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Lot 152
A well-documented Second War C.I.E. group of ten awarded to Major-General R. G. Ekin, 58th Frontier Force Rifles, later 5th Battalion, 13th Frontier Force Rifles, Indian Army, who served in Egypt and Palestine during the Great War, where he distinguished himself in the capture of the Turkish stronghold of Tabsor, capturing with just 20 men a target that had been assigned to a Battalion. After seeing much action in Waziristan during the inter-War period, Ekin commanded the 46th Infantry Brigade in Burma during the Second World War, where he swam the 600 yards across the Sittang River to report to Divisional HQ after the bridge had been destroyed in the retreat from Burma. His services for the War effort being ‘of the highest order’, he subsequently served as General Officer Commanding, Bihar and Orissa, prior to Indian Independence, and during the course of his career was five times Mentioned in Despatches The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, C.I.E., Companion’s 3rd type neck badge, gold and enamel, with short section of neck riband for display purposes; British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves (Capt. R. G. Ekin.); India General Service 1908-35, 3 clasps, Afghanistan N.W.F. 1919, Waziristan 1921-24, North West Frontier 1930-31 (Capt. R. G. Ekin. 58 Rfls.); India General Service 1936-39, 1 clasp, North West Frontier 1937-39 (Lt-Col. R. G. Ekin, 5-13 F.F. Rif.); 1939-45 Star; Burma Star; War Medal 1939-45, with M.I.D. oak leaf; India Service Medal; Jubilee 1935, unnamed as issued, mounted as worn, good very fine and better (10) £2,400-£2,800 --- C.I.E. London Gazette 13 June 1946. The official citation states: ‘Major-General Roger Gillies Ekin, Indian Army Commander, Nowshera Brigade. Lately as a Brigadier he commanded a Brigade in Burma in 1942 with conspicuous success until owing to lack of numbers his Brigade was merged with another formation. He has since commanded Nowshera Brigade and by his outstanding ability, keenness and personality managed to build up and train raw units into a first class fighting machine in the shortest possible time. Apart from his essential military duties Brigadier Ekin by his example and devotion to duty created a co-operative and happy atmosphere throughout the station. His services to the War effort was of the highest order.’ M.I.D. London Gazettes 22 January 1919; 5 June 1919 (both Egypt); 12 June 1923 (Waziristan 1921); 20 June 1941 (Waziristan); and 28 October 1942 (Burma). Roger Gilles Ekin was born on 18 November 1895, the son of Colonel T. C. Ekin, and was educated at Westminster School and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He was commissioned Second Lieutenant on the Unattached List for the Indian Army on 1 October 1914, a significant achievement as in those days the Indian Army only accepted those who had passed out in the first 35 in the final Order of Merit; a certain Bernard Montgomery had passed out 36th and had been rejected. Posted to the 55th Rifles, Frontier Rifles, on 16 December 1914, he served during the Great War in Egypt from 1916, escorting a contingent of reinforcement for the Indian Corps on the Western Front, before transferring to the 58th Frontier Force Rifles, and was promoted Lieutenant on 1 October 1916. The following year, Ekin served during General Allenby’s campaign in Palestine, being present at the battles of Gaza, Megiddo, and Jerusalem. During the advance on Jerusalem in November 1917, the 58th Rifles were assigned to picquet the pass north-east of Latrun. The History of Palestine states that throughout history 26 attempts had been made to attack Jerusalem from the west, and all had failed; the 58th were therefore the first ever to penetrate and hold the pass, which allowed for General Allenby’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Subsequently receiving orders to join the 232nd Brigade at Jimsu, Ekin is mentioned in the History of the 5th Battalion, 13 Frontier Force Rifles for his services on 11 December 1917: ‘“A” Company, under Lieutenant R. G. Ekin, assisted the 2/3rd Gurkhas in the capture of Budras village, putting an enemy machine gun out of acting and making prisoners of a Turkish officer and ten men.’ Promoted Captain, Ekin’s final action of the Great War came at the capture of the strongly held village of Tabsor on 19 September 1918, a Turkish strong-point, heavily protected by barbed wire and cactus hedges: ‘The Regiment advanced in two waves at 150 yards interval, “A” Company (under Captain Ekin) on the left of the first wave. Covered by an intense bombardment from our guns the line advanced, and came three minutes later under the enemy counter-barrage. The Turkish front line of defence was taken, and at soon after Tabsor village was encircled, its defenders flying in a westerly direction.’ (ibid). A Record of the 58th Rifles, F.F., in the Great War 1914-19 adds the following detail: ‘During the advance on Tabsor, the Battalion was on a much broader front than was intended [Ekin himself says ‘The Battalion “side-stepped” several hundred yards to fill a gap vacated by a Battalion which had retired], and consequently Tabsor village itself, the assault on which the entire Battalion had been specially detailed, was actually encircled and taken by a mere handful of about twenty men under Captain Ekin and Jemadar Thakur Sing.’ For his services during the Great War in Egypt and Palestine, Ekin was twice Mentioned in Despatches, the latter Mention almost certainly for his gallantry at Tabsor, and was awarded the British War and Victory Medals. Appointed Adjutant of the 58th Frontier Force Rifles in February 1919, Ekin saw further service during the Waziristan campaigns on the North West Frontier of India, taking part in the operations against the Wana Wazirs in 1920 in the column under Sir Walter Leslie, and served at Wana, Rogha Kot, and Dargai Oba in 1921, the fighting described as ‘the most desperate and costly in the whole history of the Frontier.’ For his services Ekin was again Mentioned in Despatches and was awarded the India General Service Medal with two clasps. On 1 December 1922, the 58th Frontier Force Rifles was re-badged as the 5th Battalion, 13th Frontier Force Rifles. Appointed Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General in August 1924, in the inter-War years Ekin held various staff and regimental appointments, and saw further service during the campaign on the North West Frontier of 1930 when Peshawar was isolated, receiving a further clasp to his India General Service Medal. Advanced Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel in 1936, Ekin was appointed Commandant of the Battalion in May 1937, then stationed at Thal, on the North-West Frontier, and commanded the Kohat Brigade in operations against Mehr Dil during the unrest fermented by the Faqir of Ipi in Waziristan in 1938, and the subsequent uprising in the Bannu and Kohat districts, where the Battalion was tasked with protecting a 30-mile stretch between Banda Daud Shah and Bannu (Medal and clasp). Promoted Colonel in 1939, following the outbreak of the Second World War Ekin was appointed Commandant of the Tactical School, India, and then in 1941 was given command of the 46th Infantry Brigade, part of the 17th Indian Division; intended for service in Iraq, the division was instead sent to Burma at the end of 1941. In February 1942, having evacuated Moulmein in paddle steamers across the Salween estuary under Japanese shell-fire, and having fought a delaying action on the Bilin River, Major-General Smyth, V.C., the commander of the 17th Indian Division, decided to withdraw across the Sittang river, a more defensible obstacle. Ekin’s Times obituary takes up the story: ‘The ...
Lot 748
Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal (2), E.VII.R. (S.Sergt. Signaller R. W. Clarke. P.A.O.C.F. Arty.) G.V.R. (Bde. Q.M.S. E. A. Bartlett 1st. Bde. C.F.A.) both impressed naming, the first with contact marks, nearly very fine; the second rhodium-plated in common with many awards issued to Canadian forces, nearly extremely fine (2) £120-£160
Lot 181
Three: Private H. Christmas, Rifle Brigade, attached Camel Corps Crimea 1854-56, 2 clasps, Alma, Sebastopol (H. Christmas. 2nd Btn. Rifle Bde.) officially impressed naming; Indian Mutiny 1857-59, 2 clasps, Lucknow, Central India (Hy. Christmas. 2nd Rifle Bde.); Turkish Crimea 1855, Sardinian issue, unnamed as issued, with ring and claw suspension, mounted for display, clasp carriages reconstituted for both the first and second medals, right-hand side of first detached between clasps, second medal with copy Lucknow clasp, otherwise generally very fine or better (3) £300-£400 --- Henry Christmas was born in Eashing, Surrey. He attested for the Rifle Brigade at Godalming in November 1840, and served with the 2nd Battalion in the Crimea before being attached for service with the Camel Corps during the Indian Mutiny (clasp entitlement confirmed). Christmas was discharged in June 1862, having served 21 years and 65 days. Sold with copied medal rolls and service papers.
Lot 235
Three: Driver S. Cole, Royal Field Artillery 1914 Star, with clasp (39804 Dvr: S. Cole. R.F.A.); British War and Victory Medals (39804. Dvr. S. Cole. R.A.) mounted as worn, very fine (3) £60-£80 --- Sidney Cole was born in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, in 1885, and attested for the Royal Artillery on 24 October 1905. Sent to Swindon, his Army Service Record records a particularly inauspicious start with the award of 21 days of hard labour for ‘making a fake answer to a question set out in the attestation papers’. This was followed by 14 days confined to barracks at Ewshott for neglect of orders, improper dress on the public road and making a false statement. Further entries followed, including insolence, improper language, disorderly conduct in the town of Fleet, and breaking windows - all in his first two years of service. Posted to France from 19 August 1914, Cole is recorded in December 1914 as having suffered a ‘slight’ wound and was admitted to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. He subsequently suffered from repeated health complaints, noticeably a hernia, before transferring to the 1st Battalion, London Regiment at Woolwich on 2 August 1918. Cole was later discharged at termination of engagement on 6 March 1919.
Lot 574
Africa General Service 1902-56 (2), E.VII.R., no clasp (3625 Sepoy Jiwand Singh. 27/Punjabis); G.V.R., no clasp (572 Pte. F. James. ‘F’ Coy 1/K.A.R.) first with unofficial retaining rod; second with copy suspension, edge bruising, contact marks, good fine (2) £80-£100 --- Sold with copied medal roll extracts confirming Singh’s entitlement to the clasp ‘Somaliland 1902-04’ and James’ entitlement to the clasp ‘Nyasaland 1915’.
Lot 309
Family group: Four: Private W. J. Douglas, King’s Own Scottish Borderers British War and Victory Medals (1574 Pte. W. J. Douglas. K.O.S.B.); General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Palestine (3178890 Pte. W. Douglas. K.O.S.B.); Army L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 3rd issue, Regular Army (3178890 Pte. W. J. Douglas. K.O.S.B.) 3rd loose, remainder mounted as originally worn, first two worn fine, remainder very fine Four: Lance Corporal R. Douglas, 2nd Battalion, Royal Scots, who was wounded in action during the Defence of Hong Kong, taken Prisoner of War at the Fall of Hong Kong, and died of disease in captivity on 11 August 1942 1939-45 Star; Pacific Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, with named Army Council enclosure slip, and Society Of Miniature Rifle Clubs, Scottish League Prize Medal, bronze and enamel, reverse engraved ‘3rd Division 1934’, nearly extremely fine (lot) £200-£240 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Robert Douglas was born in Dumfries, Scotland, in January 1910. He attested for the Royal Scots at Dumfries in January 1933, and served with the 2nd Battalion during the Second World War. Douglas advanced to Lance Corporal in August 1941, and was wounded in action during the Defence of Hong Kong on 21 December 1941. He was taken Prisoner of War at the Fall of Hong Kong on 25 December 1941, and died of disease whilst in captivity on 11 August 1942. Lance Corporal Douglas is buried in the Sai Wan War Cemetery, Hong Kong. Sold with copied service papers.
Lot 293
Pair: Engineman J. I. Scott, Royal Naval Reserve, who responded to the wireless distress signals from the American troopship Tuscania which had been torpedoed by a U-Boat en route to Liverpool in February 1918 and sank with the loss of 210 lives - the first ship to be sunk carrying U.S. Troops during the Great War British War and Victory Medals (4515T.S. J. I. Scott. Engn. R.N.R.) nearly extremely fine (2) £80-£100 --- Joseph Irvin Scott was born in North Shields, Northumberland, on 14 October 1878, and worked as an iron foundry labourer in 1911. Appointed Engineman in the Royal Naval Reserve, he was posted aboard the newly completed trawler William Symons from 28 October 1917 to 17 July 1918, and was thus present to assist the escorts of convoy HX-20 which had been targeted by UB-77 under Kapitan Wilhelm Meyer. The Northern Whig of 8 February 1918 offers more detail: ‘On Tuesday, February 5, about 6 p.m., a terrible catastrophe occurred off the Irish coast, when the Anchor liner Tuscania, carrying American troops, was torpedoed and sunk without the slightest warning. At dusk a torpedo fired at short range hit the vessel in the vicinity of the engine room. At the time of the catastrophe there were about 2,000 troops aboard and a crew of 240. Immediately the vessel was hit she listed badly to starboard, and many of the military men were thrown or jumped from the decks into the water, and in a few minutes scores of soldiers were swimming in the vicinity of the doomed liner. Others proceeded to their boat stations, only to find in several instances that their boats had been blown to atoms by the explosion. Immediately the ship was struck, the electric-light went out, and the men were left in total darkness.’ By 10 p.m., the Tuscania had sunk, bow first into the sea. Calls for help were soon answered by the fleet of trawlers from Port Ellen, whilst small numbers of men attempted to swim towards the coast of Islay. One American survivor later wrote to a friend back home: ‘Nine of us were finally washed ashore alive, some injured badly and all nearly drowned. We laid together by a large rock, in the wind, and had to listen to the moans and groans of our dying comrades till daylight. About twenty corpses washed ashore beside us when daylight came and we were rescued by a Highlander.’ In total, 132 men made it to Islay, all of whom were offered shelter. In his official report, Malcolm MacNeill - the grandfather of George Robertson, the future Secretary General of N.A.T.O. - was clear to praise his friends and neighbours: ‘Though they had so little, they gave so much to help those who were wrecked on their shores.’ Scott was subsequently ‘noted for good services rendered in rescuing the survivors of the Tuscania on 5 February 1918’, and was demobilised on 26 January 1919. The loss of the troopship is commemorated via a monument erected on the Oa Peninsula of Islay by the American Red Cross in 1919; less well known is the story of a young West Virginian named Harry Rainel Truman who survived the loss of Tuscania and later served in France with the 100th Aeronautical Squadron of the U.S. Army Air Service - described by journalists in 1980 as a ‘stubborn, crusty, whiskey-drinking diehard’, he died in the eruption of Mount St Helens on 18 May 1980 after refusing to leave his Spirit Lake home, the most famous casualty of the eruption.
Lot 684
Army L.S. & G.C., V.R., 3rd issue, small letter reverse (2) (1933. Corpl. R. Ballard. R.H.A.; 647. Gunr. J. Perdue. R.H.A.) minor official correction to surname on first, good very fine (2) £100-£140 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK ---
Lot 374
Four: Lieutenant A. Otten, 320 (Dutch) Squadron, Royal Air Force and Royal Netherlands Air Force France and Germany Star; War Medal 1939-45, these both later issues in plastic boxes of issue, with Defence Council enclosure; Netherlands, Kingdom, Flying Cross 1941, silver, the reverse stamped ‘Silver’, in Spink, London, case of issue; War Commemorative Cross, bronze, 2 clasps, Nederland Mei 1940, Oorlogsvluchten 1940-1945, mounted for wear by ‘Fa. A. Tack, Breda; together with the recipient’s Royal Netherlands Air Force Pilot-Navigator’s Badge, silver-gilt and enamel, reverse stamped ‘Silver’, with pin back suspension, nearly extremely fine (5) £600-£800 --- Albert Otten was born in Holland on 7 June 1916 and was an Officer Pilot Third Class in the Netherlands Royal Navy Reserve. He served with 320 (Dutch) Squadron, Royal Air Force during the Second World War from 2 June 1941, flying predominately the American Mitchell Mark II bomber, and is recorded as having made 45 operational flights prior to 1944; 22 operational flights in the second quarter of 1944; 23 operations flights in the third quarter of 1944; 4 operations flights in the fourth quarter of 1944; and 21 operational flights in the first quarter of 1945. For his courage, skill, persistence, and devotion to duty he was awarded the Dutch Flying Cross in 1944. He subsequently became a commercial pilot with the Dutch airline K.L.M., and died in Portishead, Bristol, on 24 April 1980. Sold with the recipient’s Royal Air Force Pilot’s Flying Log Book, covering the period 7 July 1940 to 18 August 1946; a bound copy of 320 Squadron R.A.F. Memorial 1940-1945, by J. P. Kloos, and inscribed by the author ‘To Andrew Otten, in fond memory of his father Appie with whom I flew 75 “ops” against the enemy in WWII’, the text in a mixture of English and Dutch; two First Day Covers, one commemorating 320 (Dutch) Squadron; the other commemorating the Dropping of Food to the Dutch People by Bomber Command; and various letters and other research documents.
Lot 737
Royal Air Force L.S. & G.C. (3), G.V.R. (2) (338179 P. N. Davidson. R.A.F.; 338148. F/Sgt. A. Wade. R.A.F.) rank erased on first; G.VI.R., 1st issue (366130 F/Sgt. E. R. Knight. R.A.F.) minor edge bruise to last, otherwise good very fine (3) £80-£100 --- Sold with a blank Second War Air Council enclosure slip,and piece of ‘ticker-tape’ relating to Wade, the ticker-tap inscribed ‘338148 W.O.’
Lot 189
Pair: Private Marjan Mohomed, East African Protectorate Force, later East African Rifles East and West Africa 1887-1900, for Mwele 1895-6, no clasp (700 Pte. Marjan Mohomed. E.A. Prot: Force.); Africa General Service 1902-56, 1 clasp, Jubaland (No 700 Marjn Mohomed) the first a late issue, officially impressed with regimental number locally hand impressed, the second locally hand impressed with various letters double struck, contact marks, nearly very fine, scarce (2) £300-£400
Lot 820
Greece, Kingdom, Medal of Military Merit 1916-17, bronze; Distinguished Conduct Medal 1940, bronze; War Cross 1940, First Class, bronze with gilded crown; War Medal 1940-41, Land Operations issue, blackened bronze; Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (3), First Class, for 20 Years’ Service, gilt; Second Class, for 15 Years’ Service, silvered; Third Class, for 10 Years’ Service, bronze, all on Air Force riband; United Nations Medal for Korea, Greek issue, all unnamed as issued; together with a Belgian Decoration for Workers and Artisans, First Class, bilingual type, silvered and enamel, with gilded crown, in de Greef, Brussels, case of issue; an Italian Allied Victory Medal 1914-19, bronze; and a United States of America Air Force Meritorious Achievement Medal, white metal, with riband bars, in case of issue, good very fine and better (11) £100-£140
Lot 822
An unattributed Japanese Order of the Rising Sun group of eight Japan, Empire, Order of the Rising Sun, Sixth Class breast badge, silver and enamel, with red cabochon in centre; Russo-Japanese War Medal 1904-05, with clasp, bronze; 1914-15 War Medal, with clasp, bronze; 1931-34 Incident War Medal, with clasp, bronze; Allied Victory Medal, bronze; Taisho Enthronement Medal 1915, silver; Showa Enthronement Medal 1928, silver; Red Cross Membership Medal, silver, with rosette on riband, mounted as worn, minor enamel damage to first, otherwise very fine and better (8) £240-£280
Lot 238
Family Group: Four: Major A. Blaikie, 14th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (London Scottish), who sustained a bullet wound to the thigh in the gallant ‘Halloween’ charge at Messines on 31 October 1914, one of nine officers killed or wounded in this first Territorial Regiment engagement of the Great War, and the first Chartered Accountant to become a casualty 1914 Star, with clasp (Capt: A. Blaikie. 14/Lond: R.); British War and Victory Medals (Major A. Blaikie.); Defence Medal, the first three mounted as worn, the Defence Medal loose; together with the recipient’s London Scottish Old Comrades Association gilt and enamel badge, good very fine and better Pair: Mrs. B. Blaikie, British Red Cross Society, who served as a Child Welfare Officer in Copthorne, West Sussex Defence Medal, with B.R.C.S. Associate badge pinned to riband; Voluntary Medical Service Medal, silver (Mrs. Brenda Blaikie); together with the recipient’s B.R.C.S. Proficiency in First Aid badge (2722 B. Blaikie) and B.R.C.S. For Merit badge (4041 B. Blaikie) the last in original named card box of issue, nearly extremely fine (8) £400-£500 --- Adrian Blaikie was born on 28 August 1886, the fourth son of James Blaikie of 15 Church Crescent, Finchley. Educated at Dulwich College, he is recorded on the School Register as qualifying A.C.A. in February 1909 and taking employment with the firm of Maclaine & Co. in 1911. Commissioned Lieutenant in April 1914, Blaikie crossed the Channel to France with the 1/14th London Regiment per S.S. Winnifredia on 15 September 1914 as part of a fairly exclusive club; his compatriots were almost entirely composed of white-collar London professionals, headed by private school boys and university-educated men, who had paid a subscription to join and had proven themselves Scottish by birth or parentage. Initially sent to St. Omer, the men spent their first few weeks overseas employed as labour and prisoner escorts, the linguists being assigned liaison duties with French command. Transferred to lines of communication duties, their role soon changed in late October 1914 as the British line began to fragment along a ridge of high ground running south from Ypres known as the Wytschaete-Messines Ridge. Considered strategically vital, if the Germans managed to occupy and hold this position then they could dominate the ground to the west and endanger the British force holding Ypres. The Stand of the London Scottish at Messines Described as a ‘baptism of fire’ on 31 October 1914, the repulsion of four separate German bayonet attacks by men of the 14th London Regiment is perhaps the most significant action in the storied history of the Regiment, later immortalised in a famous artwork by Richard Caton-Woodville. Commencing around 9pm, waves of enemy charged at the British lines and were driven back by rifle fire and a series of counter attacks. Forced to ‘single feed’ rounds one at a time into the newly-issued Mark 1 rifles, the London Scottish immediately compensated for weak springs and incorrect front stop clips through steady shooting and the experience of training; proud of their marksmanship at Bisley, they proved highly proficient in administering the ‘mad minute’ of 15 aimed shots in 60 seconds. A fine firsthand account of the valour of the London Scottish was later published in the Civil & Military Gazette on 5 November 1914: ‘The Scottish were ordered to occupy a ridge crowning beet fields. They advanced in the open, exposed to murderous shrapnel fire from artillery two miles distant, without cover, but they pushed forward to the enemy’s trenches. The Germans in overwhelming numbers rushed out with fixed bayonets. The Scottish also fixed bayonets and did not wait for the attack. They charged the advancing enemy. The impact was terrific. The Scottish were overborne by numbers and recoiled. They reformed, however, and charged repeatedly. Then the Germans turned and ran. Two farmhouses were filled with Scottish wounded carried on stretchers. The Germans shelled them, and the wounded were removed, but only at great risk.’ Another graphic account by a soldier of the 1/14th London Scottish published in the Aberdeen Daily Journal on 6 November 1914, adds: ‘A large number, including myself, never succeeded in reaching the German trenches, falling victims to the hail of lead let loose upon us. The remainder, though blown with the sprint across the field, used their bayonets with all their might. From the shelter of the trees to which I crawled, I could see our men hacking and stabbing at the Germans right and left until the whole was a mass of struggling men. Three times our lines were broken, so desperate was the resistance, and so endless the numbers, but our men reformed on each occasion and charged again and again with bayonets dripping with blood.’ Despite such desperate resistance, enemy forces of the 6th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Division finally broke the British front and succeeded in making their way around the Battalion flank; the London Scottish had no choice but to withdraw west, leaving large numbers of wounded and unfortunate isolated parties to the mercy of the German advance. Eyewitness accounts later mention seeing the medical Officer, Captain A. MacNab, bayonetted and killed whilst attending to the wounded; amidst a scene of total confusion, approximately half the Battalion succeeded in withdrawing to Wulveringhem, casualties numbering 386 men of all ranks from a total strength of 802. Confirmed upon his Officer Service Record as receiving a bullet wound to the right thigh during the engagement, Blaikie was evacuated from Boulogne to Dublin on 3 November 1914 aboard the S.S. Oxfordshire. He arrived two days later and spent the next two months recovering from the wound before returning via Holyhead to Battalion Depot and reporting for general service on 19 January 1915. Advanced Captain, Blaikie was appointed temporary Major in the London Gazette of 27 January 1916 and was later photographed at Sutton Veney in June 1916 with the 2/14th Battalion. Blaikie later settled with his wife in Copthorne and returned to service during the Second World War as Commanding Officer of the local home guard. According to the Crawley and District Observer of 25 July 1947, he collapsed and died from heart failure whilst walking to the local shops to buy a newspaper. Brenda Blaikie (nee Webb) married Major Adrian Blaikie at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Frognal, on 4 June 1914, just a week before her new husband was mobilised. Her obituary was published in the East Grinstead Observer on 4 May 1977 states: ‘A tribute to a founder member of Crawley Down WI was made at a thanksgiving service in Copthorne. The service was held in the chapel in memory of Mrs. Brenda Blaikie who died at her Copthorne home on April 6, aged 84 years. She and her husband had lived in Copthorne since 1921. Major Adrian Blaikie died in 1947. Mrs Blaikie was a member of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Redhill, for more than 50 years and was also a member of the Copthorne Women’s Fellowship. She belonged to East Grinstead Art Club and was a member of the Red Cross for over 55 years. Copthorne will remember her as the child welfare officer. She subscribed to charities, including the Copthorne Band, Copthorne Residents’ Association and the local Guides and Scouts. She leaves a son, Andrew, and a daughter, Mary, who was casualty sister at Queen Victoria’s Hospital, East Grinstead.’
Lot 330
Pair: Honorary Captain J. W. Graves, late Private No. 6 Field Ambulance, Canadian Army Medical Corps, a Methodist Minister, published poet and author, and founder of the Dagenham Girl Pipers - who travelled the world, and had notable appearances including for Adolf Hitler in Germany in 1937 British War and Victory Medals (Hon. Capt. J. W. Graves.) rank partially officially corrected on both, very fine (2) £80-£120 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Joseph Waddington Graves was born in 1881 at Deal in Kent. His father was a chemist and druggist, the young Joseph also worked in a chemist’s shop before emigrating to Canada in 1906. He later became a clergyman, and served as an Army Padre with the Canadian forces during the Great War - initially as a Private with No. 6 Field Ambulance, C.A.M.C., and then as Minister of the Methodist Church, Canada. He became a published poet in 1915, when Songs of the War was published, with all of the proceeds going to the Belgian Relief Fund. Graves became a published author after the War, publishing The Renaissance of Korea in 1920. He went on to found the female bagpipe marching band known as the Dagenham Girl Pipers in 1930. The Barking and Dagenham Archive gives the following: ‘When the Dagenham Girl Pipers were founded in 1930 they were the first female pipe band in the world. The band's founder, the Reverend Joseph Waddington Graves, was born in 1881 at Deal in Kent. His father was a chemist and druggist, the young Joseph also worked in a chemist's shop before emigrating to Canada in 1906. He later became a clergyman, and served as an Army Padre with the Canadian forces during the First World War (1914-1918). Mr Graves spent ten years as Warden of Browning Hall in Walworth, before being appointed of 1930. At that stage Mr Graves ran a Sunday school from a wooden hut. He later wrote that “During all of my life that I can recall, bagpipes have fascinated me”. He chose 12 girls from his Sunday school, average age just 11, and hired G. Douglas Taylor, a former Pipe Major to the King's Own Scottish Borderers, to teach them piping, drumming, marching and Highland dancing. The first practice took place on 4 October 1930. Mr Graves remembered “Twelve small girls, all giggles, seated in a semi-circle around the kilted Pipe-Major. Something really big happened in that Thameside town that morning the Dagenham Girl Pipers was born!” After 18 months of intensive training, the pipers gave their first public concert to an audience of journalists on an outdoor stage behind Osborne Hall. They wore dashing uniforms of Royal Stuart Tartan: kilts, tartan socks, velvet jackets and tam-o'shanters. They were enthusiastically received, and bookings were soon pouring in. By 1933 some of the band members reached the school-leaving age, which was then 14. This, added to the great demand for performances, led Mr Graves to make the band a full-time organisation with the girls as paid employees and himself as manager. Mr Graves imposed strict rules, including no smoking, no drinking, and no make-up. By 1937 Dagenham Girl Pipers were fulfilling 400 engagements a year, and at busy times had four complete bands all doing separate tours. Two original members, Edith Turnbull (1919-2001) and Peggy Iris (b. 1919), had been appointed Senior Pipe-Major and Assistant Pipe-Major. The band now toured the world, and in 1937 appeared in Berlin before Adolf Hitler, who told Mr Graves he wished Germany had a similar band. As war loomed in 1939, one unit was performing at the World Fair in New York, while another was touring southern Germany. During the Second World War (1939-1945), the band's full-time activities had to be curtailed. Under the call-up legislation, some girls joined the Armed Forces, Fire, Ambulance or Nursing services, while others had to work in factories or the land. This allowed band members when not on duty or working to continue to give concerts at the evenings and weekends, especially at Forces camps. Some girls worked in Entertainments National Service Association shows [ENSA], and two members of the band, Peggy Iris and Margaret Fraser, were for three years part of an ENSA concert party entertaining troops in Africa. They gave over 1000 separate shows, and were afterwards awarded the Africa Star. When the War ended, band members returned to 'Civvy Street' and the Dagenham Girl Pipers resumed their professional status. They were as popular as ever. In 1951, for example, they appeared in over 150 Festival of Britain engagements. This was their own 21st birthday year, and Dagenham Borough Council presented them with a set of silver drums to mark the occasion. In October 1955 the band celebrated their Silver Jubilee by marching through the City of London to attend a Thanksgiving Service in St Paul's Cathedral. Mr Graves had retired as their manager in 1948, to be succeeded by David Land, who ran a theatrical agency in Broad Street, Dagenham, and had already been associated with the band for some years. Mr Graves retired with his wife May to his native county of Kent, where he died aged 81, in 1962.’
Lot 469
India General Service 1854-95, 1 clasp, Chin-Lushai 1889-90 (2027 Pte. P. O’Brien 1st. Bn. Ches. R.) minor official correction to initial and first part of surname, edge bruising, good very fine £140-£180 --- Patrick O’Brien was born in Ayr in 1867 and attested for the Cheshire Regiment at Chester on 26 August 1885. A few months later he was tried by District Court Martial for assault; found guilty, he served 112 days’ imprisonment with hard labour. Transferred to Egypt and then Burma, O’Brien served on the Chin Lushai punitive expedition as part of the Northern Column. Posted to South Africa in 1900 with the 2nd Battalion, he was later discharged on termination of engagement.
Lot 561
Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 6 clasps, Tugela Heights, Orange Free State, Relief of Ladysmith, Transvaal, Laing’s Nek, South Africa 1901, unofficial rivets between fifth and sixth clasps (Major J. D. T. Reckitt. R.A.M.C.) engraved naming, nearly extremely fine £300-£400 --- John Dennis Thorpe Reckitt was born on 9 January 1855 and served with the Royal Army Medical Corps in South Africa during the Boer War. He served in Natal from 1899 to 1900, where he was present during the Relief of Ladysmith, including the action at Colenso, and also in the operations of 17 to 24 January 1900, and the action at Spion Kop; the operations of 5 to 7 February 1900 and the action at Vaal Kranz; the operations on Tugela Heights from 14 to 27 February 1900, and the action at Pieters Hill; and the action at Laing’s Nek from 6 to 9 June 1900. He saw further service in the Transvaal from 30 November 1900 to April 1901. For his services in South Africa, Reckitt was three times Mentioned in Despatches, the first time by General Hildyard in his report of the inconclusive Battle of Willow Grange on 24 November 1899: ‘Major Reckitt commanded the Bearer company and did good service both at the time and in connection with the removal of the wounded’; and then again in General Buller’s Despatches for 30 March and 19 June 1900. Unusually for someone Mentioned on three occasions, and who was present at some of the fiercest battles of the campaign, Reckitt received no gallantry award. He subsequently transferred to the Retired List with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. Sold with copied research.
Lot 621
The Victory Medal awarded to D.H.9A observer Sergeant J. West, 110 Squadron, Royal Air Force, who was shot down and killed in one of the original complement of DH.9A’s gifted to the Squadron by His Exalted Highness, the Nizam of Hyderabad, whilst on an Independent Force raid to Mannheim, 16 September 1918 Victory Medal 1914-19 (114643. Pte 1. J. West. R.A.F.) very fine £100-£140 --- John West was a native of Birmingham, and initially served during the Great War as a Driver with the Army Service Corps on the Western Front from 5 October 1914. He transferred to the Royal Flying Corps as a 2 A.M. in December 1917. West transferred as a Private 1 to the Royal Air Force in April 1918, and remustered as a Sergeant Mechanic. He served in France from 30 December 1917 until 28 April 1918, and returned as an Observer with 110 Squadron (D.H.9’s) at Bettoncourt as part of the R.A.F.’s Independent Force in September 1918. Crewed with Sergeant A. Haigh as a his pilot, West flew in the Squadron’s first raid on the German aerodrome at Boulay on 14 September 1918. They followed this up the next day carrying out a raid on the Buhl Aerodrome. West and Haigh were shot down in D.H.9A. E8410 (one of the original complement of DH.9As gifted by His Exalted Highness, the Nizam of Hyderabad), whilst carrying out a bombing raid to Mannheim on 16 September 1918. The victory was claimed by Lt. A. Stephan of Jasta 70. Both West and Haigh were killed, and are buried together in the Niederzwehren Cemetery, Kassel, Germany. Sold with copied research.
Lot 69
Pair: Rifleman Budhiman Rai, 7th Duke of Edinburgh’s Own Gurkha Rifles, later Gurkha Army Service Corps General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Malaya, E.II.R. (21147521 Rfn. Budiman Rai. 7 G.R.); General Service 1962-2007, 1 clasp, Borneo (21147521 Dvr. Budhiman Rai. Gurkha ASC.) edge bruising to first, sometime cleaned, better than nearly very fine (2) £100-£140
Lot 3
Pair: Private W. Parr, 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot Crimea 1854-56, 3 clasps, Alma, Inkermann, Sebastopol (Pve. Willm. Parr 38th. Foot) contemporarily engraved naming; Turkish Crimea 1855, Sardinian issue, unnamed as issued, pierced with small ring suspension, minor contact marks to first, otherwise very fine (2) £300-£400 --- William Parr is confirmed on the Crimea rolls as entitled to Medal and three clasps. The 38th Regiment of Foot witnessed extensive action in the Crimea, being present at the Battle of the Alma in September 1854, the Battle of Inkermann in November 1854, and the siege of Sevastopol in the winter of 1854-55. The Regimental History further notes that an officer and 40 other ranks of the 38th Foot who were convalescing at Balaclava took part in the celebrated ‘Thin Red Line’ defence by the 93rd Highlanders.
Lot 147
Family Group: The rare Afghanistan Order of the Dooranee Empire badge attributed to Colonel W. Croker, C.B., 17th (Leicestershire) Regiment of Foot, who commanded the Regiment at the Storming and Capture of the Fortress of Ghuznee on 23 July 1839 Afghanistan, Order of the Dooranee Empire 1839, Third Class breast badge, with Swords, of Afghan manufacture, 53mm, gold and enamel, the central enamelled Persian inscription encircled by 16 small pearls, the reverse backplate plain, fitted with a gold straight bar suspension and contemporary top gold brooch bar, good very fine and rare Three: Captain E. Croker, 17th (Leicestershire) Regiment of Foot, who was present at the Storming and Capture of the Fortress of Ghuznee on 23 July 1839, and later served in the Crimea Ghuznee 1839 (Edward Croker, Ensign 17th. Regiment.) contemporarily engraved naming in upright serif capitals to edge, with top silver brooch bar; Ghuznee 1839, a contemporary good quality tailor’s copy of the so-called ‘Tall Tower’ variety and similar to other examples named to officers of this regiment, the reverse field engraved in small capitals ‘Ensn. Edw. Croker 17th. Regiment.’, with silver ball and gold split ring and straight bar suspension, with contemporary top gold brooch bar; Crimea 1854-56, 1 clasp, Sebastopol (Edward Croker, Captn. 17th. Regt.) Hunt & Roskell engraved naming, with Hunt & Roskell top silver riband buckle; minor contact marks, generally good very fine and better, the last rare (4) £5,000-£7,000 --- William Croker was born in Co. Limerick, Ireland, in March 1788 and was commissioned Ensign in the 17th Regiment of Foot on 27 March 1803, being promoted Lieutenant on 2 June 1804, and Captain on 20 November 1806. He served in the East Indies from 1804 to 1824, and was present during the Siege of Gurnowri in 1807; the campaign against the Sikhs of 1808-09; in the Nepaul campaign of 1814-15; and in the Mahrattas and Pindarrees campaign of 1817-18. For his services in the Nepaul campaign, Croker was Mentioned in Major-General J. S. Wood’s Despatch: ‘His Majesty’s 17th Regiment of Foot led the column, headed by its gallant commander, Colonel Hardyman, and supported by the grenadiers of the 2nd battalion of the 17th and 14th regiments of Native Infantry, and advanced upon the works; while the grenadiers and one battalion company of His Majesty’s 17th Regiment of Foot succeeded in gaining the hill on the right of the redoubt. This party was led by a brave and cool officer, Captain William Croker, who drove the enemy up the hill, killing a chief, Sooraj Tappah’ (Historical Record of the Seventeenth or The Leicestershire Regiment of Foot, by Richard Cannon, refers). Promoted Brevet Major on 12 August 1819, Croker was confirmed in that rank on 16 June 1825, and served as Assistant Adjutant General to HM Forces in India from 1818 to 1824. After a period of home service from 1826, in 1831 Croker was posted to Australia, where he served as Commandant of Bathurst, New South Wales. Promoted Lieutenant-Colonel on 1 April 1836, he arrived back in Bombay in command of the 17th Regiment of Foot in May 1836, and commanded the Regiment during the Afghan and Beloochistan campaign, including the storming and capture of the fortresses of Ghuznee on 23 July 1839. The Regimental History gives the following account of the role played by Croker: ‘Before daylight on the morning of the 23rd of July, one of the principal gates was destroyed by an explosion of gunpowder; and the British troops rushed in at the opening and captured the strong fortress of Ghuznee by storm. The 17th Regiment of Foot, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Croker, had the honour to take a conspicuous share in the capture of this fortress: it led the assault of the citadel, which was captured with little loss, and at five o'clock in the morning its colours were waving triumphantly on the fortress. The loss of the regiment was limited to one private killed and six men wounded.’ Croker further led the Regiment at the storming and capture of Khelat on 13 November 1839, where he was personally attacked by tribesmen who were fought off. For their services in Afghanistan, the 17th Regiment of Foot received the Battle Honours ‘Afghanistan’, ‘Ghuznee’, and ‘Khelat’, and Croker was nominated a Companion of the Order of the Bath (London Gazette 20 December 1839). He is also recorded in the Regimental History as being awarded the Order of the Dooranee Empire. Following the conclusion of hostilities in 1840, the 17th Regiment of Foot were ordered back to Bombay, and their troopship, The Hannah, was wrecked on a sand-bank off the mouth of the Indus on 17 March 1840, but was evacuated in good order, and not a single man nor horse was lost. After a period spent commanding the Troops at Aden, Croker was promoted Colonel on 9 November 1846, and returned home the following year, resigning by sale of his commission on 5 November 1847. William Croker married Elizabeth Stokes in Calcutta on 14 July 1819; together they had four sons and two daughters, including Captain Edward Croker, 17th Regiment of Foot. William Croker died in Cheltenham on 11 August 1852, and is buried in St. Peter’s Churchyard, Leckhampton, Cheltenham. Under the statutes in force at the time, his insignia of the Order of the Bath would have been returnable upon his death. Edward Croker, the eldest son of Lieutenant-Colonel William Croker, was born in Calcutta on 25 April 1820 and was commissioned Ensign in the 17th Regiment of Foot, by purchase, on 27 October 1837. He served with the Regiment in Afghanistan and Beloochistan, and was present at the storming and capture of the fortress of Ghuznee on 23 July 1839, and the storm and capture of Khelat on 13 November 1839. He was promoted Lieutenant on 21 October 1839, and subsequently served as Adjutant. Promoted Captain on 10 March 1848, he saw further service in the Crimea, including the first assault on the Grand Redan at Sebastopol on 18 June 1855. He resigned by sale of his commission that same year. Edward Croker married Catherine Keily in Cheltenham on 14 November 1850, and they had two sons and three daughters together, including Sir Henry Leycester Croker, who commanded the 2nd Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment (as the 17th Foot had become) during the initial stages of the Great War. Edward Croker died in Cheltenham on 19 January 1892, and is buried in St. Peter’s Churchyard, Leckhampton, Cheltenham. William Croker’s nephew (and therefore Edward Croker’s cousin), John Lacy Croker, also served in the 17th Regiment of Foot, having been commissioned Ensign on 18 March 183, and promoted Lieutenant on 5 June 1839. He too served with distinction at the storming and capture of the fortress of Ghuznee on 23 July 1839, and it was he who placed the first British Standard (the Regimental Colour of the 17th Foot) on the Citadel of Ghuznee. He was killed in action in the Crimea during the first assault on the Grand Redan on 18 June 1855, the only Officer of the Regiment to be killed, and was buried on Cathcart’s Hill. Sold with a watercolour portrait of William Croker.
Lot 356
Seven: Lieutenant-Colonel T. J. A. Seale, Royal Marines, who was Mentioned in Despatches for the Second Battle of Sirte, 22 March 1942, and served with 40 Commando in Palestine 1945-48 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star, 1 clasp, North Africa 1942-43; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, with M.I.D. oak leaf; Naval General Service 1915-62, 1 clasp, Palestine 1945-48 (Capt. T. J. A. Seale. R.M.); Coronation 1937, unnamed as issued, mounted as worn, generally very fine (7) £400-£500 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- M.I.D. London Gazette 8 September 1942. Thomas Jack Ambrose Seale was born in July 1916, and commissioned Lieutenant in the Royal Marines in 1937. He served as Captain during the Second War as part of the Royal Marine complement for H.M.S. Dido. The latter cruiser spent the early part of 1941 on convoy duty in the Atlantic, prior to joining the Eastern Mediterranean Fleet in April 1941. She suffered bomb damage whilst transporting troops from Crete to Alexandria, 29 May 1941, and her Marines accepted the surrender of the port of Assab, Eritrea, in June 1941. The remainder of the year was spent with the vessel being refitted, prior to re-joining the Eastern Mediterranean Fleet at the start of 1942. The first three months of 1942 were spent on convoy escort between Alexandria and Malta, but on 22 March 1942 the Dido joined Rear Admiral Sir Philip Vian’s force for the Second Battle of Sirte. The British convoy for the latter was composed of four merchant ships bound for Malta escorted by four light cruisers (of which Dido was one), one anti-aircraft cruiser, and 17 destroyers. The Italian force comprised a battleship, two heavy cruisers, one light cruiser, and eight destroyers. Seale was Mentioned in Despatches for the successful action. After the war Seale served with 40 Commando in Palestine, before advancing to Major and serving at the R.M. Small Arms School, Gosport. Whilst serving at Gosport he was part of the successful Small-Bore Shooting Team, 1951-52. Lieutenant-Colonel Seale died in June 1956. Sold with copied extracts from R.M. journals, which include photographic images of the recipient.
Lot 36
A rare First Boer War ‘Saving the Colours at Bronkhorstspruit’ D.C.M. pair awarded to Sergeant J. T. Bradley, 94th Regiment of Foot, later 2nd Battalion, Connaught Rangers, for his conduct during the first major engagement of the First Boer War on 20 December 1880 Distinguished Conduct Medal, V.R. (673 Sergt. J. T. Bradley, 94th. Foot. 20th. Dec: 1880); South Africa 1877-79, 1 clasp, 1879 (673. Lce. Corpl. J. T. Bradley. 94th. Foot.) edge bruising and contact marks, very fine (2) £4,000-£5,000 --- D.C.M. Recommendation submitted to the Queen 6 March 1882; Medal presented by Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle on 13 May 1882. The Battle of Bronkhorstspruit The Battle of Bronkhorstspruit on 20 December 1880 was the first major engagement of the First Boer War; on this date ‘Lieutenant-Colonel Anstruther of the 94th Regiment with 9 officers and 254 other ranks was marching from Lydenburg to Pretoria when he was ambushed 37 miles from his objective by the Bronkhorstspruit river. He had been informed of the Boer rising and warned against being surprised, but even so the Boers’ tactics were of doubtful fairness since it was by no means certain that a state of war existed. The straggling columns of wagons was halted by a few Boers in an exposed spot, the Colonel was handed a proclamation ordering him to turn back; he was given only two minutes to reply, and when he refused fire was opened at once. The Boer leader, Joubert, had concealed about a thousand men in excellent firing positions, clearly expecting a refusal. The action lasted less than half an hour and amounted to a massacre.’ (Victorian Military Campaigns refers). British casualties amounted to 5 officers and 63 men killed, and 4 officers and 85 men wounded; Boer casualties were negligible. Every British officer was a casualty, including Anstruther, who received five wounds to the legs, and subsequently died of those wounds a week later. For their roles in saving the Colours (which was subsequently heralded in the press, presumably to detract from the overall disaster), both Colour Sergeant Henry Maistre and Sergeant Joseph Taylor Bradley, were awarded the D.C.M. During the Battle, Maistre had hid the Colours under a stretcher that was carrying the wounded Mrs. Fox, wife of Sergeant Major G. Fox. Following the Battle, the Boer Commandant Frans Joubert allowed the British to establish a camp for their wounded, as well as allowing Conductor Ralph Egerton, Commissariat and Transport Department, and Sergeant Bradley to proceed on foot to Pretoria to seek medical assistance. The Colours, retrieved from Mrs. Fox’s stretcher, were subsequently smuggled from the battlefield to Pretoria by Egerton and Bradley, presumably concealed upon their bodies. Sold with a photograph of the recovered Colours; and copied research, including a photographic image of the recipient.
Lot 401
Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, The Potomac 17 Aug 1814 (William Dufton.) some light scratches, otherwise nearly extremely fine £4,000-£5,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Confirmed on the roll as a Private Royal Marines on board the Seahorse frigate. 104 clasps ‘Potomac 17 Aug 1814’ including 6 officers and 29 men of the Seahorse. William Dufton was born at Leeds and attested there on 23 July 1812, aged 17 years 5 months. Of the many expeditions up the bays and rivers of the United States during the war with America, none equalled in brilliancy of execution that up the Potomac to Alexandria. This service was entrusted to Captain James Alexander Gordon, of the 38-gun frigate Seahorse, having under his orders the 18-pounder 36-gun frigate Euryalus; bomb-ships Devastation, Ætna, and Meteor; rocket-ship Erebus; and a small tender, or despatch-boat. On 17 August at 9.15 a.m., the squadron got under way from the anchorage at the entrance of the Potomac, and, without the aid of pilots, began ascending the intricate channel of the river leading to the capital of the United States. On 18 August the Seahorse grounded, and could only get afloat again by shifting her guns to the tenders in company. That done, and the guns returned to their places, the squadron again stood up the river. While passing the flats of Maryland point on 25 August, a squall struck the squadron, the Seahorse had her mizenmast sprung, and the Euryalus, just as she had clewed up her sails to be in a state to receive it, had her bowsprit and the head of her foremast badly sprung, and the heads of all three topmasts fairly wrung off. Such was the state of discipline on board the ship, however, that in 12 hours the Euryalus had refitted herself, and was again under way ascending the river.
In the evening of 27 August, after each of the ships had been aground not less than 20 times, and each time obliged to haul themselves off by main strength, and after having for five successive days, with the exception of a few hours, been employed in warping a distance of not more than 50 miles, the squadron arrived abreast of Fort Washington. The bomb-ships immediately began throwing their shells into the fort, preparatory to an attack the next morning by the two frigates. On the bursting of the first shell, the garrison was observed to retreat, but, supposing some concealed design, Captain Gordon directed the fire to be continued. At 8 p.m., however, all doubts were removed by the explosion of the powder magazine, which destroyed the inner buildings. At daylight the next morning, the British took possession of the fort and of three minor batteries, mounting altogether 27 guns, chiefly of heavy calibre. The guns had already been spiked, and their complete destruction, with the carriages, was carried out by the seamen and marines of the squadron. These forts were intended for the defence of Alexandria, the channel to which the British began immediately to buoy. While Captain Gordon was still negotiating the terms of the surrender, the Fairy, which had fought her way up the river, arrived on 31 August with orders for Captain Gordon’s return. The squadron departed down river the same day taking 21 sail of prizes. Sold with copied entry from Royal Marines Description book and Seahorse ship’s logbook extracts for the Potomac expedition.
Lot 631
General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp (2), Palestine (7011984 Rfmn. J. E. Turkington. R.U. Rif.); Cyprus (23419234 Rfn. M. Ward. R.U.R.) surname officially corrected on first, very fine (2) £100-£140 --- Sold with a renamed General Service 1918-62, 1 copy clasp, Cyprus (23355916 Cpl. J. J. Bolger 1/R.U.R.) renamed, suspension detached from planchet (but present), copy clasp loose on riband; and an Irish cap badge.
Lot 291
Pair: Able Seaman T. R. W. H. Haskell, Royal Navy, who drowned in the River Thames in 1920 after becoming entangled in weeds; tragically, a fellow sailor aboard the battleship Warspite met his death at the same time attempting to effect a rescue British War and Victory Medals (J.73419 T. R. W. H. Haskell. Ord. R.N.) extremely fine (2) £60-£80 --- Thomas Richard William Henry Haskell was born in Tunbridge Wells on 1 February 1901 and joined the Royal Navy at Devonport as Boy 2nd Class on 12 July 1917. He transferred to Warspite on 28 May 1918 and was advanced Able Seaman 24 January 1920. His papers note ‘discharged dead’ on 10 August 1920, adding ‘drowned’. The Hull Daily Mail of 11 August 1920 adds a little more information: ‘Drowning Cases. Whilst bathing from the public walk, Lower-Sunbury Road, Hampton, Fred Wellington and another man named Askell [sic] became entangled in the weeds and were drowned. Askell was the first in difficulties, and shouted for help. Wellington called out, “I am coming, hold out!” and swam across, but was also caught, and both were drowned.’ The Portsmouth Evening News later confirmed the young men as good friends, both serving sailors aboard Warspite, who were enjoying their leave at the home of Mr. Frederick Charles Wellington whilst the ship was docked at Devonport. Haskell was later buried at Ladywell Cemetery in Lewisham.
Lot 50
A fine ‘Malayan Emergency’ D.C.M. group of four awarded to Lance-Corporal Sherbahadur Rai, 10th Princess Mary’s Own Gurkha Rifles, for his gallant conduct at Bahau Negri Sembilian on 1 March 1950 when communist insurgents derailed and ambushed a train, peppering the carriages with bullets - his bold action and offensive spirit with a bayonet ‘prevented a serious incident from becoming a major disaster’ Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.VI.R. (21146023 L.Cpl. Sherbahadur Rai. 1/10. G.R.) officially re-impressed naming; War Medal 1939-45; General Service 1918-62, 2 clasps, S.E. Asia 1945-46, Malaya (114507. Rfn Sherb’dr Rai. 3/10 G.R) minor official correction to number; Indian Independence Medal 1947 (21146023. Rfn. Sherbahadur. Rai. GR.) mounted for wear, minor scratch to reverse of DCM, generally very fine (4) £1,600-£2,000 --- D.C.M. London Gazette 12 May 1950. The original recommendation states: ‘Bahau Negri Sembilian. On 1st March, L/Cpl Sherbahadur Rai was returning from Local Leave in Jahore Bahru accompanied by some other leave details. They were travelling on the civil train from Johore - Mentakab. Between Bahau and Kemayan the train was derailed and ambushed at about 1030 hrs by a large party of bandits who were in position on both sides of a precipitous cutting. The carriage in which the GORs were travelling came to a halt in the middle of the cutting. Hence the full force and volume of enemy fire was directed on this carriage as a result of which 4 GORs were wounded (one seriously). The fire was so heavy that the men were “pinned down”. The enemy called upon the men to surrender and under cover of withering fire, one bandit armed with a sten endeavoured to come down towards the carriage. L/Cpl Sherbahadur immediately wounded him and the latter withdrew. A second bandit endeavoured to follow suit and was shot in the mouth and killed by L/Cpl Sherbahadur Rai. As a result of this enemy set back, L/Cpl Sherbahadur Rai seized the chance to jump out of the train with the object of charging the enemy. His action inspired the 4 wounded men to follow suit as well. One man was so badly wounded in the chest, that L/Cpl Sherbahadur was compelled to place him under suitable cover from fire. With the remaining three however he charged round the flank of the cutting straight at the enemy who immediately withdrew. L/Cpl Sherbahadur Rai and the three wounded men followed the bandits up for 1 3/4 miles firing as they went. Eventually on account of the wounded men, L/Cpl Sherbahadur Rai was compelled to call off the pursuit. On the way back, he picked up the dead body of the bandit he had shot and returning to the railway line handed the body over to the police. He also dressed and bandaged the wounded GORs. The highly courageous, bold action and inspiring leadership on the part of this young Lance-Corporal undoubtedly prevented a serious incident from becoming a major disaster. As an example of offensive spirit in the face of great odds it is second to none.’ Sherbahadur Rai served as a Section Commander with the 1/10th Gurkha Rifles when his train was derailed by communist guerilla forces on the morning of 1 March 1950. The Aberdeen Press and Journal of 3 March 1950 adds a little more detail: ‘Four Gurkhas with fixed bayonets charged a bandit ambush after the derailment of a passenger train between Gemas and Triang. A Malayan police statement said that the four Gurkhas routed about fifty bandits in a forty-minute battle, killing one and wounding four. Five other Gurkhas in the train were wounded, along with one auxiliary policeman and three civilians.’ Sherbahadur Rai was initially recommended for the D.C.M. by Lieutenant-Colonel C. C. Graham, Officer Commanding 1/10th Gurkha Rifles; passed up the chain of command, this was later ‘strongly recommended’ by the Commander in Chief FARELF on 3 April 1950 and approved by the newly installed Major-General Urquhart. Sadly, the Malayan railway remained a soft target for guerilla forces; the derailment of a mail train from Singapore in November 1951 killed four people and injured 20, and proved a close-call for the Malayan ruler of Egri Sembilan. According to the Bradford Observer on 15 November 1951: ‘The train plunged into a ravine. The gang fled after spraying the wreck with gunfire...’ Another attack on a goods train in January 1955 - where the fishplates securing the rails to the sleepers had been removed in a cutting - resulted in injuries to the driver and fireman and destruction of the rolling stock. Sold with copied research noting this as the fifth D.C.M. awarded to a Gurkha and the first D.C.M. awarded to the 1/10th Battalion, Gurkha Rifles.
Lot 406
A rare smuggler’s Syria operations Naval General Service Medal awarded to Able Seaman John Snell, Royal Navy, who was impressed into the Service as a result of his apprehension off Devon in the ‘Mary of Beer’, which vessel was found to be carrying ‘94 caskets of spirits’

Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, Syria (John Snell.) edge bruise and minor contact marks, otherwise very fine £2,000-£3,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- John Snell was born at Axminster, Devon, circa 1790, and first entered the Royal Navy as an Able Seaman aboard H.M.S. President in July 1813, using the alias ‘John Love’. Discharged from the same ship in March 1814, after having been present at the capture of St. Sebastian in September 1813 (the published Naval General Service Medal rolls confirm entitlement to clasp as a separate application), he next appears on the ship’s muster of the Mersey in July 1823, this time in his correct name and having been ‘impressed’ into service as a result of his arrest off Devon for his part in smuggling 94 caskets of spirits in ‘the Mary of Beer’ - in common with other local smugglers (and poachers), on being found fit for Naval service he was sent to Dorchester Gaol until arrangements could be made for him to join one of H.M.’s ships.

As discussed by Captain K. J. Douglas-Morris, R.N., in a special feature about smugglers in impressed service (see Naval Medals 1793-1856, pp. 167-171), Snell would have been allocated a sentence of five years’ service in foreign waters, following which he would have been given the option of returning to civilian life back home. However, immediately following the entry on his service record that confirms his completion of time as an impressed smuggler in the summer of 1828, he is shown as joining the Atholl - albeit with a nine-month interlude - an entry that suggests he had elected to remain in the Navy’s employment following leave ashore. But this latter contention is weakened by the fact he is shown as having ‘run’ in July 1829, a puzzle further compounded by the musters of the period which contain the ambiguous statement, ‘per order Commander-in-Chief’ - possibly this suggests that he innocently missed his ship’s departure from port, and was subsequently reprieved at the C-in-C’s behest. But whatever the background to this somewhat confusing episode in his career, Snell joined the Melville one month after his apparent desertion, enjoyed regular employment until October 1848, and was present in the Syria operations of 1840 as an Able Seaman aboard the Ganges. Sold with copied record of service and various Admiralty letters concerning his being impressed as a smuggler.
Lot 399
Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, Java (William Costor.) fitted with an attractive contemporary silver ribbon slide engraved ‘Copenhagen 1807’ and ‘Isle of France 1811’, edge bruise and lightly polished, otherwise good very fine £1,600-£2,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Provenance: Dix Noonan Webb, June 1994. Confirmed on the roll as Captain of the Fore Top aboard H.M.S. Hesper at the capture of Java. William Costor was aged 21 when he entered the Royal Marines as an Able Seaman aboard H.M.S. Goshawk on 7 February 1807. His trade was given as ‘mariner’, which explains his A.B. rating. Goshawk served on the Irish station and in the North Sea, and took part in the seizure of the Danish fleet at Copenhagen in 1807. Costor subsequently served in the Amsterdam from April to September 1809; and the Hesper from September 1809 to July 1812, being rated first as Able Seaman, then Quarter Gunner from October 1809, and Captain of the Fore Top from August 1810, and in this rate saw service at the capture of Java. He was invalided out of Hesper on 4 July 1812, into Doris as Able Seaman for passage home only from 5 July to 23 October, and into his final ship Gladiator from 24 October to 2 November 1812, when paid off. He was placed on the Greenwich Hospital books on 16 November 1843, at the age of 61. Sold with copy of Greenwich Hospital record of service which shows his last ship as Doris and ‘wounded head’.
Lot 151
Six: Colonel T. C. Ekin, 1st Battalion, London Regiment, late 3rd London Volunteer Rifle Corps and 7th (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment 1914-15 Star (Col. T. C. Ekin. 1/Lond. R.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves (Col. T. C. Ekin.); Jubilee 1897, silver, unnamed as issued; Coronation 1911, unnamed as issued; Volunteer Force Long Service Medal, E.VII.R. (Lt. Col: T. C. Ekin, 3 London V.R.C.) engraved naming, mounted as worn; together with the related miniature awards (the 1914-15 Star substituted by a 1914 Star); the recipient’s helmet plate, this with some corrosion; and a National Reserve London silver lapel badge, contact marks to the Jubilee Medal, and area of corrosion to the Coronation Medal, otherwise very fine and better (6) £800-£1,000 --- Tom Charles Ekin was born in 1860 and was first commissioned Lieutenant in the 1st Volunteer Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry, on 21 April 1886. Transferring to the 3rd City of London Volunteer Rifle Corps, he was promoted Captain on 11 October 1890; Major on 3 July 1897; and Lieutenant-Colonel and honorary Colonel on 26 March 1902. Following the re-organisation of the Territorial Army on 1 April 1908, Ekin’s unit was re-badged and renamed as the 7th (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment. He briefly served with the 2/1st Battalion, London Regiment during the Great War in Gallipoli from September 1915. His M.I.D. is unconfirmed. In civilian life, Ekin was a civil engineer, and was an early pioneer in electricity transmission. He died in 1944. Sold with the following archive: i) The recipient’s pre-Great War riband bar, cap badge, and rank insignia; ii) Commission Document appointing Tom Charles Ekin a Lieutenant in the Volunteer forces, dated 15 April 1886; iii) Certificate appointing Tom Charles Ekin a Member of he Institution of Civil Engineers, dated 16 February 1904, and congratulatory letter on the occasion of his 50th Anniversary as an Associate Member of the Institution, dated 27 April 1939; iv) Certificate from the Council of Legal Education named to Tom Ekin ascertaining his fitness to be called to the Bar, dated 11 January 1899; v) Various letters and Certificates of Appointment relating to the recipient’s appointment as an Inspector of the Local Government board; vi) Various letters written to the recipient in his professional capacity, including those from the Home Office and the Ministry of Health; vii) Various papers and reports relating to electrical supply in, amongst other places, South London, East Anglia, and Leicestershire; viii) Various mathematical table books, hand-written logarithmic tables, and other formulaic calculations; ix) A copy of the recipient’s paper ‘Water Pipe and Sewer Discharge Diagrams’, 1908; x) Three portrait photographs of the recipient, and other ephemera.
Lot 783
The emotive Pilot and Observer’s Memorial Plaques to Second Lieutenant J. C. G. Drummond and Second Lieutenant P. Chavasse - both of 59 Squadron, Royal Air Force, whose R.E.8 succumbed to the guns of the German Ace Otto Schmidt, 8 October 1918. Both young men, and in Chavasse’s case having only been flying in operational service for less than a week Memorial Plaque (John Cecil George Drummond) very fine Memorial Plaque (Percy Chavasse) very fine £400-£500 --- John Cecil George Drummond was born in Chiswick, Middlesex, in March 1899, the son of a telegraph clerk at the General Post Office, and he was educated at Christ’s Hospital School. He joined the Recruits Depot of the Royal Flying Corps in September 1917, and was commissioned Temporary Second Lieutenant in January 1918. Drummond carried out pilot training, and was posted for operational flying with 59 Squadron (R.E.8.s) on the Western Front in July 1918. His aircraft suffered damage when ‘heavily fired at... by rifle and machine gun fire while on counter attack patrol’ whilst over Irles and Achiet Le Grand on 23 August 1918. The latter was flown with with Second Lieutenant H. S. Dudson as his Observer, but as the weeks passed Drummond formed a more frequent flying partnership with Second Lieutenant Percy Chavasse as his Observer. Drummond and Chavasse flew multiple counter attack patrols together during the first week of October 1918. They were shot down and killed by the German Ace Otto Schmidt (the commanding officer of Jasta 5) near Wambaix on 8 October 1918. Both pilot and observer are commemorated together on the Arras Flying Services Memorial. Percy Chavasse was an orphan, and lived with his sister at his aunt and uncle’s house at 7 Trinity Avenue, Lenton, Nottingham. Chavasse was commissioned Temporary Second Lieutenant in the Indian Army Reserve of Officers, 28 August 1917. He was attached to the Royal Flying Corps, and qualified as an Observer on 14 September 1918. Chavasse was posted for operational service in France on 29 September 1918, and joined 59 Squadron on 2 October 1918. He was immediately thrust in action with Second Lieutenant Drummond as his pilot. Succumbing to the same fate as his pilot, when he fell under the guns of Otto Schmidt on 8 October 1918. Sold with the following original items relating to J. C. G. Drummond: Christ’s Hospital Tyson Prize awarded to recipient - leather bound copy of Aircraft in Warfare by F. W. Lanchester, front cover detached but with bookplate ‘Presented by The Governors of Christ’s Hospital To J. C. G. Drummond for Science, Grecians Examination July 1917’; two portrait photographs of recipient in uniform; a ‘Black Cat’ good luck postcard sent by recipient to ‘Mrs Drummond, “Ashton”, Martello Terrace, Kingstown, Ireland’; and copied research for both Drummond and Chavasse.
Lot 80
Three: Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant Manikumar Chhetri, 7th Duke of Edinburgh’s Own Gurkha Rifles, who performed a ‘vital function’ during the Falklands War in administering the supply of war materials to the troops on the ground General Service 1962-2007, 2 clasps, Borneo, Malay Peninsula, unofficial retaining rod between clasps (21156969 Rfn. Manikumar Rai. 1/7 GR.); South Atlantic 1982, with rosette (21156969 WO2 Manikumar Chhetri 7GR); Army L.S. & G.C., E.II.R., 2nd issue, Regular Army (21156969 Sgt Manikumar Chhetri 7 GR) mounted as worn, good very fine and better (3) £800-£1,000 --- Approximately 697 South Atlantic Medals awarded to the 7th Gurkha Rifles, 8 to WO2’s. Manikumar Chhetri was born in 1944 and enlisted for the 1/7th Gurkha Rifles at the British Gurkha Depot at Dharan, Nepal, on 25 August 1964. He passed individual subject examinations in English, Roman Gurkhali, arithmetic and map reading, and achieved his Army Certificate of Education (Gurkha) First Class in April 1965. Raised Warrant Officer Second Class, he served during the Falklands War with responsibility for the control and supply of war materials in the absence of the Quartermaster; he was later appointed Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant after passing a Documentation Course in 1983. This key appointment covered extra responsibilities in regimental accounts and involved the supervision of civilian workers. Twice nominated as the supervisor for accounts and administrator at the prestigious British Army Shooting Competition at Bisley, Manikumar Chhetri took his discharge from the 1/7th Gurkha Rifles on 10 September 1988. His testimonial from the Officer Commanding was impressive: ‘Exemplary. Manikumar Chhetri has given 22 years of very loyal service to the British Army, during which time he has served in Malaysia, Brunei, Hong Kong, United Kingdom and the Falkland Islands. He is very conscientious, hard working and efficient. He is always neat and accurate in detail. He has held many senior clerical appointments in the battalion, mainly in the Quartermaster’s Department. His English is excellent. He is always cheerful, reliable and has a good sense of humour. He is strongly recommended for a job involving accounting, office organisation, supervision and administration and also as an Area Welfare Officer.’ Sold with copied research, including the recipient’s Certificate of Qualifications.
Lot 168
The Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Serving Brother’s, breast badge, silver and enamel, with heraldic beasts in angles, the reverse engraved ‘Thomas Wilson, made Honorary Service Brother July 1922’, traces of brooch mounting to reverse, otherwise very fine £60-£80 --- Sold together with a two St. John Medal for South Africa 1899-1902, the first erased, the second a later re-strike struck on a thinner flan and unofficially engraved ‘985 Pte. F. Barrowclough Dewsbury & Dist Corps’; a St. John Ambulance Association Re-examination Cross in white metal, the reverse engraved ‘No. William Blundell 71487’; a miniature Order of St. John Officer’s badge; and a Masonic Jewel ‘Sons of England Royal Blue Degree 1904’, silver-gilt and enamel (hallmarks for Birmingham 1925), with top suspension shield engraved ‘Geo. Jackson Orangia Lodge 1927’, with neck riband, in Spencer, London, case. Note: The Queen’s South Africa Medal with clasps Natal awarded to 985 Orderly F. Barrowclough, St. John Ambulance Brigade (which was itself a later issue), was sold in these rooms in April 2022.
Lot 49
An extremely rare post-War ‘Malayan Emergency’ M.C. and Second Award Bar group of eight awarded to Lieutenant Sudhaman Rai, 7th Duke of Edinburgh’s Own Gurkha Rifles, who was decorated for ‘cunning and tactical skill’ against Communist Terrorists and was thrice Mentioned in Despatches; ‘when a determined enemy rolled hand grenades down a hill towards him, he personally retaliated using well-aimed rifle grenades’ - evidence of his work clearly displayed by the pools of blood left behind on the summit Military Cross, E.II.R., reverse officially dated 1954, with Second Award Bar, reverse officially dated 1955; 1939-45 Star; Burma Star; War Medal 1939-45, with M.I.D. oak leaf; India Service Medal; General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Malaya, G.VI.R., with M.I.D. oak leaf (Lt. Sudhaman Rai. 7.G.R.); Army L.S. & G.C., G.VI.R., 2nd issue, Regular Army (408509 Lt. (KGO). Sudhaman Rai 7 G.R.); Indian Independence Medal 1947 (21145556 W.O. Cl.2. Sudhaman Rai. G.R.) mounted as worn, the L.S. & G.C. medal on incorrect riband, wear to high relief of GSM, generally very fine and better (8) £5,000-£7,000 --- M.C. London Gazette 29 June 1954. The original recommendation states: ‘Lieutenant Sudhaman Rai Commands a platoon of “D” Company 1/7 Gurkha Rifles and has been actively and continuously engaged in operations since the start of the Emergency. Due to his courage, leadership and initiative his platoon has killed a large number of bandits. The majority of these kills have not been on information, but have resulted from persistent and unceasing patrolling, and ambushes carried out by Lieutenant Sudhaman with an outstanding degree of cunning and tactical skill. This officer has himself killed at least seven of his platoon’s total, two of these he accounted for when on a two man patrol in August of this year. The skill, initiative and personal bravery of Lieutenant Sudhaman Rai have provided an outstanding example not only to the men of his platoon but also to the whole battalion.’ M.C. Second Award Bar London Gazette 31 May 1955. The original recommendation states: ‘On 21st October, 1954, Lieutenant Rai was in command of Number 12 Platoon of 1/7th Gurkha Rifles, a total strength of 16 men all told. Since the morning of 20th October, 1954, he has been following tracks made by a number of Communist Terrorists, and had orders to find out where they were going and on no account to come to action, unless his presence became known. While climbing an extremely steep hill accompanied by only 2 other men, he suddenly came upon a large occupied Communist Terrorists Camp. The Communist Terrorists saw him at the same time and instantly opened fire. This officer immediately ordered his men to take cover and himself placed his platoon in position where they came up, to form as near an encirclement as he could. One rifleman was wounded in the first burst, and had to go to the rear with another soldier to dress his wounds. A second soldier was sent to act as escort to the platoon signaller who was trying to get wireless contact with higher formation. This left the Officer with 11 Riflemen and Non-Commissioned officers, besides himself. For 3 hours this officer by his personal example and bravery kept his platoon in their exposed positions, with the full weight of the enemy fire coming down on them from a prepared and overlooked position. It is known that the enemy possessed 2 Light Machine Guns and other light automatics. Nevertheless, by his superb fire control and leadership, this officer enabled his platoon to beat back 2 or 3 determined attempts by the enemy to dislodge him. Not content with this, he personally took the platoon EY Rifle to an advantageous position and himself fired 6 grenades from it at the enemy. The effects of these grenades undoubtedly demoralised the enemy to a great extent, and it is suspected that several were wounded by them. Throughout this action, the enemy were rolling hand grenades down the hillside on to 12 platoon positions, and were using sustained automatic fire. Despite these adverse conditions, the skilful and brave way in which this small party of men fought back, eventually forced the enemy to withdraw, leaving one of their own dead, and pools of blood to lead to the supposition that at least 3 or 4 were wounded. Throughout this action Lieutenant (QGO) Sudhaman Rai displayed the greatest bravery, leadership and military skill.’ M.I.D. London Gazette 9 May 1946; 19 September 1946; and 1 May 1953. Sudhaman Rai initially served in the ranks with the Gurkha Regiment during the Second World War and was twice Mentioned in Despatches for service in Burma against the Japanese Imperial Army. Appointed to a Commission in the 7th Gurkha Rifles on 4 July 1949, Sudhaman Rai joined an extensive deployment of British and Gurkha troops in Malaya detailed to combat the insurgent threat. They typically drew upon the skills learned during the jungle campaign in Burma, with the 48th Gurkha Brigade and 17th Gurkha Division forming the backbone of the British deployment during the Emergency. One of just 20 officers awarded a post-Second War M.C. and Bar, Sudhaman Rai was further ‘mentioned’ for service in Malaya in 1953, before taking retirement on account of disability on 31 May 1959. Sold with copied research.
Lot 632
General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp (2), Palestine (364239. F/Sgt. A. J. Rees. R.A.F.) with outer OHMS transmission envelope, addressed to ‘Mr. A. J. Rees, 17 Allenby Road, North Prospect, Swilly, Plymouth’; Malaya, G.VI.R. (2495674 L.A.C. S. B. Smith. R.A.F.) minor edge bruise to first, nearly extremely fine (2) £80-£100
Lot 814
A collection of World War One items, the stamp used to receipt all bills in Alsace during The Great War, a train ticket from London to The Front, a Trench Art military cap, The Ditty chess box marked in pen to the lid CSM GM Stout First East Yorks Regiment BT France and a hallmarked silver ARP badge.
Lot 497
A Victorian silver shaped tray, stamped R & S Garrard Anton Street London, maker Robert Garrard II 1874, 666 grams, length 8.5 cm (see illustration). CONDITION REPORT: The tray on first look is in good order with no bends or damage, however when placed on a flat surface it does rock slightly from one corner to another. There are filled visible holes at the rear as well as at the top, however this has been done to a high standard.
Lot 59
Royal Crown Derby eighteen pieces of Imari patterned large teacups, saucers and plates. Cup height +/- 7.5 cm, diameter +/- 10.2 cm (see illustration). CONDITION REPORT: All the items in this lot are of first quality and are in excellent condition. We can see no chips, cracks, or restoration.
Lot 161
William Plumptre an Art Pottery globular vase, fitted but not drilled for a table lamp. Height excluding lamp fitting 27 cm, maximum diameter +/- 23 cm. NOTE: William Plumptre set up his first pottery in Hartsop near Patterdale in 1987. He studied under Tatsuzo Shinaoka (1919-2007). CONDITION REPORT: Having removed the lamp section you are left with the vase which has a chip to the inside rim which is 3 x 1 cm. Other than this the lamp is in excellent order and we have it illuminated in the saleroom.
Lot 843
A collection of sixty nine new naturalist books, mostly first editions, some early reprints, Nature Conservation in Britain, Pesticides and Pollution, Insect Migration, Oysters, Bumble Bees, Dragonflies, Mumps and Measles, Fleas Flukes and Cuckoos etc. CONDITION REPORT: None of the books are signed.
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