Medals & Militaria Saturday, 22 June 2024 - 11:00 AM start

17547 J. B. Magee LRDG Prisoner of War Medal Group

Lot Details

The superb LRDG medals and ephemera of 17547 Trooper John Bernard Magee, who served with the famed Long Range Desert Group in 1942/43 until being captured on the Dodecanese Islands in October 1943. John Magee was born 26th August 1918 at Invercargill, New Zealand. At the time of his enlistment in the 2nd NZEF in 1940 he was working as a motor mechanic. He enlisted with the NZ Divisional Cavalry at Burnham in January 1941, and arrived in Egypt in May 1941. He served in the field with the Div. Cav. from January 1942, and in July 1942 he was posted to A Squadron, Long Range Desert Group. After serving during the remainder of the desert campaign, Magee was deployed to the Aegean theatre, where the LRDG were to occupy some of the Dodecanese Islands following the Italian armistice. As General Freyberg noted: "The LRDG were used as outposts and for raiding and patrolling in enemy-held islands, a task for which they are ideally suited. Their operations were of the greatest value, and all the evidence proves that they were a serious thorn in the enemy's side, whilst the information given by their outposts proved invaluable to all Services." The Greek Island of Leros was occupied by 25 LRDG of the New Zealand Squadron, including Magee. On 25th October the island was attacked by German forces, and retaken. Several LRDG men were captured, including Magee. He was briefly interrogated in Athens before being transported to a PoW camp in Germany, where he remained until the end of the war. John Magee died at Invercargill on 19th April 1982. The WW2 group is unnamed, the Fire Police Association Medal is engraved on two lines J.B. MAGEE DEC. 1976. Lot also comes with Magee's paybooks, discharge certificate, LRDG association stick pin and reunion paperwork.