British War Medal 1914-20 : Private S B Priestley, 55 Battalion AIF

British War Medal 1914-20. Impressed around rim with recipient's details.

British War Medal 1914-20 issued to 2974 Private Sydney Bilton Priestley, a bricklayer of Balmain, NSW. On enlisting at Goulburn, NSW, on 9 June 1916, aged 32 years 10 months, Priestley was assigned to B Company, 55 Battalion and embarked from Sydney aboard HMAT Ascanius on 25 October 1916, disembarking at Devonport on 28 December. He had only spent a short period at 14 Training Battalion in England before he was admitted to Harefield Hospital on 19 January 1917 with myalgia, being discharged on 25 May 1917. He was almost immediately afterwards diagnosed with rheumatism and cardiac dilatation (an increase in the size of the cavities of the heart) and was returned to Australia aboard HT Euripides on 21 July 1917, arriving Melbourne on 18 September. Private Priestley was discharged from the AIF at Sydney as medically unfit on 16 October 1917. Given his limited service, the British War Medal 1914-20 is the only service medal to which he was entitled.