Original World War One Victory Medal, Pte Smalley, 7/Loyal North Lancs Regiment, KIA

An original World War One Victory Medal, correctly named as follows;

12484 PTE. H. SMALLEY. L. N. LAN. R.

Herbert Smalley was entitled to a 15 Star trio having arrived in theatre on 17 July 1915.  He is noted as having been killed in action on 23 July 1916 and is buried in Caterpiilar Valley Cemetery, Longueval.  This is a concentration burial, his body having been exhumed.  He was previously buried under a broken cross at a grid reference that places him alongside the road that runs north from Bazentin-le-Petit Wood, just to the north of the Wood itself. This would make perfect sense as it places the burial very close to the front lines that were being fought over on the 22nd-25th July.  Presumably, he was buried by his friends.