Miniature Medals

In order to view full details and any additional images for this lot as well as place advanced bids or bid live, please click here to view this lot on the auctioneer's websiteThe mounted group of eight miniature dress medals worn by the Great War fighter Ace W. G. ‘Billy’ Barker, VC., D.S.O. and Bar, M.C. and Two Bars, Canadian Mounted Rifles, Royal Flying Corps, and Royal Canadian Air Force, who with three foreign decorations and three Mentioned in Despatches, is the most decorated serviceman in the history of Canada Victoria Cross; Distinguished Service Order, gilt and enamel, with Second Award Bar and integral top riband bar, lacking central medallions; Military Cross, G.V.R., with unofficial Second Award Bar, suspension broken and cross unofficially re-affixed; British War and Victory Medals; France, Third Republic, Croix de Guerre, bronze, reverse dated 1914-1918, mounted as originally worn on a J. R. Gaunt, Montreal, riband bar, light traces of adhesive to reverse, generally very fine (6) £1,800-£2,200 --- Provenance: Donated by the recipient’s family to Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame Museum. A letter written in August 1995 by Captain Jack Boddington, Curator of Honours at the Museum, states: ‘When received the group of miniature medals was in damaged condition (DSO centre missing and MC suspender broken) and incomplete when compared to Barker’s full sized group, and was therefore relinquished by the Hall of Fame. The Hall Curator has studied the group and has come to the conclusion that when additional medals were to be added (about 1919-20) the damaged condition caused the group to be left as is, and another full group assembled for use by Barker.’ V.C. London Gazette 30 November 1918: ‘On the morning of the 27 October 1918, this officer observed an enemy two-seater over the Foret de Mormal. He attacked this machine and after a short burst it broke up in the air. At the same time a Fokker biplane attacked him, and he was wounded in the right thigh, but managed, despite this, to shoot down the enemy aeroplane in flames. He then found himself in the middle of a large formation of Fokkers who attacked him from all directions, and was again severely wounded in the left thigh, but succeeded in driving down two of the enemy in a spin. He lost consciousness after that, and his machine fell out of control. On recovery, he found himself being again attacked heavily by a large formation, and singling out one machine he deliberately charged and drove it down in flames. During this fight his left elbow was shattered and he again fainted, and on regaining consciousness he found himself still being attacked, but notwithstanding that he was now severely wounded in both legs and his left arm shattered, he dived on the nearest machine and shot it down in flames. Being greatly exhausted, he dived out of the fight to regain our lines, but was met by another formation, which attacked and endeavoured to cut him off, but after a hard fight he succeeded in breaking up this formation and reached our lines, where he crashed on landing. This combat, in which Major Barker destroyed four enemy machines (three of them in flames), brought his total successes to fifty enemy machines destroyed, and is a notable example of the exceptional bravery and disregard of danger which this very gallant officer has always displayed throughout his distinguished career.’ William George ‘Billy’ Barker was born at Dauphin, Manitoba, on 3 November 1894 and attested for the Manitoba Regiment on 1 November 1914, and served on attachment with the Royal Air Force. ‘The value of his services may be measured by the number of decorations and ‘Mentions’ he received - no fewer than twelve - including the Victoria Cross, and French and Italian ones. He began by obtaining the Military Cross for contact patrol at the capture of Beaumont Hamel on 20 November 1916. At the capture of Bullecourt he obtained a Bar to the Military Cross on 9 April 1917, again for contact patrol. He then received the Companionship of the Distinguished Service Order, for destroying enemy aircraft on 5 January 1918. He was awarded a Second Bar to the Military Cross, for destroying enemy aircraft on 24 April 1918; a Bar to the Distinguished Service Order for destroying enemy aircraft on the Western Front, 26 May 1918; the French Croix de Guerre; and the Italian Bronze and Silver Medals for valour for destroying aircraft on the Italian Front. This magnificent record was crowned by the award of the Victoria Cross. He was also three times Mentioned in Despatches.’ (The V.C. and the D.S.O. refers). Barker returned to Canada after the War as Canada’s most decorated serviceman: his ‘haul’ of six British gallantry medals put him level with Mick Manncok and James McCudden, but with his three foreign medals and three Mentions in Despatches, he received a total of 12 awards for gallantry. He was killed in a demonstration flight for the R.C.A.F. at Ottawa on 12 March 1930, aged 35; over 50,000 spectators lined the streets of Toronto for his funeral. Sold together with a signed photograph of the recipient; and an autograph album page signed by the recipient (and several other notable personalities, including the Antarctic explorer Thomas Orde-Lees; the sculptor Kathleen Scott (the widow of Captain Robert Scott, of Antarctic fame); the actor Leslie Faber; the pioneering aviator Herbert G. Brackley; and the Russian Princess Nina and Xenia). Note: Despite being entitled to the 1914-15 Star, for some reason Barker never never wore it, with contemporary photographs of the recipient showing it missing from his chest. it was only after the recipient’s death that his widow, Jean, applied for the Star, prior to donating his medals to the Canadian War Museum.