Palestine GSM WWII grouping including Ghana Independence Medal, awarded to policeman.

Official replacement GSM.

GSM correctly named 3314096 Pte P Finlay 2nd HLI (replacement)

WWII medals unnamed as issued.

Awarded his GSM in 1940.

The 2nd Battalion moved to Egypt early in the war and saw action at the Battle of Keren in March 1941. It then transferred to the Western Desert and saw combat at the Battle of Knightsbridge in June 1942 and the Battle of Fuka in July 1942. It took part in the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943 and, after a period in Yugoslavia, Albania and Greece, took part in the final advance into Northern Italy.

Republic of Ghana medals named PC Finlay

Unusual lot

Before colonization, the sub-Saharan country of Ghana was home to the powerful Ashanti empire in the Southern region of the nation. Ghanaian land was replete with natural resources such as gold, which attracted several colonial powers to its doorstep. Though the Portuguese were the first colonizers to land in Ghana in the 15th century, it was the British Empire that successfully established control after a series of conflicts with the Ashanti Empire in the 1900s. The decades of exploitation and oppression culminated on March 6, 1957, when Ghana became the first country in the region to gain independence from the British.

The following three years saw the building of a sovereign republic. On July 1, 1960, following a constitutional referendum and presidential election, Ghanaian president Dr. Kwame Nkrumah declared the country a republic and assumed the presidency. In the following years, Ghana played a major role in Cold War-era world politics as one of the leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement to de-escalate Cold War tensions.

Ghana today celebrates its Republic Day in conjunction with Senior Citizens’ Day to honor the country’s rich heritage and the past struggle for independence and celebrate the sovereign nation that the country has become, despite the roadblocks that may have materialized.

Completing the lot is a ribbon bar. All medals have original silk ribbons.