Irish Historical Material · First World War · Personal Memorials
Two Gold Rings, One Lost Life — The Noel John Davies Memorial, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, 1916
Two 9-carat gold memorial rings · Birmingham 1914 assay marks · Inscribed 27 April 1916
Catalogue details
Description
A pair of 9-carat gold mourning rings. Birmingham assay marks, 1914. Memorial inscriptions dated 27 April 1916.
- Dimensions
- Measurements gladly provided on request
- Type
- Pair of mourning rings
- Material
- 9-carat gold
- Assay marks
- Birmingham, 1914
- Inscription
- “Noel 27.4.'16”
- Condition
- Please consult the photographs for condition. Additional photographs are available on request.
Shipping quoted by destination before payment
Historical context & sources
View the original ring photographs and full Lot 131 archive at Whyte’s, Dublin. Images are linked for historical reference and are not reproduced here without the photographer’s permission.
Two personal memorials of the First World War, each engraved with the name of a young Irish officer killed on the Western Front during Easter Week 1916. The rings are 9-carat gold, bearing Birmingham hallmarks for 1914 and the regimental device of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, together with the inscription “Noel 27.4.'16”.
Unlike officially issued military decorations, these were personal objects of commemoration. Their matching inscriptions identify a particular officer and date of death; the original recipients and the circumstances of commissioning remain unrecorded.
Noel John Davies — The Man Behind the Rings
Second Lieutenant Noel John Davies served in the 8th Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, part of the 16th (Irish) Division. He was killed in action on 27 April 1916, aged 25, during operations on the Western Front. His mother was recorded at 46 Kenilworth Park, Rathgar, Dublin.
He is buried at Nœux-les-Mines Communal Cemetery, Pas-de-Calais, France, grave I. L. 3. The date of his death coincided with the Easter Rising taking place in Dublin, capturing two distinct experiences of Irish history in the same week.
Hulluch, April 1916
Davies died amid the fighting around Hulluch, where formations of the 16th (Irish) Division confronted German attacks involving poison gas. Although his death on 27 April is recorded, the available documentation does not establish that gas exposure was the specific cause.
Historical Photographs & Documentary References
Official war-grave record: Commonwealth War Graves Commission — casualty details and burial record.
Cemetery: Nœux-les-Mines Communal Cemetery — photographs and history. The photograph at this external site is not reproduced here.
Published auction record: Whyte’s, The Eclectic Collector, Lot 131 (18 April 2026).
Photographs and archival images at these external sources are provided as documentary links only. They are not included in the sale. Two rings offered together; no other illustrated objects form part of the lot.
