal\u003c\/b\u003e, and the \u003cb\u003eMemorial Plaque\u003c\/b\u003e, the latter bearing only his name—\u003cb\u003eALFRED LAVER\u003c\/b\u003e—as the nation's final tribute to one of its fallen soldiers.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eThis outstanding \u003cb\u003eGreat War casualty group\u003c\/b\u003e, comprising Alfred Laver's \u003cb\u003e1914–15 Star Trio and Memorial Plaque\u003c\/b\u003e, represents the sacrifice of a young London family man who gave his life during the fighting around \u003cb\u003eYpres\u003c\/b\u003e in \u003cb\u003eApril 1916\u003c\/b\u003e. The group is considerably enhanced by extensive surviving research, together with a remarkable collection of family photographs on Ancestry documenting Alfred before the war, during his military service, and, most movingly, his widow and children in the years after his death. Emily Laver's decision to wear her husband's \u003cb\u003eDuke of Cornwall's Light Infantry cap badge\u003c\/b\u003e as a memorial pendant transforms the group from a collection of medals into a deeply human story of love, loss and remembrance, making it an exceptionally poignant and highly desirable casualty group.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; 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-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; 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-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eAJMS Medals\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"AJMS Medals","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54435482108250,"sku":null,"price":280.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0958\/9850\/1466\/files\/20260702_111511.png?v=1784208853","url":"https:\/\/ajms-medals.com\/products\/duke-of-cornwalls-light-infantry-ww1-medal-trio-memorial-plaque-kia-ypres-1916","provider":"AJMS Medals","version":"1.0","type":"link"}