WW1 Territorial Force Medal Group to Rowney RE Sig Coy.

WW1 Territorial Force medal Group to Rowney RE Signals.1914/15 star, British war and victory medal correctly named to 128 Sapper William F Rowney Royal Engineers. George V Territorial Force Efficiency medal correctly named to 528446 2nd Corporal / Acting Corporal W F Rowney. Royal Engineers.This very interesting Territorial group needs further research on the man, William F Rowney. He was born in east Anglia before 1878 as his service number of 128 shows he joined the RE during the 1896/7 period.His later number issued when they renumbered the territorial units tells us he was part of the signal coy of the 54th East Anglian infantry division.His medal index card states he first entered the theatre of was in Egypt on 20th August 1915.The 54th Division and its attached signal company served in the Gallipoli Campaign, landing at Suvla Bay in stages throughout August 1915 as a part of IX Corps under Lieutenant-General Stopford. By the end of August ten battalions and the divisional headquarters had landed. During the short time they were there, they took part in the Suvla Bay operations.As part of the evacuation of the Gallipoli peninsula the division was ordered to re-embark from Gallipoli on 26 November and returned to Mudros between 3 and 8 December. On 9 December, it included 240 officers and 4,480 other ranks, including reinforcements to bring the division up to strength. It began embarking for Egypt on 13 December and arrived in Alexandria on 18 December. On the next day, it was concentrated at Sidi Bishr before moving to Mena Camp near Cairo.The divisional artillery rejoined at Mena Camp Cairo between the 11th and 15ths February 1916. There Division occupied No 1, Southern Section of the Suez Canal defences on 2nd April 1916.During 1917 they took part in the actions of Palestine Campaign, including the First, Second and third Battles of Gaza, including the Capture of Gaza and the Battle of Jaffa.In 1918 the division was still involved in the ongoing Palestine campaign, including the operations at Berukin, the Battle of Sharon - Battles of Megiddo. On 24th of September the Division concentrated at Hable and began an advance to Haifa three days later. This move was completed on 4th of October. The division was ordered to Beirut on 20th of October; the brigades moved on successive days via Acre, Ras es Naqura, Tyre and Sidon. The units concentrated at Beirut between 31st October and 5th of November. News was slow to arrive that the Turks had signed an Armistice on 31st of October and the was effectively over. Division moved to Egypt, from 28th November. The first parties of men didn't leave for demobilisation in England until January 1919, some units did not arrive home until September. William Rowney was discharged on 22nd July 1919.The campaign was generally not well known or understood during the war. In Britain, the public thought of it as a minor operation, a waste of precious resources which would be better spent on the Western Front, however the British and their Dominions suffered a total of 51,451 battle casualties, 12,873 killed or missing, 37,193 wounded, and 1,385 captured. An additional 503,377 were hospitalized as non-battle casualties, mostly from disease; 5,981 of these died.All 4 medals are in very good condition, they were mounted and worn at some point as the TFEM has some marks to the rim cause by the victory medal. It comes with copies of his medal index card and medal roll, a very interesting group for further research.