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Click here to subscribeA Collection of Comics and Comic Books, to include Stan Lee Present The Mighty World of Marvel Pin-Up Book, (faults include sellotape to inner cover), The Alternative Comic Smut, Freak Brothers, Footrot Flats; together with a quantity of circa 1977 Star Wars Topps (blue) bubblegum trading cards.
Sterling silver Viking brooch door Norwegian designer David Andersen. This brooch is a replica of a 9th century Viking artifact. It was beautifully reproduced in the early 1960s by the famous company David Andersen from Norway. Each arm is decorated in Borre style with a head of a "beast". Brooches of this type, originally taken from Frankish sword fittings, were popular ornaments for Vikings, worn as a clothing fastener or cloak pin. Initially these pieces were turned into brooches and later the style was replicated by the Viking metalsmiths. Often a perforated ridge was added to the back to be worn as a pendant on a chain. Intricately designed brooches like this one, decorated with animal motifs, were worn by noble Vikings to display their wealth. In very good condition. LxW: 3.8 x 4.1 cm. Weight: 11.4 grams.
Rectangular silver pin tray embossed in Dutch manner with a figure serenading two ladies, 23 cms, 2.9 ozs SILVER COLLECTION OF SIR RAY TINDLE CBE DL 1926-2022 The following obituary (edited) was published by Tindle Newspapers: Sir Ray Tindle was a man who had a life-long commitment to, and passion for, the newspaper industry. He was a newspaper man through and through.After leaving school he enlisted in the 1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment and saw service in the Far East between 1944 and 1947, rising to the rank of captain.He was extremely proud of his association with the now-disbanded regiment and greatly mourned its passing, going so far as to name his previous home in Farnham Devonshire House in its honour.Sir Ray made the Surrey town his home in the 1960s and made such an impact in the following 50 years that he was known by locals as Mr Farnham. If a charity or organisation needed help, Sir Ray was there. He eventually stepped down as Chairman of Tindle Newspapers when he was 90, remaining as president, with son Owen, who runs the Oxon Hoath Retreat and Conference Centre in Kent, taking over as Chairman.After returning to the UK after the War,Sir Ray acquired his first newspaper title, the Tooting & Balham Gazette, with his £300 demob payment. It was to be the first of many and, over the years through a series of launches and acquisitions, the group grew to a considerable force under the collective banner of Tindle Newspapers Ltd. It now owns local papers and radio stations covering large parts of Surrey, Hampshire, Essex, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, Wales, Ireland, the Channel Isles and the Isle of Man. Many of these papers are very long established, including the Monmouthshire Beacon founded in 1837.Others were launched in Queen Victorias reign, such as the Farnham Herald (1892), Cambrian News (1860), Cornish & Devon Post (1856), Mid-Devon Advertiser (1863) and the Tenby Observer (1853).The Tindle Group became the fourth largest UK local newspaper group by number of titles published.Sir Ray was a man of immense self-belief and iron determination, as characterised by his coat of arms, carried by all his newspapers, with the Latin motto Noli Cedere, which translates as Never Surrender.He retired as Chairman of the Surrey Advertiser in 1977 after 35 years. He was also a director for 18 years on the main board of The Guardian & Manchester Evening News, and Chairman for ten years of the Belfast News Letter, the UKs oldest provincial daily. He was a founder shareholder and, for many years, an alternate director, of Capital Radio.He became Master of the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers in 1985 after some 20 years of service on several committees and of the Court.Over the years he also donated sizeable sums to various worthy causes and projects, particularly in and around his hometown of Farnham.In 1973 Sir Ray was appointed OBE for services to the newspaper industry and in 1987 he was appointed CBE. In 1989 he became a Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Surrey. He was knighted in 1994 andwas made the Newspaper Personality of the Year at the 2005 Newspaper Awards, in the same year becoming an honorary vice-president of the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain.Sir Ray died as he would have wished, still committed to the media empire he had so painstakingly created over the course of a long and distinguished career.He was an avid collector of silver, and his collection is being sold by the estate in this auction.
Various small silver and silver plated items, comprising a silver ARP badge, reproduction Roman spoon, two cream jugs, match box cover, tie pin, and a silver mounted key ring, SILVER COLLECTION OF SIR RAY TINDLE CBE DL 1926-2022 The following obituary (edited) was published by Tindle Newspapers: Sir Ray Tindle was a man who had a life-long commitment to, and passion for, the newspaper industry. He was a newspaper man through and through.After leaving school he enlisted in the 1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment and saw service in the Far East between 1944 and 1947, rising to the rank of captain.He was extremely proud of his association with the now-disbanded regiment and greatly mourned its passing, going so far as to name his previous home in Farnham Devonshire House in its honour.Sir Ray made the Surrey town his home in the 1960s and made such an impact in the following 50 years that he was known by locals as Mr Farnham. If a charity or organisation needed help, Sir Ray was there. He eventually stepped down as Chairman of Tindle Newspapers when he was 90, remaining as president, with son Owen, who runs the Oxon Hoath Retreat and Conference Centre in Kent, taking over as Chairman.After returning to the UK after the War,Sir Ray acquired his first newspaper title, the Tooting & Balham Gazette, with his £300 demob payment. It was to be the first of many and, over the years through a series of launches and acquisitions, the group grew to a considerable force under the collective banner of Tindle Newspapers Ltd. It now owns local papers and radio stations covering large parts of Surrey, Hampshire, Essex, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, Wales, Ireland, the Channel Isles and the Isle of Man. Many of these papers are very long established, including the Monmouthshire Beacon founded in 1837.Others were launched in Queen Victorias reign, such as the Farnham Herald (1892), Cambrian News (1860), Cornish & Devon Post (1856), Mid-Devon Advertiser (1863) and the Tenby Observer (1853).The Tindle Group became the fourth largest UK local newspaper group by number of titles published.Sir Ray was a man of immense self-belief and iron determination, as characterised by his coat of arms, carried by all his newspapers, with the Latin motto Noli Cedere, which translates as Never Surrender.He retired as Chairman of the Surrey Advertiser in 1977 after 35 years. He was also a director for 18 years on the main board of The Guardian & Manchester Evening News, and Chairman for ten years of the Belfast News Letter, the UKs oldest provincial daily. He was a founder shareholder and, for many years, an alternate director, of Capital Radio.He became Master of the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers in 1985 after some 20 years of service on several committees and of the Court.Over the years he also donated sizeable sums to various worthy causes and projects, particularly in and around his hometown of Farnham.In 1973 Sir Ray was appointed OBE for services to the newspaper industry and in 1987 he was appointed CBE. In 1989 he became a Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Surrey. He was knighted in 1994 andwas made the Newspaper Personality of the Year at the 2005 Newspaper Awards, in the same year becoming an honorary vice-president of the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain.Sir Ray died as he would have wished, still committed to the media empire he had so painstakingly created over the course of a long and distinguished career.He was an avid collector of silver, and his collection is being sold by the estate in this auction
Silver table bell cast as a peddler girl, by Mappin & Webb Ltd, London 1923, 5oz 160gm on wooden plinth, silver and paste set glass scent bottle, Victorian Holly embossed covered pot, London 1888, continental 800 standard small dish with inset coin, heart shaped white metal pin box and Dunhill silver plated table lighter
George III coffee pot of baluster form and scrolling fruitwood handle, engraved with an armorial and motto "Dum Spiro Spero", makers mark rubbed but probably William Cripps, London 1763, Gross weight 25.8oz 803.8gm, H 29cm, Condition Report: Generally good conditionBellied body has a small dent and score to base areasome noticeable scratchesMissing pin to handleMarks are a little soft
Five pieces of Moorcroft Pottery comprising a vase of ovoid form decorated in the Pomegranate pattern, height 6.5cm, a pin dish coaster decorated in the Juneberry pattern designed by Anji Davenport, diameter 12cm, an Anemone pattern saucer, diameter 13.5cm, a small vase of compressed form decorated in the Hepatica pattern designed by Emma Bossons, height 5.5cm, and a small Hibiscus pattern bowl, diameter 9.5cm. (5)
Basil Blackshaw HRHA RUA (1932-2016)CockerelOil on canvas, 40 x 50cm (15¾ x 19¾")SignedProvenance: With Solomon Gallery, Dublin, label verso; Collection of the late Vincent Ferguson; Private CollectionA good friend of Basil Blackshaw’s, Hugh McIlveen, noted that the rural community into which his family moved shortly after his birth, Boardmills, was crucial in shaping his sensibility. It was only 20 miles south of Belfast but it was a world apart, a realm of small farms and “high hedgerows.” It was, McIlveen points out, only supplied with mains electricity in 1953. Here Basil, the son of a professional hunt horse trainer who worked regularly in England, spent a childhood among animal breeders, steeped in rural pursuits. The yards at home, first Boardmills and, later on, Culcavy, Hillsborough, were perpetually busy with horses, terriers, lurchers and, a little underneath the radar, fighting cocks. Of the latter, McIlveen writes, Blackshaw had “an unusually expert knowledge.”Blackshaw spent a great deal of time looking at animals of one sort of another. His paintings of cockerels of whatever kind tend to be intensely lively, vivid, even explosive in terms of movement and energy. Wild flurries of paint equate to the fierce animation of the birds. Here, the artist conveys the colours, mass and drive of the animal with bursts of paint applied at speed. He scrapes through the storm of pigment, perhaps with the tip of the brush handle - like many other painters including Caravaggio - to pin down and indicate the continuity of form in the midst of the confusion.The youngest of seven siblings, Blackshaw was recognised as being precociously gifted and fast-tracked his way through art college. He remained a countryman, however, never settling in the city and usually surrounded by animals. Famously, when he took on a teaching job, a traditional livelihood for art graduates, he treated the school’s temporary closure during a snowy spell as a providential sign and never went back. Renowned for his paintings of landscape, a range of animals, the human figure and many portrait subjects, he was and remains highly esteemed among artists and public alike.Aidan Dunne, October 2022
Vacheron und Constantin Handaufzug,gelbgold 750/fein, mit Lederband und Dornenschließe, Dimensionen Laenge: ca. 29mm Breite: 18 mm, Box und Papiere + 1 Longines Ersatzband, ges. Gew. 17,6g | Vacheron and Constantin manual winding, yellowgold 750/fine, with leather strap and pin buckle, dimensions length: approx. 29mm width: 18mm, box and papers + 1 Longines replacement strap, total weight 17.6g
Daniel Perret Automatik, Datum, Kupferlegierung verchromt, ein Teil der Leuchtmasse fehlt, Lederband Dornschließe, Marke Anmeldung 1962 Werk ETA 2783. | Daniel Perret automatic, date, chrome-plated copper alloy, part of the luminous material is missing, leather strap pin buckle, brand registration 1962 movement ETA 2783.
LONGINES, "The Longines Ephémèrides Solaires", Armbanduhr Automatik, Original Stahl- und Lederarmbandband, Dornschließe, Dm 37 mm, Serie Limitee 0230/1000 -- 1889/1989 Box, Tasche, Papiere | LONGINES, "The Longines Ephémèrides Solaires", automatic wristwatch, original steel and leather strap, pin buckle, diameter 37 mm, Series Limitee 0230/1000 -- 1889/1989 box, case, papers
An Art Deco diamond spray brooch comprising a two-branch sprig with leaves and flowers, set with old-cut diamonds on a white gold setting, the largest four cushion-cut diamonds measuring from 0.20 - 0.10 carats, total diamond weight approximately 2.5 carats, (see schedule attached for detailed assessment) pin and pull out mechanism, 62 x 31mm, 17.3g
Henry Cliffe (British 1919-1983) Untitled Initialled and dated '54, gouache.28.5cm x 39.5cm (11.25in x 15.5in)Artists’ Resale Right (“droit de suite”) may apply to this lot.The painting is in very good, original condition. There is some minor scuffing around the edges of the sheet and pin holes in each corner. There are some minor spots of foxing across the paper. The painting is framed and glazed. The frame has some minor scuffs and knocks commensurate with age.
Francis Davison (British 1919-1984) "Pylon" Unsigned, circa.1952-63, with a facsimile image of the estate stamp and reference on verso, collage on essex board.54.5cm x 41.5cm (21.5in x 16.25in)Provenance: Bought from Gallery 17, Shrewsbury.Private Collection, U.K. Artists’ Resale Right (“droit de suite”) may apply to this lot.The collage is in good, original condition. There are some minor stains, surface marks and pin holes across the paper. There is some light browning and discolouration in areas across the collage and some light creases to the paper. The collage is ornately framed and glazed.
Francis Davison (British 1919-1984) Untitled Unsigned, 1978-83, with a facsimile image of the estate stamp and reference on verso, collage.43cm x 55cm (17in x 21.75in)Provenance: Bought from Gallery 17, Shrewsbury.Private Collection, U.K.Artists’ Resale Right (“droit de suite”) may apply to this lot.The collage is in good, original condition. There are some pin holes and creasing across the collage. There is some light time staining and browning across the paper. The collage is ornately framed and glazed.
MOGENS KOCHBibliothèque modulable à six élémentscréation circa 1950 Édition Rud Rasmussen, estampillée, en pin verniH (meuble bas): 94cm.(37in.); H (caisson haut): 76,5cm.(29 15/16in.); L: 90cm.(35 7/16in.); P: 27,5cm.(10 5/8in.).A modular pine bookshelf with six elements by Mogens Koch for Rud Rasmussen designed circa 1950.Footnotes:Bibliographie:E. Hiort, Modern Danish Furniture, Ed. Architectural Book, New York, 1956, modèle similaire reproduit p. 118 G. Jalk, 40 years of Danish Furniture Design, The Copenhagen Cabinet-maker's Guild Exhibition, Lindhardt og Ringhof, 2017, tome 4, modèle similaire reproduit p. 35This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: TPTP Lot will be moved to an offsite storage location (Cadogan Tate, Auction House Services, 241 Acton Lane, London NW10 7NP, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 14 calendar days from the auction date.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
COLLECTION OF JEWELS, MID 19TH-20TH CENTURY1st: Graduated five-stone opal ring, 2nd: Graduated five stone amethyst and seed pearl ring, 3rd: Collection of 3.0-4.4mm coral, corallium rubrum beads, 4th: Collection of ring bands, five enamelled, 5th: Eight lace pins, including a moon face moonstone, and a coral, corallium rubrum cameo carved to depict a pair of clasped hands, 6th: Three stickpins, 7th: Annular jade pin, 8th: The 1936 Olympic rings brooch, 9th: The openwork silver belt buckle, 10th: Pair of silver plated single-sided knot motif cufflinks, 11th: The turtle brooch with a smoky quartz shell, 12th: Pair of Prince of Wales' feathers seed pearl earrings, 13th: Pair of earrings designed as a bunch of grapes, set with pearl simulants, 14th: The ink pen within scrolled decorative casing, 15th: Pair of earstuds, 16th: Enamel clasp, 17th: Brooch depicting a griffin, 18th: Curb-link pin chain suspending 'alpi' charm, 5th one pin fitting deficient, 8th inscribed to the reverse CP GESCESCH, 10th stamped 925 sterling, various sizes (18)Footnotes:Please note, this lot will be subject to US Fish and Wildlife regulations if imported into the USA.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: YY Subject to CITES regulations when exporting items outside of the EU, see clause 13.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
DIAMOND BROOCH, FIRST HALF OF 20TH CENTURYThe central flowerhead mounted en tremblant, set throughout with old brilliant and single-cut diamonds, diamonds approx. 3.05cts total, length 5.1cm, later pin fitting, cased by Collingwood of Conduit StFor further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE CASED 54 BORE TRANTERS PATENT FIVE-SHOT TRIPLE-ACTION PERCUSSION REVOLVER RETAILED BY COGSWELL AND HARRISON, NO. 10,780T, CIRCA 1860, with sighted barrel signed ~W. Tranter Patentee~ on the flat and retaining some early blued finish, blued border-and foliate scroll-engraved frame serial numbered on the right, fitted with arbor pin with blued spring-catch, blued safety-catch, patent rammer, patent double trigger, blued cylinder, finely chequered walnut butt, iron trigger-guard and butt-cap each engraved with foliate scrolls: in original fitted oak case lined in blue baize, the lid with brass escutcheon engraved ~Capt. E. Hopton, 88th Regiment~ on the outside and with retailer~s trade label for post 1882 on the inside, with accessories including bullet mould (dented), copper powder-flask by James Dixon and Sons, turnscrew, oil bottle and loading rod, 15.1 cm barrel¦¦Tranter~s British patent no. 1913 of 1856 refers to a ~treble-action~ lock mechanism that could be thumb cocked and fired by the front trigger, cocked and fired by the use of the front trigger only, or cocked by the use of the cocking lever or lower trigger. See Stewart 2007, pp. 65-66.¦¦Lieutenant General Sir Edward Hopton KCB DL JP (1837 - 19 January 1912) was born in Bishops Frome, Herefordshire, the eldest son of the Reverend W.P. Hopton and his wife Diana. He was educated at Eton College and joined the Army in 1854, where he was commissioned into the 79th Foot. He fought at the Siege of Sevastapol (1854-5), the Siege of Lucknow (1857) and served latterly with the 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers) during the 9th Xhosa War (1877-78). He became Colonel of the Connaught Rangers in 1895 and was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Jersey in the same year. He had some difficulty maintaining order on Jersey during the Boer War in the face of Pro-Boer attitudes of some of the French Islanders.
A CASED 54 BORE PERCUSSION BEAUMONT-ADAMS PATENT DOUBLE-ACTION FIVE-SHOT REVOLVER BY THE LONDON ARMOURY COMPANY, RETAILED BY CHARLES INGRAM, GUNMAKER, GLASGOW, NO. B10142 AND 25805R, CIRCA 1856-60, of standard production specifications, with blued octagonal sighted barrel signed by the retailer along the top-strap, case-hardened serial numbered cylinder and blued border engraved frame, the latter stamped with the maker~s mark and serial numbers on the right, fitted with blued safety-catch, arbor-pin with threaded catch, Kerr-type rammer, trigger-guard butt-cap, chequered figured walnut butt, and some original finish: in its fitted oak case lined in green baize (one compartment divider loose), the lid with tooled and gilt maker~s label with address for circa 1870-1913 on the inside, card of Captain S. Noble of Glasgow, with accessories including Adams patent bullet mould, powder-flask by James Dixon & Sons, turnscrew, wad-cutter, rammer and oil bottle, 14.5 cm barrel
An SS Germanic Proficiency Runes Badge, Bronze Grade, the bronzed metal sunwheel swastika with ribbed arms set with black enamelled SS runes secured to the back by four small clips, with vertical sword shape pin Footnote:- Brought back at the end of the Second World War from Berlin by the vendor's father who was serving with the 7th Armoured Division
A Collection of Second World War German Awards, comprising Air Defence Honour Badge, 2nd Class, in aluminium with ribbon, German Defence Medal, Winter Campaign in Russia Medal, Wound Badge, Black class in blackened stamped brass, with needle shape pin, a War Merit Medal, an NSDAP Party Day Badge for 1938, a small gilt plaque showing a German town and a gilt metal Z shape stickpin; a 1936 German Olympic Games Visitor's Badge, in magnetic gilt metal inlaid with cream enamelling depicting the Brandenburg Gate with title 1936 XI.Olympiade Berlin, over the Olympic rings, the reverse impressed DESCHLER MUNCHEN GES. GESCH, with brooch pin (9)Footnote:- Brought back at the end of the Second World War from Berlin by the vendor's father who was serving with the 7th Armoured Division
An Ostvolk Decoration for Merit on the Eastern Front,1st Class, in silver, with sword shape pin; an Ostvolk Decoration for Bravery on the Eastern Front, 2nd Class, in silver with swords (2) Footnote:- Brought back at the end of the Second World War from Berlin by the vendor's father who was serving with the 7th Armoured Division
A German Infantry Assault Badge in Silver, the reverse with moulded mark R.S.S. and vertical needle shape pin (possibly a copy); a German Bronze Tank Battle Badge, the reverse stamped BWS within a clover leaf, with vertical needle shape pin (possibly a copy); also, a Stalag VIII C POW dog tag and a quantity of 1941 French 10 centimes coins, some in paper rolls.
An Early 20th Century White Metal Presentation Inkwell in the form of a Kabuto, the hinged skull with kawagata pen rest formed as a pair of antlers, and with stylised bat ornamentation, the canted rectangular base engraved "Captain Dundas from Admiral Count H.(Heihachiro)Togo, Tokyo 1910", raised upon four inverted scroll bracket feet, 9cmFootnote: - Captain Dundas was a regular serving officer in the Royal Navy who had held senior appointments in the Far East where he first met Admiral Togo of the Imperial Japanese Navy. When, in 1908, Togo paid a state visit to the United Kingdom, Dundas was appointed by the Admiralty to be his constant companion and personal aid. Admiral Togo was considered a national hero to the Japanese nation and was known as the "Nelson of the East"Lacks a glass liner. The pin hinge is broken, otherwise in good clean condition.
The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards: - A Victorian Silver Crossbelt Pouch, with black leather covered box, silver hinged cover engraved with a border of scrolling foliage and applied with gilt metal regimental eagle badge, hallmarked for Birmingham 1874, with crimson morocco backed gold lace crossbelt; also, a grey wool beret with white metal and brass badge, two gilt dress buttons, a silver stick pin, pair of silver and gilt cufflinks, a single 18 carat gold cufflink and a silver and agate brooch as a broadsword (9)
A Small Quantity of Militaria, including a 9 carat gold and enamel RAOB breast jewel, 22gms, a brass prismatic marching compass, a small blackened brass pocket compass, a group of three Second World War miniature medals, a Scandinavian small hunting knife, a map reader, a brass three draw telescope marked The Hawk 18X, two British Red Cross Proficiency medals, a Thankoffering to the Hartlepools Hospitals 1914-18, and a 9 carat gold Emu stick pin
A Crimean War D.C.M. group of three awarded to Private Francis Markey, 41st Regiment, who was severely wounded on 28 December 1854, and died before Sebastopol on 8 February 1855 Distinguished Conduct Medal, V.R. (Francis Markey. 41st Regt.); Crimea 1854-56, 3 clasps, Alma, Inkermann, Sebastopol, this clasp loose as issued (Francis Markey. 41st Regt.) officially impressed naming; Turkish Crimea 1855, Sardinian issue, unnamed, fitted with replacement scroll suspension, mounted on triple buckle bar but lacking pin, good very fine (3) £1,800-£2,200 --- D.C.M. recommendation dated 26 January 1855. Francis Markey was severely wounded in the Crimea on 28 December 1854 (London Gazette 12 January 1855 refers), and died, presumably from his wounds, before Sebastopol on 8 February 1855. His name is shown as McKey in Abbott but Markey on medal rolls and in London Gazette casualty list).
Three: Colonel Sir Robert Sandeman, K.C.S.I., Bengal Staff Corps, Chief Commissioner of British Beloochistan Indian Mutiny 1857-59, 1 clasp, Lucknow (Lieut. R. G. Sandeman, 33rd N.I. Attd. 2nd E. Benl. Fusrs.); India General Service 1854-95, 2 clasps, North West Frontier, Umbeyla (Lieut. R. G. Sandeman Asst. Commr. Punjab) small official correction to surname; Afghanistan 1878-80, no clasp (Maj. Sir R. G. Sandeman. K.C.S.I., Bl. S.C.) mounted as worn from a Hunt & Roskell silver triple-buckle brooch bar with gold pin to reverse, light edge bruising and contact marks, otherwise good very fine (3) £1,600-£2,000 --- Robert Groves Sandeman was born on 25 February 1835 at Perth, son of General Robert Turnbull Sandeman of the East India Company's service, by his wife, whose maiden name was Barclay. The family was long connected with Perth, members of it having filled various municipal offices since 1735. Robert was educated at Perth Academy and at St. Andrews University. In 1856 he was appointed to the 33rd Bengal infantry, his father’s regiment, which, though disarmed at a time of supreme anxiety, remained faithful throughout the mutiny, and afterwards had its arms publicly restored. From it Sandeman was transferred to Probyn’s Horse, now the 11th (Prince of Wales’s Own) Bengal lancers, with whom he saw some service, taking part in storming Dilkhusha, in the capture of Lucknow, and other minor operations in which he was twice severely wounded. He was selected to carry despatches to Sir John Lawrence, who appointed him to the Punjab commission. He thus gained an opportunity of distinction of which he took full advantage. To the performance of administrative and magisterial duties Sandeman brought patience and pertinacity curbed by much cautious sagacity. In 1866, as magistrate of Dera Ghazi Khan, an arid and unattractive trans-Indus district of the Punjab, he used his utmost endeavours to obtain influence with the tribes within and beyond the border. He succeeded by irregular methods which were often viewed unfavourably by the chief officer of the Sind frontier, who had the control of the Baluch tribes. But Sandeman was supported by the Punjab government, whose opinions were ultimately adopted by the government of India. When the policy of non-intervention adopted by Lord Lawrence and his school was abandoned, Sandeman endeavoured, by securing the acquaintance and goodwill of neighbouring chiefs, to strengthen the defences of the frontier. In 1876 he conducted negotiations which led to a treaty with the khan of Khalat. The value of his work was recognised at the Delhi assemblage, where, on 1 January 1877, he was made C.S.I. On 21 February following he was gazetted agent to the governor-general in Baluchistan, and he held that post for the rest of his life. In July 1879, when holding the rank of major, he was made K.C.S.I. During the Afghan war of 1879–80 the fidelity of the Baluchis under Sandeman’s control was severely tested when the news of the disaster at Maiwand (27 July 1880) spread through the country. Some tribes rose, attacked the outposts, and blocked the roads; but Sandeman, trusting the people, made over his stores in out-stations, and those posts themselves, to the charge of the village headmen, and was thus set free to assist the troops who were in evil plight at Kandahar. Order was soon restored by his good management, and the zeal and energy displayed were brought to the notice of the queen. In September 1880 General Sir Frederick (afterwards Lord) Roberts, when on his way to the scene of war, stayed with Sandeman at Quetta, and Sandeman effectively aided Sir Frederick Roberts in the transport service to Quetta and Kandahar. ‘He was,’ Lord Roberts wrote of Sandeman, ‘intimately acquainted with every leading man, and there was not a village, however out of the way, which he had not visited.’ (Lord Roberts, Forty-one Years in India, ii. 372–3). ‘After the war he was instrumental in adding to the empire a new province, of much strategic importance, commanding the passes into South Afghanistan, and access to three trade-routes between Persia, Kandahar, and British India. … Outside the limits of the new province, in the mountain region westward of the Sulimans, between the Gumal river and the Marrí hills, he opened out hundreds of miles of highway, through territories till then unknown, and, in concert with the surrounding Patan tribes, made them as safe as the highways of British India. … But perhaps the most important of his achievements was this—that he succeeded in revolutionising the attitude of the government of India towards the frontier tribes, and made our “sphere of influence” on the western border no longer a mere diplomatic expression, but a reality.’ (Thornton’s biography of Colonel Sir Robert Sandeman, 1895, refers). Sandeman’s last days were spent at Lus Beyla, the capital of a small state on the Sind frontier about 120 miles north-west of Kurrachi. He had gone thither in hope of healing a misunderstanding between the chief and his eldest son, and to arrange for carrying on the affairs of the state. After a short illness he died there on 29 January 1892, and over his grave the jam or chief caused a handsome dome to be erected. The governor-general, Lord Lansdowne, issued a notification in the ‘Gazette’ of India, dated 6 February, in which testimony was borne to Sandeman’s good qualities, and his death was lamented as a public misfortune. He married, first, in 1864, Catherine, daughter of John Allen, esq., of Kirkby Lonsdale; and secondly, on 17 January 1882, Helen Kate, daughter of Lieutenant-colonel John William Gaisford of Clonee, co. Meath. (Dictionary of National Biography refers)
1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star (2), one with 1st Army clasp; Pacific Star; Burma Star; Italy Star (2); France and Germany Star (2), good very fine and better (11) £60-£80 --- Sold with a de-Nazified German Second World War Infantry Badge in zinc, unmarked, with original retaining pin
The mounted group of four miniature dress medals worn by Nursing Sister J. E. Girvan (née Sword), Canadian Army Medical Corps, wife of Lieutenant-Colonel J. P. Girvan, C.B.E., D.S.O., M.C., V.D., Commanding the 15th (48th Highlanders of Canada) Battalion Canadian Infantry Royal Red Cross, 2nd Class (A.R.R.C.), G.V.R.; 1914-15 Star; British War and Victory Medals, mounted as worn, together with an unidentified miniature (nursing cape badge?) silver-gilt and enamelled badge, GR cypher, with motto ‘Ducit Amor Patriæ’, the reverse stamped ‘Wanless Sterling’, mounted on brooch pin, good very fine (5) £60-£80 --- A.R.R.C. London Gazette 21 June 1918: ‘Miss Jean Elizabeth Sword, Nursing Sister, Can. Nursing Service, No. 12 Can. Gen. Hospl., Bramshott, Hants.’ On 24 October 1916, Nursing Sister Jean Elizabeth Sword returned to England from No. 2 Canadian General Hospital, Le Treport, France. On 3 November 1916, she was posted to Canada, where, during the following three months it is presumed she and Major John P. Girvan came to know one another. Jean returned to England, before John, on 2 February 1917. Nursing Sister Sword had acted as a blood donor on 22 April 1918, but due to general weakness and an irregular heartbeat, she was hospitalised following the transfusion until 26 April, and then granted sick furlough until 6 May 1918. She married Major John P. Girvan, M.C., 15th Battalion, Canadian Infantry, in London on 6 July 1918, whilst he was attending a Command Officers Course at Aldershot and shortly before he returned to France to take command of his battalion, going on to win the D.S.O. and Bar. Sold with copied research including Marriage Certificate dated 6 July 1918; Buckingham Palace Telegram and War Office letter concerning award of the Royal red Cross; two photographs of Nursing Sister Sword in nursing uniform, one with R.R.C. medal ribbon; a news cutting announcing the death of their elder son, John Maybin Girvan, late Captain and Adjutant, 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, who jumped into Normandy before the landings, was wounded and taken prisoner, continued his profession as a mining engineer after the war until killed instantly by a falling rock at El Aguilar, Argentina, where he was superintendent of a mine; and a letter of condolence from the High Commissioner for Canada, London, upon the death of her husband in 1961. For the recipient’s husband’s medals and his related miniature awards, see Lots 80 and 551. For the recipient’s related full sized awards, see Lot 103.
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