Picture courtesy of Liverpool Medals
[DSO GV]
QSA (3) Natal, Orange Free State, Belfast (Lieut E.F.T. Traill. R. Innisk: Fus.);
KSA (2) (Lieut E.F.T. Traill. A.S.C.)
[Trio]
Medals dark toned mounted on swing bar.
Edmund Francis Tarleton Traill was born in 1878, he joined the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers as 2nd Lieutenant on 23rd January 1900, arriving shortly afterwards in South Africa, he was first engaged at Natal from march to June 1900, followed by Operations in Transvaal from August to 29th November 1900, including the Battle of Belfast (Bergendal).
He took part in further operations in Transvaal from 30th November 1900 until July 1901.
He then was engaged in operations in the Orange River Colony from July to September 1901, followed by operations on the Zululand Frontier of Natal, from September to October 1901.
During 1901 he served in further operations in Cape Colony from January to 31st May 1902.
During the Boer War he transferred from the Inniskilling Fusiliers to the Army Service Corps on 1st May 1901.
During WW1 he served firstly in Command of the 3rd Divisional Train R.A.S.C. from 6th July 1916, with service in France and Belgium from 1st May 1916 to 11th November 1918.
He was mentioned in despatches in the London Gazette of 24th December 1917. Awarded the D.S.O. in the London Gazette New Years Honours 1918.
After the war in the 1920’s he served as Commanding Officer of the R.A.S.C. in Sierra Leone, until he returned to retire in 1925.
London Gazette 6th March 1925, Lt Col E.F.T. Traill, D.S.O., (Major. Retired Pay) to be Lt Colonel 27th January 1925, with seniority 30th August 1921.
He unfortunately did not have a chance to enjoy his retirement, on 27th September 1926 he died at the age of 48.
His son Wing Commander Anthony Traill served with distinction during WW2 and earned the D.F.C, but died on 14th August 1943 in Burma.
The Traill family of Ballylough House has been in Ireland since 1385 and owned 1402 Acre of land in County Antrim, E.F.T. Traill, also had three brothers who fought in WW1, one of them Alexander F. Traill enlisted in the Irish Horse as a Private and rose to Lieutenant and was awarded the M.C. with the R.A., his other two brothers, William Stewart Traill was in the Engineers and Henry Edward O’Brien Traill in the Royal Artillery, the same brigade as Alexander Frederick Traill