The exploits of a ruthless sniper who killed more than 100 Germans in the First World War can be revealed with the sale of his medals.
Lieutenant Neville Methven led a crack sniper unit of 24 men who operated on the Western Front.
Hiding in shell holes in No Man’s Land, they killed more than 3,000 of the enemy between them in just two years.
But they were so exposed that only six of them survived the conflict.
Lieutenant Methven was one of them. He used his heavily modified Lee Enfield rifle to become one of the war’s deadliest marksmen.
He earned the Military Cross for his exploits leading the Bailey’s South African Sharpshooters.
That and his other medals are going under the hammer at London-based auctioneers Morton & Eden.
Lieutenant Methven, the son of a linen manufacturer, was born in 1884 in Stirling, Scotland, but moved to Mozambique with his family as a child.
He was initially hired as a private marksman for diamond and gold tycoon Sir Abe Bailey.
The exploits of a ruthless sniper who killed more than 100 Germans in the First World War can be revealed with the sale of his medals. Lieutenant Neville Methven led a crack sniper unit of 24 men
In 1916, the British War Ministry approached South Africa to try and recruit skilled marksmen to bolster their ranks on the Western Front.
At the time, the German snipers had been getting the upper hand on the battlefield, killing scores of British troops.
Lieutenant Methven, owing to his exceptional marksmanship, was chosen to lead the S.A Sharpshooters who were deployed with the British 1st Division.
He was in the thick of the action at the Battle of the Somme and in Passchendaele, where he received the Military Cross for ‘distinguished service in the field’.
Lieutenant Methven later recalled: ‘One of their processes of operating was to go out, after reconnaissance, into no-man’s land in the early hours of the morning, under an arranged and heavy bombardment.
‘At dawn we would be in position, invariably in old shell holes, overlooking the German trenches, our presence being unknown.
Lieutenant Neville Methven’s medals. From left to right: Military Cross, British War Medal, Victory Medal, King George VI Coronation Medal
‘Again, by arrangement, a further heavy gun barrage would be laid across the German positions and, while the infernal din was going on, we would pick off the enemy in their trenches.
‘Their hats usually fell off or shot up in the air when hit’.
Lieutenant Methven’s skill was praised in a 1919 letter from General Peter Strickland, who told him: ‘I have appreciated and valued the excellent services you and your men have rendered to the division.
‘I have known you all personally, and know of the grave hardships and dangers amid which you have served.
‘In the heavy fighting on the Somme your work was very marked, and you took a very heavy toll of the enemy in Belgium.
‘I call to mind the most distressing condition in the winters, and all this was borne by you all with the greatest determination and devotion.
‘Your duties called for great self-discipline, gallantry and coolness, qualities shown by you all in marked degrees.’
In later life, Lieutenant Methven was a game warden and trophy hunter.
In later life, Lieutenant Methven was a game warden and trophy hunter
In the 1930s, when a man-eating pride of lions was roaming the Chikwawa district of Malawai, he single-handedly killed eight of them to keep the public safe.
He then worked as a bank manager and died in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, aged 90 in 1974.
Lieutenant Methven’s medal group, which has been consigned from the medal collection of the late Dennis Trotter, is tipped to fetch £3,000 to £5,000.
A Morton & Eden spokesperson said: ‘Lieutenant Neville Methven led the crack sniper unit Bailey’s South African Sharpshooters of two dozen men, operating on the Western Front from April 1916 until the Armistice in November 1918.
‘Using his heavily-modified Lee Enfield rifle, he personally accounted for over 100 enemy soldiers to become one of the deadliest snipers of the Great War.’
David Kirk of Morton & Eden added: ‘This historic group of medals and related artefacts, acquired by collector Dennis Trotter directly from Lieutenant Methven’s family after his death, represents a powerful reminder of the vital contribution made by the brave, skilled marksmen operating in the trenches during the Great War’.
Lieutenant Methven’s medal group consists of the Military Cross, the British War Medal, the Victory Medal and the King George VI Coronation Medal.