We found 297887 price guide item(s) matching your search
There are 297887 lots that match your search criteria. Subscribe now to get instant access to the full price guide service.
Click here to subscribe- List
- Grid
-
297887 item(s)/page
Lot 94
India General Service 1854-95, 1 clasp, Hazara 1888 (240 Pte. T. Gilpin 1st. Bn. Suff. R.) minor edge bruise and polishing to high relief, good fine £100-£140 --- Thomas Gilpin, a musician, was born in the Parish of St. George’s, London, on 27 January 1868, and joined the 2nd Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, at Fort Regent on the island of Jersey on 1 February 1882. Transferred to the 1st Battalion as Boy 10 December 1883, he served in the East Indies from 10 December 1883 to 23 March 1892, and is confirmed as present during the Hazara Campaign of 1888 engaged in operations against the Swati and Yousafzai tribes of the Black Mountains on the North-West Frontier. Raised Bandsman on 2 February 1887, he served in Malta and South Africa during the Boer War, and was awarded his L.S. & G.C. Medal on 1 May 1900. Gilpin was later discharged in the rank of Lance Corporal Bandsman at Colchester on 26 January 1903, his conduct and character stated to be ‘exemplary’. Sold with copied service record.
Lot 252
Four: Corporal R. McKenzie, Cameron Highlanders Queen’s Sudan 1896-98 (3683 L/Cpl. R. Mc.Kenzie 1/Cam: Hrs:); Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal (3683 Corl. R. McKenzie. 1: Cam’n: H’drs:); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (3683 Serjt: R. Mc.Kenzie. Cameron Highrs:); Khedive’s Sudan 1896-1908, 1 clasp, The Atbara (3683 Cpl. Mc.Kenzie 1 Cam. Highrs.) contemporarily engraved naming, light contact marks throughout, nearly very fine and better (4) £500-£700 --- Roderick McKenzie was born in Dingwall in the Scottish Highlands in 1873, and attested for the 1st Cameron Highlanders at Inverness on 17 May 1895. A sawmiller by trade, he served overseas in Gibraltar, Cyprus and Egypt, and is confirmed upon his Army Service Record as present at the Nile Expedition of 1898 and the Battle of the Atbara where Anglo-Egyptian forces defeated 15,000 Mahdists on the banks of the River Atbara. The 1st Cameron Highlanders suffered 44 casualties, including 3 officers killed and 1 wounded, with the engagement proving to be a turning point in the re-conquest of Sudan by the British and Egyptian coalition. Posted to South Africa from 25 April 1900 to 9 October 1902, McKenzie was discharged on 16 May 1907, after 12 years’ service. Sold with copied record of service and medal roll extracts.
Lot 394
Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, Trafalgar (William Wild.) clasp facing slightly buckled on left-hand side, otherwise nearly extremely fine £5,000-£7,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Provenance: Glendining’s, November 1987. William Wild is confirmed on the roll as a Private, Royal Marines aboard H.M.S. Temeraire (Captain E. Harvey) during the major fleet action off Cape Trafalgar between the British fleet under the command of Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson and the Franco-Spanish fleet under the command of Vice-Admiral P. C. de Villeneuve, on 21 October 1805. He is the only man with these names on the roll. ‘At Trafalgar she was the second ship in the weather line, closely following the Victory, and her share in the action was particularly brilliant. When the Victory was engaged with the Redoutable, the Temeraire came up to starboard of the French 74, and also engaged her. This was after Nelson had fallen, and the first broadside of the Temeraire checked an attempt at boarding the Victory which the French were about to make. The fight of the little two-decker against the pair of three-deckers was heroic. The top-men of the Redoutable flung down hand-grenades and fire-balls till they set fire to the deck, larboard forechains, starboard foreshrouds and foresail; one fire-ball rolled into the magazine among the powder barrels, and only the presence of mind of a master-at-arms saved the Temeraire from the fate of the Orient at the battle of the Nile. In the mean time a new antagonist, the French 80-gun ship Fougueux had come up on the starboard quarter of the Temeraire, which had been suffering also from the fire of the Neptune. She looked nothing but a cripple, and the Fougueux came up determined to board her. When less than fifty yards separated the vessels, the starboard broadside of the Temeraire crashed into the French ship, sweeping her rigging and upper works bare, leaving her whole side a mass of splinters. She drove into the Temeraire, was lashed fast, and twenty-eight men under Lieut. T. F. Kennedy sprang on to her deck—where the gallant French captain lay mortally wounded—and fought their way to the stump of the mainmast. In ten minutes they had the British colours hoisted, and the Fougueux—which unfortunately foundered in the subsequent gale, with the prize crew on board—was a prize of war to the Temeraire, which had also the Victory’s prize, the Redoutable, lashed to her. “Nothing could be finer,” wrote Lord Collingwood, than her conduct in the fight — “I have no words in which I can sufficiently express my admiration of it.” As the smoke of the battle cleared away she was seen lying dismantled and temporarily helpless, but with an enemy’s ship, equally helpless, a prize on each side of her. Her losses amounted to 121 killed and wounded, including 9 officers, while 43 of her crew perished in the prizes after the battle. She had her main top-mast, the head of her mizen-mast, her foreyard, and her fore and main topsail yards shot away; her fore and main-masts were so badly wounded as to be unfit to carry sail; while her bowsprit was shot through in several places. Her rigging of every sort was cut to pieces, and she was otherwise seriously damaged.’ (The Trafalgar Roll by Colonel R. H. Mackenzie refers) Wild was born in Amport, Hampshire. He enlisted in the Portsmouth Division of the Royal Marines, and his subsequent service included with H.M. Ships Goliath, Temeraire and Canada. Sold with copied research.
Lot 287
Four: Chief Petty Officer H. F. Frost, Royal Navy 1914-15 Star (J.20054, H. F. Frost, A.B., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (J.20054 H. F. Frost. L.S. R.N.); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 2nd issue, fixed suspension (20054 H. F. Frost. P.O. H.M.S. Pembroke.) nearly very fine and better Pair: Ordinary Seaman R. Collenette, Royal Navy British War and Victory Medals (J.83779 R. Collenette. Ord. R.N.) good fine (6) £100-£140 --- Herbert Frank Frost was born in Sudbury on 24 September 1895 and joined the Royal Navy at Chatham as Boy 2nd Class on 23 September 1912. Raised Able Seaman aboard the pre-dreadnought battleship Hibernia 29 September 1914, he transferred to the auxiliary minelayer Biarritz on 27 August 1915 and was raised Leading Seaman aboard her on 25 February 1918. Serving under the command of Captain Edgar R. Morant in the Mediterranean, the Biarritz was criticised as ‘too small for a large minelayer and too slow for a small one...’ Another serious disadvantage was that her 125 mines were carried on the upper deck. Transferred to a variety of ships and shore establishments, Frost was awarded with his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal on 15 December 1928. Posted to Wanderer and Versatile between 1930 and 1934, he was shore pensioned on 23 September 1935 but returned as Chief Petty Officer for home service at Pembroke during the Second World War. He died at Sheppey in Kent in 1973. Ralph Collenette was born on the island of Guernsey on 6 November 1900, the third son of photographic artist Benjamin Collenette. He joined the Royal Navy on 15 June 1918 and served aboard the training ship Powerful and the battleship Emperor of India. Invalided from service 10 September 1919, he later worked as a hotel maintenance man in Hampstead and died on 23 November 1989.
Lot 134
An outstanding Second War glider-towing operations D.F.C., 1940 operations D.F.M. group of seven awarded to Squadron Leader R. E. Charlton, Royal Air Force, a three tour Navigator whose operational record included many sorties with No. 138 (S.O.E.) Squadron, in addition to transporting troops and supplies on D-Day, at Arnhem, and during the Rhine Crossing - among the latter an S.A.S. team as part of Operation Wallace Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated ‘1945’; Distinguished Flying Medal, G.VI.R. (580858 Sgt. R. E. Charlton, R.A.F.); 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star, 1 clasp, France and Germany; Africa Star, 1 clasp, North Africa 1942-43; War Medal 1939-45; France, Third Republic, Croix de Guerre 1939, bronze, with gilt star on riband, mounted as worn, good very fine or better (7) £5,000-£7,000 --- Provenance: Dix Noonan Webb, September 2003 and July 2010. D.F.C. London Gazette 8 June 1945. The original recommendation states: ‘Since being awarded the D.F.M. in November 1940, Flight Lieutenant Charlton has had an almost continuous record of operational and transport flying. He completed a full tour of operations with No. 3 Group on S.O.E. duties, 12 months with No. 24 and No. 512 Squadrons and over 12 months with this Squadron [No. 575] during which time as the Squadron Commander’s Navigator he has led flights on D-Day, Arnhem and the Rhine Crossing, in all completing 6 Airborne operational sorties apart from numerous sub-operational flights to the Continent. Since September 1939 he has completed over 1600 hours flying as Navigator. His work has been consistently conscientious and he is an outstanding Navigator. On the recent Rhine crossing operation his accurate and detailed commentary was invaluable and resulted in the Glider Captain being brought in sight of the Landing Zone under conditions of extreme low visibility during considerable harassing flak.’ D.F.M. London Gazette 17 January 1941. The original recommendation states: ‘This N.C.O. Air Observer has now completed 27 operational sorties and has been to an O.T.U. as an instructor and to rest. He has had a number of very trying experiences which included returning from Bremen on one engine, being severely shot up and the petrol tanks holed. Throughout all his trips he has shown unfailing cheerfulness and his happy smile has given encouragement and confidence to others in the crew when things were not going well. His work as a Navigator and Bomb Aimer has been consistent and good, and an example to his brother Observers in the Squadron [No. 77].’ French Croix de Guerre Order General No. 65, Paris 5 June 1946. The original recommendation states: ‘Prior to D-Day Flight Lieutenant Charlton had flown on 54 sorties as a Bomber Navigator, involving about 400 hours of operational flying. The exceptional skill and experience possessed by this Officer enabled him to guide his pilot, by night, to the exact position occupied by some of the first paratroops to be dropped in the invasion operation. Later in the day of the invasion, he was Navigator of an aircraft detailed, with a glider load, on a similar mission. Flight Lieutenant Charlton has also made a number of flights by night for the purpose of dropping leaflets and delivering urgent stores. In addition, he has been engaged in the transport of casualties of the Allied forces. He is a brave Officer and has set a fine example.’ Ronald Edmund Charlton, who was born in September 1915, enlisted in the Royal Air Force as an Aircraftman 2nd Class on the outbreak of hostilities, and commenced his operational career as a Navigator and Bomb Aimer with No. 77 Squadron, a Whitley unit operating out of Driffield, at the end of 1939. Going on to complete a tour of 27 sorties, Charlton undoubtedly experienced some hair-raising moments, not least during the raid on Bremen referred to in his D.F.M. recommendation. Not specifically mentioned, but undoubtedly of a similar nature, was the sortie flown by him to Poland in mid-March 1940, in Whitley “L-Love”, captained by Flight Lieutenant Tomlin. Bomber Command Squadrons takes up the story: ‘It was during the operation to Warsaw - Bomber Command’s second visit to Poland but No. 77’s first - on the night of 15-16 March 1940, that one of the Squadron’s crews performed a feat which probably remained unparalleled for the rest of the War. Having dropped their Nickels on Warsaw they returned safely across Germany and then, because the weather was bad, put down as soon as possible after the crossing - as they thought - the Franco-German frontier. A few words with the local peasantry quickly disillusioned them, but by that time German troops were approaching on cycles. The quick-witted crew promptly dashed back into the aircraft, took off under rifle fire, and landed safely, but rather shaken, at a French airfield.’ Charlton ended his tour with No. 77 in September 1940 and was gazetted for the D.F.M. in January 1941. Then, following service as an Instructor at No. 13 O.T.U., he commenced a second tour of operations with No. 138 Squadron, the S.O.E. support unit based at Newmarket /Tempsford, in late January 1942. The reasons behind Charlton’s transferral to No. 138’s clandestine world is part and parcel of the “Bunny” Rymills story. Both men had apparently upset the C.O. of No. 13 O.T.U., Group Captain Jarman, a formidable New Zealander, Rymills by smashing his aircraft into another on the ground, and Charlton, somewhat unfairly, for his much earlier navigational error on the Warsaw sortie outlined above. In company with another “undesirable”, Sergeant Stokes, they were threatened with a posting to Singapore, on the eve of Percival’s surrender to the Japanese, but in the event this transpired to be a cover for their actual transferral to No. 138. Rymill’s later commented of his new partners in crime, “They were superb operational types: cool, calm, and efficient under fire and masters of their respective trades. I could not have had better men to fly with.” The bland nature of the information contained in No. 138’s records makes it difficult to ascertain the exact content of Charlton’s operational sorties, but in addition to flying in Rymills’ crew it seems likely that he teamed up with Pilot Officer T. R. Russell in November 1942, when the Rymills transferred to the Lysander Flight. Russell, who had also joined No. 138 in January 1942, was posted with Charlton to No. 24 Squadron, Transport Command in early 1943, the pair of them flying together in the latter unit until the end of that year. By means of using Rymills and Russell as pilot guidelines, it is clear that Charlton participated in some classic S.O.E. operations, probable among them Operation Eel on the night of 29-30 May 1942, when assorted “passengers” parachuted out of a Halifax piloted by Rymills at 600 feet, somewhere in the vicinity of the Saone Valley. Norway, too, was part of the squadron’s brief, and another successful trip, part of Operation Castor/Coronna, was carried out there by Rymills on the night of 18-19 October 1942. Two nights later, similar success was achieved in Operation Plane II to France. Full details from 138’s records are included with the Lot, including numerous entries for Rymills and Russell, added to which frequent mention of both pilots maybe found in K. A. Merrick’s definitive history Flights of the Forgotten. Commissioned as a Pilot Officer in January 1943, at the end of his tour with No. 138, Charlton was next posted to Transport Command, joining No. 24 Squadron, a Dakota unit, that March. Thus ensued a series of return flights to Gibraltar with assorted pa...
Lot 176
A fine ‘Home Service’ 1940 B.E.M. awarded to Private J. T. Doran, South Lancashire Regiment, late Royal Navy British Empire Medal, (Military) G.VI.R., 1st issue (No. D/29808 Pte. John Thomas Doran, S. Lan. R.) nearly extremely fine £200-£240 --- B.E.M. London Gazette 11 March 1941: ‘For gallant conduct in carrying out hazardous work in a very brave manner.’ The original recommendation states: ‘On the night of the 28th/29th August, 1940, a soldier in Private Doran’s Company ran amok and was firing his rifle indiscriminately. Without any regard for his own personal safety, Private Doran was of invaluable assistance to his Company Commander in disarming the man. His action was most commendable.’ John Thomas Doran was born in Birkenhead on 15 June 1899 and served during the Great War as Boy 1st Class aboard the battlecruiser H.M.S. Indomitable from 15 February 1916. Present at the Battle of Jutland, he witnessed Indomitable land three strikes on Derfflinger and a further hit on the Seydlitz, before watching the magazines of her sister ship Invincible explode, killing 1026 officers and men. Transferred to Valiant and Highflyer, Doran was discharged from the Royal Navy in July 1920, his conduct and character described as ‘fair’ following a number of later misdemeanours. Taking employment as a general labourer, Doran later worked as a bricklayer’s labourer before serving with the 6th South Lancashire Regiment on Home Defence duties during the Second World War, protecting vulnerable sites in the area of the Mersey Estuary. It was at around this time that he carried out the brave deed which greatly assisted Lieutenant-Colonel G. W. Morriss, D.S.O., and resulted in the award of the B.E.M. Sold with copied research.
Lot 769
Masonic Medals. A miscellaneous selection of Masonic and R.A.O.B. medallions, a number hallmarked silver and silver-gilt, the majority named and dating from the 1960s and 1970s; together with a small number of Royal Canadian Legion medallions; two white metal medallions; and a broken General Service Medal 1962-2007, 1 clasp, Northern Ireland (24596436 Pte J R Newbold R Hamps) suspension broken on last; generally very fine (lot) £100-£140 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK ---
Lot 481
Canada General Service 1866-70, 1 clasp, Fenian Raid 1866 (Mid. R. H. Wellings. H.M.S. Niger.) engraved naming in an unofficial style, the clasp a later issue with flat backstrap, pawn broker’s mark to edge, good very fine £300-£400 --- Richard Harriman Wellings was born in Ravenstone, Leicestershire, on 17 August 1850, and having been appointed Midshipman in H.M.S. Niger and is confirmed as serving during the operations in Canada in 1866. He was promoted Lieutenant on 19 November 1877. Sold with copied research.
Lot 32
General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Palestine (5615055. Pte. C. E. Wright. Devon. R.) extremely fine, scarce to unit £180-£220 --- Approximately 32 Palestine clasps awarded to the 2nd Battalion, Devonshire Regiment, all to other ranks attached to the 2nd Battalion, Wiltshire Regiment. Charles Edward Wright was born in Peckham, London, in 1907. A butcher by occupation, he attested at London for the Devonshire Regiment on 26 April 1927. Posted to the 2nd Battalion he served at home until transferred to Section ‘B’ Army Reserve in 1934. Mobilised at Exeter on 6 September 1936, he was posted to the 2nd Battalion, Wiltshire Regiment, on 9 September 1936, and embarked for Palestine on 18 September 1936. Returning to the U.K. he was re-transferred to the Army Reserve on 14 December 1936 and was finally discharged on 25 April 1939. He died in Chard, Somerset on 17 January 2005, aged 98. Sold with copied research.
Lot 126
A Great War ‘Western Front’ M.C. group of ten awarded to Major R. C. Kirkpatrick, Royal Garrison Artillery Military Cross, G.V.R., unnamed as issued; British War and Victory Medals (Major R. C. Kirkpatrick.); 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Italy Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; France, Third Republic, Croix de Guerre 1939, bronze, very fine (10) £500-£700 --- M.C. London Gazette 3 June 1919. ‘For distinguished service in connection with military operations in France and Flanders.’ French Croix de Guerre unconfirmed. Robert Closeburn Kirkpatrick was born in Brussels on 31 July 1890, the son of William Parkinson Kirkpatrick and grandson of General James Cadogan Baillie. Returned to England at the outbreak of hostilities, he served in France from 9 March 1916 as Second Lieutenant in the Royal Garrison Artillery. Promoted Captain in August 1916 and Major in May 1917, he later became Officer Commanding 61st Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, and for his services during the Great War was awarded the Military Cross. Returning home to Brussels at the end of the Great War Kirkpatrick practised as an engineer. He later married Miss Yvonne Liebrecht, the daughter of the Governor of Belgian Congo and together they raised three sons, one of whom, Pilot Officer James Charles Kirkpatrick, 235 Squadron, Royal Air Force, was killed in action piloting a Blenheim on 9 October 1940 in the vicinity of Thorney Island, West Sussex. Possibly spurred on by this loss, Kirkpatrick was reappointed Major in the Royal Artillery on 6 December 1940. He survived the Second World War and is believed to have returned home to Etterbeek in Belgium, where he took up his former civilian employment as an engineer. He died on 1 November 1970. Sold with the recipient’s original named commission certificate, dated 19 January 1915; and a photograph of the recipient.
Lot 209
Pair: Major Robert Marsh, 24th Foot, who was wounded at Nivelle in November 1813; he afterwards served in the Nepaul campaign of 1815-16 and the Mahratta war of 1817-18 Military General Service 1793-1814, 4 clasps, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Orthes (R. Marsh, Ensn. 24th Foot); Army of India 1799-1826, 1 clasp, Nepaul (Lieut. R. Marsh, 24th Foot) short hyphen reverse, officially impressed naming, both with original ribbons but the latter rather frayed and distressed, attractively toned, extremely fine (2) £5,000-£7,000 --- Provenance: Morton & Eden, November 2017. Robert Marsh was born on 15 September 1795, at Hoveton St. John, Norfolk. He joined the British Army at the age of 16, being commissioned as an Ensign in the 24th Foot on 31 October 1811. Taking part in the fighting in Spain and France during the latter stages of the Peninsula War, he saw action at Vittoria, in the Pyrenees, at Echalar, at Nivelle, where he was slightly wounded on 10 November 1813, and at Orthes. For his wound he appears not to have received any allowance, for reasons unknown. He continued to serve in the Nepaul during the campaign of 1815-16, being present at Harriapore on 1 March 1816. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 13 February 1817, having also taken part in the Mahratta War of 1817-18, and was latterly promoted to Captain on 14 April 1829. Serving in Canada, he was present during a trial of rebels' in Montreal on 21 November 1838, and was later promoted to Major on 3 April 1846. Living into old age, he retired to Erpingham, Norfolk, and was recorded as being amongst the very last survivors of the Battle of Vittoria on 27 June 1883, on the occasion of the battle's 70th anniversary.
Lot 817
An unattributed Great War ‘Axis Powers’ group of four Germany, Cross of Honour 1914-18, combatant’s issue with swords, bronze, reverse marked ‘R.V.38 Pforzheim’; Austria, First Republic, War Commemorative Medal 1914-18, bronze, with crossed swords device on riband; Hungary, Republic, War Commemorative Medal 1914-18, silvered; Bulgaria, Kingdom, War Commemorative Medal 1915-18, combatant’s issue, gilt, all individually mounted; together with six related lapel bow ribands, good very fine Great Britain, Victory Medal 1914-19 (24406 Pte. M. Pollitt. L.N. Lan. R.); Nigeria Independence Medal 1960, silver, unnamed as issued, very fine (6) £80-£100
Lot 311
Three: Lieutenant-Colonel A. G. Houlder, 2nd (City of London) Battalion (Royal Fusiliers), London Regiment, who commanded the Battalion during the Great War in Gallipoli and on the Western Front 1914-15 Star (Capt. A. G. Houlder. 2-Lond. R.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves (Lt. Col. A. G. Houlder.); together with the related miniature awards; and a 2nd Battalion London Regiment medallion, bronze, the reverse engraved ‘Houlder Trophy 1927’, good very fine (4) £160-£200 --- M.I.D. London Gazette 13 July 1916. Alec Guy Houlder was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the 2nd (City of London) Battalion (Royal Fusiliers), London Regiment on 30 March 1909 and was promoted Captain on 26 July 1912. Promoted temporary Major on 23 September 1914, and temporary Lieutenant-Colonel on 13 October 1915, he served during the Great War in command of the 2nd Battalion, London Regiment at Gallipoli from 13 October 1915, and saw further service with the Battalion on the Western Front. Confirmed in the rank of Major on 23 March 1917, he relinquished his commission on account of ill health on 1 September 1918, and was granted the honorary rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.
Lot 228
Pair: Brigade Quartermaster Sergeant R. Mullen, Royal Horse Artillery, late Madras Artillery, Indian Army Indian Mutiny 1857-59, no clasp (Serjt. Robt. Mullen, D Tp. He. Bde. Madras Arty.); Army Meritorious Service Medal, V.R. (464, Qr. Mr. Serjt. R. Mullen, D. Bde. R.H.A.) very fine (2) £400-£500 --- Robert Mullen was born in the Parish of Annis, Dublin, Ireland, in March 1827. A clerk, he attested at Dublin for the Honourable East India Company, serving as Gunner with the Madras Artillery from 5 January 1847 to 27 June 1848. Transferred to the Horse Brigade on 28 November 1848, Mullen was promoted Corporal on 24 January 1855, Drill Sergeant on 3 October 1855, and Sergeant on 20 August 1856. Re-engaged for a period of 12 years at Secunderabad on 5 March 1860, he volunteered for the British Army on 15 May 1861 and served as Battery Quartermaster Sergeant with ‘D’ Battery, Royal Horse Artillery, from 14 April 1863. His Army Service Record notes forfeiture of pay and awaiting trial in April 1866, reason unclear, before final discharge on 27 July 1875. Sold with four sporting medals: white metal fob, engraved to obverse ‘S. J. C. Tennis Singles 1923’; hallmarked silver medal, engraved ‘S.J.C.’ to obverse, and ‘C. Mullen. Batting Average 1923’ to reverse; white metal medallion with small ring suspension, ‘Presented to H. F Shaboodeen Army Contractor 1925’; large white metal medallion with small ring suspension, ‘Spencer Hockey Cup 1925’; and copied research.
Lot 285
Four: Commander R. C. A. Littleton, Royal Navy 1914-15 Star (Lieut. R. C. A. Littleton, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (Lt. Commr. R. C. A. Littleton. R.N.); Special Constabulary Long Service Medal, G.VI.R., 1st issue (Richard C. A. Littleton) edge bruising to last, good very fine (4) £80-£100 --- Richard Charles Arthur Littleton was born at Warwick Square, Pimlico, on 1 February 1888. He joined the Royal Navy as Naval Cadet on 15 January 1905, serving initially aboard the battleship Venerable. Raised Midshipman 15 March 1905, he transferred from Bacchante to the Royal Yacht Victoria and Albert on 1 March 1910. Sent to the 5th Destroyer Flotilla, Littleton served aboard Renard on mine laying operations in the Dardanelles, before being appointed to the command of Usk on 3 September 1915. Engaged on the Smyrna patrol and operating out of Port Iero on the Island of Mytelene, Usk had a busy time of it enforcing the Turkish blockade. On 25 April 1917, Littleton transferred to the G-Class ‘three stacker’ Rattlesnake. Raised Lieutenant Commander on 31 August 1918 aboard Pylades, Littleton survived the War and transferred to the Portsmouth Training Establishment Fisgard in July 1924. He remained in the service of the destroyer fleet a further five years, taking his retirement as Commander in 1929. Littleton died at Luesdon, Blackheath, on 21 November 1945.
Lot 277
Three: Private L. Levy, Royal Fusiliers, later Gloucestershire Regiment, who was awarded two Wound Stripes 1914 Star, with copy clasp (L-9655 Pte. L. Levy. 1/R. Fus.); British War and Victory Medals (9655 Pte. L. Levy. R. Fus.) mounted as worn, nearly very fine (3) £100-£140 --- Lewis Levy was born in 1884 and attested for the Royal Fusiliers in London in August 1902. He served with the 1st Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front from 7 September 1914, before transferring to the 3rd Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment on 1 September 1916. Awarded two Wound Stripes, he was discharged on 30 November 1918, after having served 7 years and 118 days with the Colours, and 8 years and 362 days with the Reserve, and was awarded a Silver War Badge No. B.56976. Sold with the recipient’s original Certificate of Discharge and Character Certificate; named War Badge enclosure; named War Office letter confirming the award of the 1914 Star and clasp; the recipient’s Wound Stripe; an empty Princess Mary 1914 Christmas Tin; and an unnamed silver shooting medal.
Lot 320
Three: Corporal E. F. Dart, 25th Battalion, Canadian Infantry 1914-15 Star (68365 Pte. E. F. Dart. 25/Can: Inf:); British War and Victory Medals (68365 Cpl. E. F .Dart. 25-Can. Inf.) nearly very fine Pair: Private G. Jones, 12th Battalion, London Regiment 1914-15 Star (3854. Pte. G. Jones. 12-Lond. R.); Victory Medal 1914-19 (3854. Pte. G. Jones. 12-Lond. R.) very fine Pair: Sapper V. Lukuyanio, Canadian Engineers British War and Victory Medals (469825 Spr. V. Lukuyanio. C.E.) very fine Pair: Private J. F. Dalton, 52nd Battalion, Canadian Infantry British War and Victory Medals (438308 Pte. J. F. Dalton. 52-Can. Inf.) very fine United States of America, Allied Victory Medal, 2 clasps, Defensive Sector, Ypres-Lys; Armed Forces Expeditionary Service Medal, bronze, both unnamed as issued, the first a somewhat later striking, good very fine (11) £80-£100 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK ---
Lot 298
Three: Lance-Sergeant E. J. Dolan, Lincolnshire Regiment, who was killed in action on the Western Front on 12 October 1917 1914-15 Star (9098 L. Sjt. E. J. Dolan. Linc: R.); British War and Victory Medals (9098 Cpl. E. J. Dolan. Linc. R.); Memorial Plaque (Edward James Dolan); Memorial Scroll ‘Cpl. Edward James Dolan, Lincolnshire Regt.’, foxing to Scroll, this reasonable condition, the medals and plaque very fine (5) £120-£160 --- Edward James Dolan was born in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, and attested for the Lincolnshire Regiment at Sheffield on 12 September 1914. He served with the 7th Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front from 14 July 1915, and was killed in action on 12 October 1917. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium. Sold with the recipient’s Soldiers’ Small Book; a photograph of the recipient; and copied research.
Lot 160
A Great War ‘Western Front’ M.M. group of three awarded to Private A. Mitchell, 16th Battalion (Queen’s Westminster Rifles), London Regiment Military Medal, G.V.R. (553903 Pte. A. Mitchell. 16/Lond: R.); British War and Victory Medals (7546 Pte. A. Mitchell. 16-Lond. R.) very fine (3) £240-£280 --- M.M. London Gazette 11 February 1919. Alfred Mitchell was born in 1889 and lived in Bermondsey prior to being called up for service with the 16th London Regiment on 16 November 1916. A fish fryer by trade, he was sent to Buckingham Gate for training as a Lewis gunner, and posted overseas to Salonika with the 2/16th Battalion on 2 February 1917. Disembarked 19 February 1917, he later served in Egypt from 21 June 1917 to 17 June 1918, and France from 18 June 1918 to 4 November 1918; wounded at duty on 14 September 1918 and again, two months later, with an injury to his finger, he crossed the Channel to England and was transferred to the Army Reserve on 18 March 1919. His Army Service Record confirms his home address at the time as 98 Long Lane, London, S.E.1.
Lot 307
Three: Lieutenant R. G. Hunter, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, who was killed in action on the Western Front on 23 April 1917 1914-15 Star (2. Lieut. R. G. Hunter. A. & S. Highrs); British War and Victory Medals (Lieut. R. G. Hunter.); Memorial Plaque (Robert Gibson Hunter) generally very fine (4) £200-£300 --- Robert Gibson Hunter was the son of Robert and Harriette Mary Hunter, of Kirkmailing, Larbert, Stirlingshire. He served during the Great War with "A" Company, 1/7th Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in the French theatre of War from 28 July 1915. Lieutenant Hunter was killed in action on 23 April 1917, and is buried in the Level Crossing Cemetery, Fampoux, France.
Lot 759
R.M.A. Woolwich and R.M.C. Sandhurst Athletics Prize Medal, bronze, 50mm., the reverse engraved ‘2 Miles. Woolwich. R. K. Bagnall-Wild. 1893.’, good very fine £60-£80 --- Ralph Kirkby Bagnall-Wild was born on 18 August 1873 and educated at the Hermitage School, Bath, and R.M.C., Woolwich. Appointed to a commission in the Royal Engineers in 1893, he later served as Director of Aeronautical Inspection at the Air Ministry from 1919 to 1921. Advanced Director of Research from 1921-24, he became President of the Institution of Automobile Engineers and Chairman of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Appointed C.M.G. on 3 June 1918, and C.B.E. on 3 June 1919, he ended a distinguished military career in the rank of Brigadier-General and later acted as a Justice of the Peace in Nottinghamshire. He died in 1953. Sold with copied research.
Lot 353
Nine: Captain W. F. Horton, Royal Berkshire Regiment General Service 1918-62, 2 clasps, N.W. Persia, Palestine (5329570 Pte. W. F. Horton. R. Berks. R.); India General Service 1908-35, 1 clasp, Waziristan 1921-24 (5329570 Sjt. W. F. Horton R. Berks. R.); 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Italy Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Army L.S. & G.C., G.VI.R., 1st issue, Regular Army (5329570 W.O.Cl.II W. F. Horton R. Berks. R.) the G.V.R. awards polished and worn, these fine, the G.VI.R. awards good very fine (9) £200-£240 --- William Frederick Horton attested for the Royal Berkshire Regiment in 1920 and was commissioned Second Lieutenant on 6 August 1943. He died at Caversham on 21 November 1947.
Lot 376
Four: Sergeant R. P. Walden, Royal Air Force Defence and War Medals 1939-45; General Service 1918-62, 2 clasps, Malaya, Arabian Peninsula, with M.I.D. oak leaf (1397566 Cpl R. P. Walden R.A.F.) 2nd clasp loose on riband as issued; Royal Air Force L.S. & G.C., E.II.R., 2nd issue (1397566 Sgt. R. P. Walden. R.A.F.) mounted on card for display, generally very fine (4) £300-£400 --- M.I.D. London Gazette 18 September 1951: ‘In recognition of distinguished service in Malaya during the period 1 December 1950 to May 1951.’ R. P. Walden distinguished himself serving with the Royal Air Force in Malaya prior to receiving the A.O.C. 38 Group’s Commendation. A letter (included with the lot) to the recipient from Group Captain F. B. Sowrey (later Air Marshal Sir Frederick Sowrey, K.C.B., C.B.E., A.F.C.), Commanding Officer R.A.F. Abingdon, gives the following: ‘Congratulations on your award of the Air Officer Commanding No. 38 Groups Commendation in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. It is good to see that your leadership and high technical ability have been so recognised, and that the excellent work done by your Squadron during the recent crisis has not gone unnoticed.’ It is believed that the ‘recent crisis’ referred to in Sowrey’s letter refers to the Station’s supporting operations designed to ease the increased political tension in Cyprus. This involved the air lifting of four helicopters from Gutersloh, Germany to Cyprus. The Beverley aircraft of 47 Squadron was found to be ideal for the job because of its cavernous hold, which was able to accommodate either one Whirlwind or two Sycamore helicopters. Following this a continuous airlift was mounted to reinforce the Cyprus Garrison with the Life Guards and the Dragoons. These operations were solely the task of 47 Squadron. Sold with the following original documents: M.I.D. Certificate, dated 18 September 1951; A.O.C. 38 Group’s Commendation Certificate, dated 13 June 1964; and letter of congratulation addressed to recipient at R.A.F. Abingdon with regard to A.O.C. Commendation, from Group Captain F. B. Sowray, A.F.C., dated 12 June 1964.
Lot 18
Three: Private G. McDonald, Devonshire Regiment and Devon Special Constabulary British War Medal 1914-20 (2635 Pte. G. Mc Donald. Devon. R.); Defence Medal, with named card box of issue, addressed to ‘Mr. G. McDonald, 2, Cumberland Villas, Sidmouth, Devonshire’; Special Constabulary Long Service Medal, G.V.R., 1st issue, 2 clasps, Long Service 1940, Long Service 1960 (George Mc. Donald) mounted for wear, extremely fine (3) £60-£80 --- George McDonald was born in Sidmouth in 1893. A law clerk by occupation he enlisted into the 4th (Territorial) Battalion, Devonshire Regiment on 3 September 1914. Embodied, he served in India prior to be transferred to the 378 Home Service Company of the Labour Corps. Demobilised on 29 March 1919 he returned to Sidmouth were he was appointed as a Special Constable on 6 April 1920. He was employed as a clerk with the Sidmouth local brewery and was later advancing to managing director of the company. During the Second World War he was Area Officer Devon Special Constabulary. He died in Sidmouth on 15 May 1968, aged 74. Sold with the recipient’s original Certificate of Disembodiment on Demobilisation; original Appointment as Special Constable, dated 6 April 1920; enclosure slip for Defence Medal; and copied research.
Lot 750
42nd Foot Medal 1819, by Parkes, 32mm, silver, the obverse featuring St. Andrew with his cross at top, legend above, ‘Nemo Me Impune Lacessit’, with soldiers marching through mountainous country below, the reverse featuring the winged figure of Fame above the battle honours, ‘Corunna, Fuentes d’Onor, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, Orthes, Toulouse, Peninsula’, with ‘42 R.H.Rt.’ below, the edge impressed (Jn. Scott) with ring and silver straight bar suspension, with contemporary E. & E. Emanuel, Portsmouth, top silver riband buckle; together with an unnamed Royal Highlanders Medal, silver, good very fine (2) £300-£400 --- Note: A similar example of the second medal, engraved on the reverse as a prize for the Best Marksman, is referenced in Balmer R.286
Lot 693
Army L.S. & G.C., G.VI.R., 1st issue, India (S-Serjt. C. F. J. Stofer, R.I.A.S.C.) edge bruise; together with Volunteer Force Long Service Medal, E.VII.R. (1133 Serjt: R. Gray. 1st Roxb: & Selkirk V.R.C.) last officially re-impressed, generally very fine (2) £60-£80 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK ---
Lot 223
Family Group: Three: Gunner S. Dixon, Royal Artillery, late 50th Foot Crimea 1854-56, 3 clasps, Alma, Inkermann, Sebastopol (Seth Dickson. [sic] 50th. Queens) engraved naming; Army L.S. & G.C., V.R., 3rd issue, small letter reverse (130. Gunner. S. Dixon. R.M.A.); Turkish Crimea 1855, British issue, illegible engraved naming, pierced with ring suspension, brooch marks to reverse, otherwise very fine Pair: Sergeant W. Dixon, Royal Fusiliers British War and Victory Medals (L-12503 Sgt. W. Dixon. R. Fus.) these both somewhat later issues, contact marks, nearly very fine Four: Attributed to Flight Lieutenant E. S. Dixon, Royal Air Force, Accountant Branch 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, with M.I.D. oak leaf, unnamed as issued, some staining, nearly very fine (9) £280-£340 --- Seth Dixon attested into the 50th Foot and served in the Crimea. After his discharge, he later attested Royal Artillery on 2 March 1860, aged 26 years. Serving in England, Gibraltar, Halifax, Nova Scotia and Bermuda, he was discharged on 19 December 1882 with very good character. His service papers refer to his earlier service with the 50th Foot with confirmation of the award of a Crimea pair. William Dixon, believed to be the grandson of Seth, attested into the Royal Fusiliers on 23 November 1900 and served during the Great War on the Western Front with the 4th Battalion from 21 September 1914. Appointed Sergeant, he was discharged as a consequence of his wounds on 18 July 1918 and was awarded a Silver War Badge No. 429,468. The award of a clasp to his 1914 Star is confirmed and his Great War pair were returned and later reissued on 6 October 1940. Eric Seth Dixon, believed to be the son of William, was commissioned into the Royal Air Force for service during the Second War and served with the Accountant Branch. For his services during the Second World War he was Mentioned in Despatches (London Gazette 1 January 1945). Sold together with copied service papers and copied research.
Lot 505
Egypt and Sudan 1882-89, undated reverse, 1 clasp, The Nile 1884-85 (1416, L/Sergt. S. Swan. 2/Essex. R.) heavy pitting from Star, edge bruising, fine £140-£180 --- Stephen Swan attested for the Essex Regiment in 1880 and was promoted Corporal in 1883, Sergeant in 1885, and Colour Sergeant in 1890. In addition to serving with the 2nd Battalion during the Gordon Relief Expedition, he saw further service with the 1st Battalion in South Africa during the Boer War (entitled to a Queen’s South Africa Medal clasps for Relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg, Driefontein, Johannesburg, and Diamond Hill, one of only 20 officers and men from the Essex Regiment to be awarded both the Egypt and Sudan Medal with clasp ‘The Nile 1884-85’ and the Queen’s South Africa Medal). Awarded the 1902 Coronation Medal in bronze (the only N.C.O. of a regular battalion of the Essex Regiment to receive this medal, and hence the recipient of a unique combination of awards to the Regiment), he was discharged in 1905.
Lot 351
Pair: Private W. G. Carder, Devonshire Regiment Territorial Force War Medal 1914-19 (1642. Pte. W. G. Carder. Devon. R.); Territorial Efficiency Medal, G.V.R. (200212 Pte. W. G. Carder. 4-Devon. R.) good very fine (2) £160-£200 --- William George Carder was born in the Parish of St. Thomas, Devon, on 6 August 1896. Recorded as an apprentice carpenter in 1911, he served during the Great War with the 4th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment, and was disembodied on 17 January 1920. He was later awarded the Territorial Army Efficiency Medal per Army Order No. 305 of 1922, and died at Topsham on 1 December 1962.
Lot 541
Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902 (2), 1 clasp, Cape Colony (13345 Pte. T. R. Johnston. R.A.M.C.) latter part of surname officially corrected; 2 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State (600 Pte. A. G. Harding. R.A.M.C.) suspension claw re-affixed; edge bruising and contact marks to both, good fine and better (2) £80-£100
Lot 720
Indian Army L.S. & G.C. (3), E.VII.R. (57 Sepoy ....r Ali 84th Punjabis); G.V.R., 1st issue (1417 Sowar Sant Singh 18th K.GO. Lancers); G.VI.R. (7969 Nk. Dalip Singh, 14 Punjab R) generally very fine (3) £80-£120 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK ---
Lot 227
Three: Colour-Sergeant Joseph Northam, Royal Welsh Fusiliers Indian Mutiny 1857-59, 2 clasps, Relief of Lucknow, Lucknow (Josh. Northam, 1st Bn. 23rd R.W. Fusrs.); Army L.S. & G.C., V.R., 3rd issue, small letter reverse (5023. Cr. Sergt. J. Northam, 1-23rd Foot); Army Meritorious Service Medal, V.R. (C: Sgt. J. Northam, R. Welsh Fus.) the first two with light contact marks, very fine, the last extremely fine (3) £1,000-£1,400 --- Joseph Northam was born at Bridgetown, Barbados, West Indies, and enlisted into the 1/23rd Foot at Weedon on 28 June 1855, aged 13 years. He served as a Drummer from 13 March 1856 to 15 July 1858, when he reverted to Private for the remainder of his under-age service until 2 July 1860. He was promoted to Corporal on 21 October 1861, to Sergeant on 6 May 1868, and to Colour-Sergeant on 7 August 1869. He was discharged on completion of his second period of service on 4 July 1881. Northam had served in India from September 1857 to November 1869, and was, when discharged, in possession of the ‘Indian Mutiny medal and 2 Clasps for Lucknow and Relief of Lucknow and good conduct medal.’ Stating his intended place of residence to be Whaley Bridge, Derby, Northam was appointed as Sergeant Instructor (Pensioner) to the 2nd (Volunteer) Battalion of the Derbyshire Regiment o 9 August 1881, where he served until 8 August 1896. He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal and Annuity of £10 on 4 May 1896, and died on 17 April the following year. Sold with copied discharge papers.
Lot 172
An outstanding Second War ‘1942’ Wellington and Lancaster navigator’s D.F.M. awarded to Flying Officer J. W. Oldham, Royal Air Force, who flew in at least 43 operational sorties, with 142 and 97 (Strait Settlements) Squadrons, including the first Thousand Bomber Raids to Cologne and Essen. Oldham was involved in a remarkable act of valour, whilst on a raid to Bizerta, Tunisia, when his Wellington was forced to cruise over the target for 20 minutes whilst he and two others used an axe to release a 4,000lb. bomb which had become fixed by icing - ‘Oldham then got an axe and made a hole in the bottom of the fuselage, big enough for him to put his head and shoulders through. With Johnson holding his legs, Oldham then hung through the fuselage and chipped away at the ice until he was tired, when Johnson took his place. Flight Sergt C. E. Dlaney, of Quebec City, the rear gunner, also had a turn, and eventually the ice was cleared. Fairly heavy flak was coming up all the time the airmen were chipping away. Once the bomb was free of the ice, Johnson went back to his bomb sight and, at the right moment, shouted to the other two to let it go. Both airmen then gave a lusty push with their feet, and another 4,000 pounder crashed into an Axis target.’ Oldham was killed in action whilst on a raid on targets in the Normandy Battle Zone on 30 July 1944 Distinguished Flying Medal, G.VI.R. (1053632. F/Sgt. J. W. Oldham. R.A.F.) mounted on investiture pin, in Royal Mint case of issue, toned, extremely fine £2,000-£2,400 --- D.F.M. London Gazette 12 January 1943. The original Recommendation states: ‘F/Sgt. Oldham has successfully completed twenty operational sorties over enemy territory. By his keenness, courage and determination this N.C.O. has set a fine example to the rest of the crew and is largely responsible for the high number of successful trips they have completed in the face of the heaviest enemy defences. On the ground his keenness and devotion to his job have been a splendid example to the other Navigators in the Squadron and has done much to raise the standard throughout the Squadron. One night near the end of August the machine of which he was Navigator was very roughly handled by the enemy defences over the Ruhr and was forced well to the south of the intended track. By his high degree of skill this Observer was successful in navigating his damaged machine safely back to an aerodrome in this country. His coolness and cheerful confidence on this occasion were a fine example to the rest of his crew. Remarks by Station Commander: F/Sgt. Oldham is an extremely steady and competent observer who can always be relied upon to produce the best results. Under his quiet manner he possesses great courage and determination. He is a great asset to a very good squadron.’ James Wolstenholme Oldham was born in December 1921, and was a native of Bebington, Cheshire. He served operationally as a navigator with 142 Squadron (Wellingtons), Grimsby, from May 1942, and flew a tour with them including: St. Nazaire; the Thousand Bomber Raid to Cologne, 30-31 May 1942; Essen (4), including The Thousand Bomber Raid, 1-2 June 1942; Duisberg (2); Hamburg; Dusseldorf; Flensburg; Frankfurt; Kassel; Saarbrucken; and Krefeld. Oldham moved with a detachment of the Squadron to North Africa in December 1942, and operated with them from Blida in Algeria. He flew a number of sorties, including an extraordinary attack on Bizerta: ‘This is the story of the crew of a Wellington bomber which used an axe to release a 4,000lb. bomb which became fixed by icing when the bomber was raiding Bizerta, and the machine, flying at 11,000ft, met with severe icing conditions, causing the release mechanism to fail. The Wellington cruised over the target for about 20 minutes whilst the front and rear gunners hacked away the ice which had formed on the couplings. All three members had to lean perilously while they hacked away, and when finally they succeeded in getting most of the ice away they pushed it into space with their feet and watched it burst with a terrific flash smack in the target area. “I had just got the target beautifully into my bomb sight,” said Sergt. A. S. Johnson, of Seaham, Durham, the front gunner and bomb aimer, “when I found the release gear had packed up. I tried three times to get the bomb away, but it wouldn’t drop. When I went to the bomb bay I found that the couplings underneath the bomb had iced up.” Johnson and the Navigator Flight Sergt. J. W. Oldham, of Bebington, Cheshire, tried to unscrew the couplings, but the ice was too thick. Oldham then got an axe and made a hole in the bottom of the fuselage, big enough for him to put his head and shoulders through. With Johnson holding his legs, Oldham then hung through the fuselage and chipped away at the ice until he was tired, when Johnson took his place. Flight Sergeant C. E. Dlaney, of Quebec City, the rear gunner, also had a turn, and eventually the ice was cleared. Fairly heavy flak was coming up all the time the airmen were chipping away. Once the bomb was free of the ice, Johnson went back to his bomb sight and, at the right moment, shouted to the other two to let it go. Both airmen then gave a lusty push with their feet, and another 4,000 pounder crashed into an Axis target.’ (Newspaper cutting included with the lot refers) Remarkably Oldham’s gallantry was not recognised in this instance, and he subsequently transferred to 97 (Straits Settlements) Squadron (Lancasters) at Coningsby in June 1944. His commanding officer, Wing Commander A. W. Heward, wrote the following to Oldham’s widow, 30 July 1944: ‘I deeply regret to confirm that your husband, Flying Officer J. W. Oldham, failed to return from operations this morning, 30th July, 1944, and I wish to express the sympathy of the whole Squadron with you in your anxiety. Flying Officer Oldham was taking part in an attack on a target near Cahagnes, France, as navigator in the aircraft, of which no news has since been received... Your husband came to this Squadron early in June with a record of thirty-five operational sorties to his credit, and was completing his eighth with us, the majority of the latter being against objectives on the Normandy front. He was most enthusiastic in his duties and proved himself to a be most efficient and reliable navigator whose loss will be deeply felt by us all...’ Oldham was later confirmed as killed in action on 30 July 1944, after his Lancaster piloted by Flight Lieutenant H. A. B. Baker ‘T/O 054 [from] Coningsby to attack enemy strong points in the Normandy battle zone. Set on fire in the port inner engine, the blaze soon spreading to engulf the entire wing. The order to bale out was given and at around 0800 the Lancaster crashed SE of St-Lô in the Department of Manche.’ (Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War by W. R. Chorely refers) Three members of the crew survived, and were taken Prisoner of War. Flying Officer Oldham is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Sold with the following related items and documents: Observer’s Brevet; recipient’s Briarwood Pipe; riband bar for first two awards; R.A.F. Identity Card; R.A.F. Navigator’s Certificate Second Class, dated 17 September 1942; Air Ministry correspondence with recipient’s widow with regard to his death, and a letter to her from his commanding officer Wing Commander A. W. Heward, dated 30 July 1944; a number of photographs of recipient in uniform - including one smoking his pipe; and a number of newspaper cuttings.
Lot 766
Regimental Prize Medals (11), an unknown Scottish Medallion on ribbon with suspension bar in Wilson & Sharp, Edinburgh fitted case of issue, silver; (F Compy. 5th V.B. R.H., 2nd Prize 1893), in case of issue, hallmarked silver; Royal Guernsey Militia (Inter Regimental Football Challenge Cup 1933), bronze, in F. Phillips, Aldershot, case of issue; West Yorkshire Regiment (2) (Winners Inter Company Rugby 1926 L. Cpl. Garbutt) white metal; another unnamed, bronze, in F. Phillips, Aldershot, cases of issue; Depot, The Black Watch, (L/Cpl Allan 1934), bronze, in F. Phillips, Aldershot, case of issue; Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (2), White metal, unnamed, (8th Argylls 1931 Machine Gun Competition L/Cpl. J. Park), bronze and enamels, in F. Phillips, Aldershot, case of issue; N.R.A. Rifle Clubs, bronze, in Elkington & Co. Ltd. case of issue; (H.R.H. Duke of Connaught’s Challenge Sheild Competition Winners Junior Section 1927 Louis Trichardt Junior Troop. Sgt. H. R. Cheales.), white metal, suspension broken, Auxiliary Transport Service, (Rounders Tournament 1947, Winners A & H District), bronze; Army Temperance Medal, India (2), silver; 5th V.B. Bn., The Royal Scots, Drill prize fob, silver; Regimental Cap Badges (4), Royal Navy, Fife and Forfar Yeomanry, Royal Artillery, Tank Corps, generally very fine or better (lot) £100-£140 --- Sold with a Sunday Companion Roll of Honour Medal (G. MacDonald 1858-1904) in Jenkins, Birmingham, case of issue; a Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee 1897 Medallion, bronze, in case of issue; a Fife & Forfar Yeomanry regimental button badge; a Royal Air Force button badge; assorted pin badges; and other ephemera.
Lot 768
Southern Mines Inspection District Ambulance League Medal (2), the first 30mm x 26mm, gold (9ct., 13.98g), hallmarks for Birmingham 1915, the obverse depicting crossed safety lamp and tools, engraved ‘F. Cockrane, Capt.’, the reverse engraved ‘Powell’s Tillery, Junior Team’; the second 39mm x 32mm, silver, hallmarks for Birmingham 1914, the obverse engraved ‘R. Swift’, the reverse engraved, ‘Radstock Division, Writhlington Colleries, Senior Team 1914’; Durham Mines Inspection District Ambulance League Medal, 39mm x 32mm, silver, the obverse depicting crossed safety lamp and tools, engraved ‘R. Hetherington’, the reverse engraved ‘Shilden Lodge Colliery 1918’; The Lothians Mine Workers’ Ambulance League Medal, 34mm x 23mm, silver and enamel, hallmarks for Birmingham 1914, the obverse depicting stretcher bearers at the pit-head, the reverse inscribed ‘Loanhead No. 2 1914 Robert Connor’, good very fine (4) £180-£220 --- Provenance: James Spencer Collection, Dix Noonan Webb, December 2010. Powell’s Tillery Steam Coal Company operated in the Tillery Valley, Abertillery, Gwent. Writhlington Colliery, Somerset. Shilden Lodge Colliery, in operation, 1830-1937. Loanhead Colliery, Edinburgh.
Lot 137
The superb ‘Heavy Brigade’ D.C.M. group of three awarded to Private J. R. Aslett, 1st Royal Dragoons, who lost an arm to cannon shot during the famous charge at Balaklava on 25 October 1854 Distinguished Conduct Medal, V.R. (James R. Aslett. 1st Rl. Drags.) officially impressed naming; Crimea 1854-56, 2 clasps, Balaklava, Sebastopol (Pvte. Jas. R. Aslett 1st. RL. Drs.) Hunt & Roskell engraved naming; Turkish Crimea 1855, Sardinian issue, unnamed as issued, fitted with small ring for suspension, mounted for wear, all with contemporary silver top riband buckles, minor edge bruising overall, otherwise very fine or better (3) £8,000-£10,000 --- Provenance: Spink, June 1987, (Lot 353 £1950) as part of a collection of Crimea medals which included the Light Brigade D.C.M. group to S/Maj G. Loy Smith, 11th Hrs, (Lot 354 £2900) which sold in these rooms in April 2006 for £45,000; Dix Noonan Webb, December 2016. D.C.M. recommendation dated 1 January 1855. James Richard Aslett was born in Farnham, Surrey, and attested for the 1st Royal Dragoons at Westminster on 20 October 1853. He served with the Regiment in the Crimea, and took part in the famous charge of the Heavy Brigade at Balaklava on 25 October 1854. He was severely wounded during the charge, and was ‘disabled by amputation of right shoulder joint after cannon shot wound received at Balaklava’ (Service Papers refer). The field surgery that he underwent was further recorded in Medical and Surgical History of British Army in Turkey and Crimea during the Russian War, 1858, ‘James Aslett, aged 19, had his right humerus smashed by a round shot, it became necessary to remove the arm from the shoulder-joint, the amputation was done immediately after the injury. He was sent to Scutari, where the stump soon united without a bad symptom.’ The D.C.M. awarded to Aslett was initially sent out to the Crimea in March 1855, only to have to be returned for presentation to the U.K. on 14 May. Aslett had preceded its return and was discharged ‘Medically Unfit’ on 2 May 1855. One of eight D.C.M.s awarded to the Regiment for the Crimean Campaign, only two of which were awarded to recipients who were wounded at Balaklava and therefore unquestionably confirmed as ‘chargers’.
Lot 158
A Great War ‘Western Front’ M.M. group of three awarded to Private J. E. Mincher, 17th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, late Liverpool Regiment, for his gallantry as a Company Runner during the attack west of Courtrai on 14 October 1918 Military Medal, G.V.R. (62953 Pte. J. E. Mincher. 17/Lan: Fus:); British War and Victory Medals (8866 Pte. J. E. Mincher. L’pool R.) light pitting to MM, otherwise good very fine (3) £260-£300 --- M.M. London Gazette 17 June 1919. The original Recommendation, dated 18 October 1918, states: ‘For gallantry and devotion to duty as Company Runner prior to and during the attack west of Courtrai on 14 October 1918. Throughout the attack he displayed utter disregard of personal safety. Despite the thick mist which made it impossible to see more than a few yards, he went continually forward and to the flanks, keeping touch between sections and platoons, often under very heavy hostile machine gun fire. The example of courage he set inspired his comrades, and contributed in a large measure to the success of the operations.’ Joseph Edward Mincher was born in Birmingham in 1880 and attested for the Liverpool Regiment. He served with the 1st Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front from 13 August 1914, and was admitted to the 4th Stationary Hospital on 17 May 1915. Transferring to the Lancashire Fusiliers, he was subsequently awarded the Military Medal whilst serving with the 17th Battalion. He died in Edgbaston, Birmingham, on 6 April 1961. Sold with the original hand-written Recommendation for the M.M. (Army Form W.3121); and copied research.
Lot 260
Three: Captain I. G. Sewell, Northern Nigeria Regiment, late Royal Fusiliers, who was four times Mentioned in Despatches; his promising military career was cut short when he died at Zungeru, Northern Nigeria, of malarial fever and cardial failure on 28 June 1913 Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 6 clasps, Cape Colony, Tugela Heights, Orange Free State, Relief of Ladysmith, Transvaal, Laing’s Nek (Lieut. I. G. Sewell. 2/Rl. Fus.) engraved naming; King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (Lieut. I. G. Sewell. Rl. Fusrs.) engraved naming; Africa General Service 1902-56, 2 clasps, N. Nigeria 1903-04, N. Nigeria 1904 (Lieut. I. G. Sewell. Rl. Fus.) light contact marks, very fine and better (3) £800-£1,000 --- Ivon Govett Sewell was born in Kensington on 16 January 1879, the only son of Frederick John Sewell of The Manor House, Thornborough, Buckinghamshire. Appointed from the Militia as Second Lieutenant in the Royal Fusiliers 24 January 1899, he witnessed extensive service in South Africa during the Boer War; present at the Relief of Ladysmith, including the action at Colenso, he later joined operations on the Tugela Heights from 14 to 27 February 1900 and the action at Pieter’s Hill which forced the Boers under General Botha back across the Tugela River. Detailed to further operations in Natal from March to June 1900, Sewell was twice Mentioned in Despatches (London Gazettes 8 February 1901 and 10 September 1901), the latter occasion relating to a recommendation from Colonel R. Kekewich of the Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire): ‘Was my transport officer for some months. A very reliable and hard working officer who always carried out his duties to my entire satisfaction.’ Transferred to West Africa, attached Northern Nigeria Regiment, Sewell took part in operations from 1903-04 in the Bassa Province against the Okpotos. In 1904 he commanded the expedition against the Kilba Tribe north of Yola, receiving the Africa General Service Medal with two clasps and being twice more Mentioned in Despatches (London Gazettes 5 September 1904 and 24 April 1905). Engaged in further operations in Northern Nigeria in 1906, including the Munshi Affair, Sewell was advanced Captain 4 May 1907 and seconded for service under the Colonial Office on 20 August 1910. Returned to the West Africa Field Force, he died of disease in 1913, his loss ‘deeply deplored by all who knew him’. Aged 34 years, his name is commemorated upon a brass tablet in St. Paul’s Church, Hounslow, London, which was erected by his brother officers. Sold with copied research, including a photograph of the recipient.
Lot 372
Three: attributed to Major R. S. T. Sandberg, Royal Army Dental Corps, who committed suicide on 11 June 1948 Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Efficiency Decoration, G.VI.R., 1st issue, Territorial, reverse officially dated ‘1946’, all unnamed, extremely fine (3) £100-£140 --- Provenance: Tony Sabell Collection, Dix Noonan Webb, June 2013. Reginald Samuel Thomas Sandberg served six years in the school cadet force and attained the rank of C.Q.M.S. He later served in the London University O.T.C. Gained qualification as a Dental Surgeon (L.D.S., R.C.S.) 1927. Commissioned a Lieutenant in the Territorial Army on 1 July 1931, Sandberg was posted to the 8th London Hygiene Company, R.A.M.C. (T.A.) in July 1931, and promoted to Captain in May 1934. He was embodied at the outbreak of the Second World War, when he was 2i/c of the 8th London Hygiene Company R.A.M.C. (T.A.). Posted to the Army School of Hygiene, Aldershot, as a Specialist in Sanitation on 6 September 1939, he later transferred to the Army Dental Corps in October 1939 with the rank of Captain, and from November 1939 was 1i/c of the Dental Centre, Martinique House, Bordon. Major Sandberg died in Northwood on 11 June 1948, having committed suicide by inhaling nitrous oxide gas. The coroner’s findings were that he had ‘killed himself not being of sound mind’. Sold with medal forwarding box addressed to ‘Mrs M. Sandberg, Brambledown, 20, Batchworth Lane, Northwood, Middlesex’; Army Council enclosure slip named to ‘Major R. S. T. Sandberg’; together with the recipient’s original commission document appointing him a Lieutenant in the T.A., dated 1 July 1931, and with copied research.
Lot 787
A C.M.G. mounted group of four miniature dress medals representative of those worn by Brigadier-General C. W. Clark, Royal Garrison Artillery The Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, C.M.G., Companion’s badge, silver-gilt and enamel; 1914-15 Star; British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves, mounted as worn on a Spink, Piccadilly wearing pin, extremely fine A C.B.E mounted group of four miniature dress medals representative of those worn by Colonel C. E. T. Rolland, Royal Artillery The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, C.B.E. (Military) Commander’s 1st type, breast badge, silver-gilt and enamel; 1914-15 Star; British War and Victory Medals, mounted as worn on a Spink, Piccadilly wearing pin and housed in a contemporary Spink & Son Ltd., fitted case, extremely fine A D.S.O. mounted group of three miniature dress medals representative of those worn by Major G. R. de la C. Corbett, Royal garrison Artillery Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., gold (18ct) and enamel, with integral top riband bar; British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves, mounted as worn, nearly extremely fine An M.C. mounted group of five miniature dress medals representative of those worn by the Reverend W. Drury, Army Chaplains’ Department Military Cross, G.V.R.; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Transvaal, Cape Colony, South Africa 1902; 1914 Star and clasp; British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves, mounted on modern ribands, nearly extremely fine (16) £180-£220 --- C. W. Clark was born in Oxton, Birkenhead, and was educated at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Royal Garrison Artillery in 1885 and served in India, Malta and Gibraltar, before being appointed Private Secretary and Aide de Camp to the Governor of Trinidad in 1893. Advanced Lieutenant-Colonel in 1913, he served during the Great War on the Western Front from 19 August 1915, and was Brigadier-General, Heavy Artillery, Headquarters, 15/Army Corps. For his services during the Great War he was twice Mentioned in Despatches (London Gazettes 4 January 1917 and 15 May 1917) and was appointed a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George in 1917. He retired in 1922 and died on 21 November 1944. Charles Edward Tulloch Rolland was born on 28 November 1874 in Madras, India, the son of Colonel Alexander Tulloch Rolland of the Madras Staff Corps. Emulating his father, he was Commissioned on 16 December 1893 and promoted to full Colonel on 3 June 1921. Whilst serving as Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel during the Great War he was seconded to the Research Department on 19 June 1916, and for his services he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (London Gazette 3 June 1919). He was appointed a Member of the Ordnance Committee on retirement on 1 January 1926. Garnet Robert de la Cour Corbett served with the 206th Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery during the Great War, and for his services was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (London Gazette 3 June 1918). The Reverend William Drury was born in Burton on 19 June 1876 and was educated at Christ’s Hospital and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Ordained a Priest at Worcester in 1900, he was employed as Acting Chaplain to the Forces during the Boer War and was appointed Chaplain to the Forces at Woolwich, Singapore, Aldershot and Crownhill. Raised Deputy Chaplain General 1916-18, he was three times Mentioned in Despatches (London Gazette 22 June 1915, 4 January 1917, 15 May 1917) and later served as Chaplain to the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, from 1918-23. He died at Binstead Rectory on 24 October 1943. Sold with copied research.
Lot 302
An important ‘V-Beach’ First Day of the Gallipoli landings Mentioned in Despatches group of four awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel G. A. Rosser, Machine Gun Officer, 2nd Battalion, Hampshire Regiment, later Armoured Car Division and Royal Tank Corps, who directed 11 machine guns mounted on the bow of the River Clyde and prevented a ‘position of dire peril’ turning into a complete failure 1914-15 Star (Capt. G. A. Rosser. Hamps. R.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves (Major G. A. Rosser.); India General Service 1908-35, 2 clasps, Malabar 1921-22, Waziristan 1921-24 (Capt. G. A. Rosser, R. Tank. C.) the Great War trio fine, the IGS better, the Malabar clasp rare to unit (4) £700-£900 --- Provenance: Bill Green Collection of Medals to the Tank Corps, Dix Noonan Webb, April 2004. George Archibald Rosser was born in Strawberry Hill, Middlesex, on 3 March 1890, the son of Colonel Rosser of 2, Eaton Villas, Hove. Educated at Wellington College, he was appointed to a commission in the Hampshire Regiment on 18 September 1909 and returned with the 2nd Battalion from India to England at the outbreak of the Great War. Gallipoli - The River Clyde affair Posted aboard the SS River Clyde on 25 April 1915, Rosser witnessed the beaching of the collier at ‘V’ beach beneath a devastating fire. Adapted as a ‘Trojan Horse’ with openings cut in her steel hull as sally ports, the men of the 1st Royal Munster Fusiliers, 2nd Hampshire’s and 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers disembarked as sitting ducks and soon found themselves wading through shoulder-deep water. According to Gallipoli: The Landing: ‘so murderous and accurate was the fire, mainly machine-guns, that a handful achieved their purpose and the gangways and lighters were soon crowded with dead and wounded... A few managed to wade ashore but after No. 9 Platoon of Y Company had lost its commander, Captain Boxall, mortally wounded, and nearly 20 men in a gallant attempt to get ashore, Colonel Carrington-Smith, senior officer on board the Clyde, stopped further efforts as merely entailing useless sacrifice of life.’ Appreciating the failure of the pre-landing naval bombardment - even with 12-inch guns - to neutralise Turkish machine guns and pom poms in the fort above the beach, Rosser and his machine gun teams attempted to offer a glimmer of hope to those men pinned down along 300 yards of sand: ‘Meanwhile, the battalion’s machine guns on board the Clyde under Lt. Rosser and some R.N.D. guns were trying hard to keep down the machine-gun fire and giving effective covering fire to the men ashore, but the well-concealed Turkish guns were hard to locate and harder to silence.’ At 3pm Colonel Carrington-Smith was hit and killed on the bridge of the River Clyde. His death coincided with a brief slackening of enemy fire caused by a fresh pounding by three battleships, but for the men ashore, Rosser’s machine guns proved essential to their survival until sunset. An extract from The Story of the 29th Division by Captain Stair Gillon, confirms: ‘Only the machine guns in the bow of the River Clyde, ably controlled by Lieutenant G. A. Rosser of the 2nd Hants and Commander Josiah Wedgwood, M.P., of the R.N.D., the morale effect of the naval guns, and possibly the barrier of wire, prevented the Turks from counter-attacking and annihilating the party at the water’s edge.’ For this work, Rosser was Mentioned in Despatches (London Gazette 3 August 1915). Appointed Battalion Adjutant, he later fought at the First and Second Battles of Krithia, being one of just four officers and 204 men present for roll call on 9 May 1915. Withdrawn to a reserve position to recover, Rosser fought his final action on the Peninsula at the Third Battle of Krithia from 4 to 6 June 1915. After receiving a gunshot wound to the thigh, he was evacuated to Mudros and then posted in early 1916 to the Machine Gun Corps Training Centre at Belton Park as Assistant instructor. Raised Major, he was given command of the newly formed 133rd Company, Machine Gun Corps, and directed overseas. Mesopotamia Arriving in Turkish Mesopotamia on 19 December 1916, Rosser’s time is carefully detailed in his own hand in the official war diary of the 133rd Machine Gun Corps; witnessing first action on 24 December 1916, his unit was heavily engaged in attacking Turkish positions on the right bank of the Tigris at Khudhaira Bend on 9 January 1917; placed in positions around the Abdul Hassan Bend sector, providing support for an infantry assault, his men suffered the loss of one machine gun and a number of casualties in the face of a determined enemy in hand to hand combat. Further engagements included the Battle of Jebel Hamrin and the Battle of Megiddo, where the 133rd M.G.C. were directed in support of 9th Brigade’s attempts to break through the Tabsor defences at Sabiye and advance east towards Qalqilye, Kh. Kefar Thilth, ‘Azzun and Jiyus in the foothills of the Judean hills. For his leadership in Mesopotamia, Rosser was again Mentioned in Despatches (London Gazette 15 August 1917) and was promoted Temporary Major. Malabar Attached to 8th Armoured Car Company at Lahore in September 1921, Rosser was placed in command of 25 men, four armoured cars, one Peerless lorry, one Ford touring car and two motor cycles during a period of open rebellion in Kerala, India. His second in command, Lieutenant Dawson, was keen to note: ‘We replaced the cavalry; the field artillery were replaced by pack artillery. The flat footed Indian Infantry were replaced by Gurkha and Burmese Regiments... The war became a series of tiger hunts. The infantry were the beaters, the artillery the side stops and we were the guns shooting up anyone that attempted to cross our tracks.’ It was later said that the Mophals developed a healthy respect for the armoured cars as no convoy was attacked when escorted by one. On 20 October 1921, the whole section took part in combined operations with the Gurkhas and Dorset Regiment and managed to engage a band of rebels, killing 46 - mostly with the kukri. In another operation named ‘Melmur Drive’, all four of Rosser’s armoured cars, supported by the 2nd Battalion, Dorset Regiment, engaged and killed 246 of the enemy; shortly afterwards, petitions were received from the rebels in the neighbourhood of Malappurum offering their submission. Transferred to operations with No. 9 Armoured Car Company in January 1922, Rosser served on the Takhi Zam line to the south of Waziristan. Posted to Cairo in command of No. 3 Armoured Car Company in 1927, he transferred to the 5th Royal Tank Corps in England and in 1934 had the distinction of becoming the first commanding officer of the 1st (Light Battalion), Royal Tank Corps, equipped with the Vickers Mk. II and Mk. III tanks. Retired on 13 April 1935, Rosser died at Vancouver in Canada on 24 April 1950. Sold with extensive copied research, including an article about the recipient published in the March 2018 Journal of the O.M.R.S.
Lot 831
Eight: Subadar G. Khan, Pakistan Army, late 8th Battalion, Punjab Regiment, Indian Army Pakistan, Tamgha-I-Khidmat, Second Class neck badge, silver and enamel; General Service Medal, 1 clasp, Kashmir 1948, unnamed; Pakistan Independence Medal 1947 (13086-10 Sub Gheba Khan 8 Punjab.R.); Pakistan Republic Day Medal 1956, unnamed; India General Service 1936-39, 2 clasps, North West Frontier 1936-37, North West Frontier 1937-39 (9159 Naik Gheba Khan, 4-8 Punjab R.); 1939-45 Star; War Medal 1939-45; India Service Medal, minor loss of white enamel to first, very fine (8) £80-£100 --- Gheba Khan served with the 4/8th Battalion, Punjab Regiment, during the campaign in Waziristan from 1936-40 against the Fakir of Ipi. He is later believed to have fought in the Middle East as part of PAI Force during the Second World War.
Lot 16
Four: Private W. Hubber, Devonshire Regiment British War and Victory Medals (240128 Pte. W. Hubber. Devon. R.); Territorial Force War Medal 1914-19 (1032 Pte. W. Hubber. Devon. R.); Territorial Efficiency Medal, G.V.R. (240128 Pte. W. Hubber. 5-Devon. R.) good very fine (4) £200-£240 --- Walter Hubber was born in Crediton, Devon, in 1889. A porter by occupation he enlisted into the 5th (Territorial) Battalion, Devonshire Regiment and was embodied on 5 August 1914. He embarked with the 1/5th Battalion on the TS Nevasa at Southampton and disembarked at Karachi on 10 November 1914. The battalion served in India until embarking on HT Aronda, disembarking at Suez and entraining for Ismailia as part of the Egypt Expeditionary Force on 4 April 1917. Serving with the 232nd Brigade, 75th Division, the battalion took part in many actions in Palestine from Sampson’s Ridge from June 1917 through to the capture of Berukin on 9 April 1918 when they were relieved prior to transfer to France. Having disembarked at Marseilles the battalion saw action in the final days of the Great War from Ardre Valley on 20 July 1918 to the breaking of the Hindenburg Line on 28 September 1918. Hubber subsequently enlisted ‘In the Field’ as 35042 Private, 1st Battalion, Devonshire Regiment on 20 January 1919, and was posted to the reformed 2nd Battalion, embarking at Devonport on HT Huntsend on 16 August 1919. Disembarking at Bombay the battalion moved to Quetta, Baluchistan on 23 November 1919. Returning home he was discharged at Exeter on 31 May 1922, and was awarded the Territorial Efficiency Medal in August 1922. Appointed Postman, General Post Office, Tavistock, on 7 October 1931, he died in Bradninch, Devon on 5 June 1960, aged 71. Sold with copied research.
Lot 354
Seven: Acting Sergeant J. W. Addlesee, Royal Signals, who was captured and taken Prisoner of War by the Japanese in Malaya on 17 March 1942 India General Service 1908-35, 1 clasp, North West Frontier 1935 (2322363 Sgln. J. W. Addlesee. R. Signals); India General Service 1936-39, 2 clasps, North West Frontier 1936-37, North West Frontier 1937-39 (2322363 Sgln. J. Addlesee. R. Signals.); 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Italy Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, mounted court style for wear, edge bruise to first, otherwise nearly extremely fine (7) £400-£500 --- Jack Whiteley Addlesee was born on 30 May 1911 and lived at 39 Fellows Road, Beeston, Nottingham. A former ship’s apprentice, he enlisted into the Royal Signals on 16 November 1932 and served with ‘A’ Corps during the Second Mohmand campaign from August to October 1935. Transferred to the 18th Divisional Signals as Acting Sergeant, he witnessed the Fall of Singapore in February 1942 and was himself captured by enemy forces a short while later; sent to a host of P.O.W. camps including Pedang, Belawan, Gloegoer, Petai and Pakanbaroe, he spent his final months engaged in constructing a railway line to facilitate the movement of Japanese troops and coal. In common with many compatriots who suffered deprivations over such a long period of time, this work proved extremely detrimental to his health. Released from hospital on 15 September 1945, he was by family repute ‘just 6 stone’ upon the cessation of hostilities and suffering from a wound to the wrist caused by a bayonet. Remarkably, recent correspondence between a family member and the vendor adds: ‘He was a lovely man, the best way to describe him was twinkly and quite wise, very good to talk to.’ Sold with copied research.
Lot 282
Five: Lance-Corporal W. A. Wilson, East Surrey Regiment 1914 Star (L-9865 L. Cpl. W. A. Wilson. E. Surr: R.); British War and Victory Medals (9865 Pte. W. A. Wilson. E. Surr. R.); Imperial Service Medal, E.II.R., 1st issue (William Albert Wilson) in Royal Mint case of issue; France, Third Republic, Medal of Honour, with crosses swords, bronze, unnamed, with case of issue; together with the recipient’s Silver War Badge, the reverse officially numbered ‘482797’, good very fine (5) £300-£400 --- William Albert Wilson, a native of Balham, south London, attested for the East Surrey Regiment and served with them during the Great War on the Western Front from 14 October 1914. Subsequently transferring to the Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment, and then the 22nd Battalion, London Regiment, he was promoted Sergeant and was awarded the French Medal of Honour whilst serving on attachment with the 7th (Indian) Divisional Signal Company (London Gazette 16 January 1920). In civilian life he served as a Cableroom Telegraphist with the External Telecommunications Executive, General Post Office, and was awarded the Imperial Service Medal upon his retirement in 1954 (London Gazette 24 September 1954). Sold with the original Bestowal Document for the French Medal of Honour; a small silver and enamel Regimental prize fob, the obverse engraved ‘2nd. XI. R.A.T.A. Football Competition’, the reverse engraved ‘2/East Surrey Regt. Runners-up 1914 9865 L/Cpl J. [sic] Wilson.’; an East Surrey Regiment cap badge; and copied research.
Lot 303
Four: Colour Sergeant H. Bright, Essex Regiment, who landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915, and was wounded at Gully Ravine on 28 June 1915 1914-15 Star (7825 Cpl. H. Bright. Essex R.); British War and Victory Medals (7825 Sjt. H. Bright. Essex R.); Army L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (5999816 C. Sjt. H. Bright. Essex R.) minor edge bruise to last, good very fine (4) £100-£140 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Harry Bright attested for the Essex Regiment and served with the 1st Battalion during the Great War at Gallipoli, landing at Cape Helles on the first day of the campaign on 25 April 1915. Wounded at Gully Ravine on 28 June 1915, he was subsequently posted to the Bedfordshire Regiment, before returning to the Essex Regiment, and is individually identified in a unit photograph of 1924 showing the Officers and Men of the regiment who had landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915, and who were still serving with the regiment.
Lot 171
A fine Second War ‘Battle of Kohima’ M.M. awarded to Private K. G. Williams, Royal Army Medical Corps Military Medal, G.VI.R. (7517259 Pte. K. G. Williams, R.A.M.C.), in its named card box of issue and forwarding box, and named Buckingham Palace forwarding letter, extremely fine £1,800-£2,200 --- M.M. London Gazette 22 March 1945. The original recommendation for an immediate award states: ‘Whilst at Kohima on 5 May 1944, Private Williams went forward with Staff Sergeant Davies on F.S.D. [Field Supply Depot] Ridge under heavy automatic weapon and mortar fire and succeeded in getting back a wounded N.C.O., Lance-Corporal Harris of the 1st Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers. On the same day, when it was impossible to evacuate casualties from the Advanced Dressing Station (A.D.S.), owing to small arms fire, on his own initiative he went alone down Hospital Hill and contacted a tank, which he brought back to the A.D.S. to give cover to the stretcher bearers while carrying down the hill. Note: Private Williams was recommended for a Mention in Despatches for services in the Arakan Campaign on 20 May 1943; this recommendation, however, was not approved by higher authority.’ Kenneth George Williams, who was born in December 1917, enlisted in the Royal Army Medical Corps as a Nursing Orderly in September 1939. By the time of the above cited deeds at Kohima in May 1944, he was serving in 6 (British) Field Ambulance, R.A.M.C., a component of 6th Brigade, 2nd Division, 33 (Indian) Corps. The Second Battle of Kohima, May-June 1944 With the lifting of the siege of Kohima in mid-April 1944, another major battle for that famous ridge commenced, only on this occasion the British and Indian forces found themselves on the offensive against an enemy who excelled in defensive warfare. Defending every bunker with extraordinary determination, the surviving elements of Sato's 31st Division reaped heavy casualties on the men of 4th, 5th and 6th Brigades who had been allotted the unenvious task of taking the Allied advance forward. In scenes reminiscent of the famous siege, fierce hand-to-hand fighting, sniping, grenade/phosphorous bomb attacks and bayonet charges were all part of everyday life, with Williams’ 6th Brigade being given the task of clearing the area of the District Commissioner's bungalow, the scene of so much bloody fighting in the original siege. Unsurprisingly, the men of the R.A.M.C. found themselves working round the clock, often in great danger and always in atrocious conditions. Of earlier exploits by the Medics on this very ridge, one historian described such courageous deeds being carried out amidst ‘horrible scenes of carnage ... in a welter of severed limbs, blood, excrement and scattered entrails’, facts no doubt well known to Private Williams. The 5th May found 6th Brigade embroiled in fierce fighting on the Field Supply Depot ridge, its component Infantry in the form of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, Royal Berkshires and Durham Light Infantry taking terrible casualties - it was on this day that Williams rescued a Lance-Corporal of the former Regiment, in addition to laying on protection for the gradual evacuation of the Advanced Dressing Station. But, as summed up in Kohima, by A. Swinson, worse was to come: '7 May and the three days that followed were probably the bitterest time in the whole battle of Kohima. After thirty-four days and nights of close and bloody fighting, after hunger, thirst, discomfort, after appalling casualties, the enemy still held the main bastions of their position. No bombs, shells, mortars, flame-throwers, or grenades could seem to shift them. The 3.7 howitzers which could have reached many of their positions were silent through lack of ammunition; no amount of railing, correspondence, argument or anything else, could produce any. The Japs had lost thousands upon thousands of men, and reports kept saying they were weak and diseased and running short of ammunition. But all the British, Gurkhas and Indians knew was that as soon as they got near a bunker, the fire poured out of it as mercilessly as ever. The British Battalions were now reduced to three or four hundred men; some had less ... It would be untrue to say that the Division had faltered; but in these days, Officers and men would sometimes look at the great ring of mountains encircling them, and wonder how on earth it could be taken, how flesh and blood could possibly stand much more'. It would not be until early June that General Sato and his 31st Division were finally put to flight. Williams was discharged at Hereford in February 1946. Sold with the recipient’s original Soldier’s Release Book, Class ‘A’, together with a letter of reference from Major R. E. Johnson, R.A.M.C., dated 1 September 1944, in which he refers to Williams’ gallantry in the Imphal and Kohima actions.
Lot 105
An unattributed mounted group of four miniature dress medals Military Cross, G.VI.R.; 1914-15 Star; British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves, very fine An unattributed mounted pair of miniature dress medals British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves, extremely fine Miniature Medals: Distinguished Conduct Medal, V.R.; Crimea 1854-56, 3 clasps, Alma, Inkermann, Sebastopol; Indian Mutiny 1857-59, 1 clasp, Central India; Army L.S. & G.C., V.R., 3rd issue, small letter reverse; Turkish Crimea 1855, Sardinian issue, all of contemporary manufacture, nearly extremely fine £80-£100 --- Sold with a bronze token of gratitude medallion, presented by Citizens of Lincoln, 30 August 1919, in fitted case of issue; a 1915 ‘On War Service’ enamel and base metal oval badge, No. 70637; a small R.A.F. sweetheart brooch, marked ‘silver’ to reverse; 16th Lancers cap badge and shoulder title’; ‘In memoriam’ black enamel cross with top loop, commemorating Captain R. F. Scott & Comrades, March 1912; miniature clasp to 1914 star; a copy Victoria Cross; and other ephemera.
Lot 661
South Atlantic 1982, with rosette (24417826 LCpl G S Fisher R Anglian) in named card box of issue, court mounted as worn, official correction to regiment, good very fine and rare to unit £1,200-£1,600 --- G. S. Fisher, a member of the Royal Anglian Regiment, is believed to have served during the Falklands War on attachment to the Army Air Corps.
Lot 115
A Great War O.B.E. group of three awarded to Major F. R. Phipps, Royal Engineers, who was Mentioned in Despatches The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E., (Military) Officer’s 1st type breast badge, silver-gilt; British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves (Major F. R. Phipps) slight contact marks, very fine (3) £240-£280 --- O.B.E. London Gazette 12 December 1919. M.I.D. London Gazette 12 January 1920. Frederick Reginald Phipps, from Basingstoke, Hampshire, was born in Bedford on 7 March 1875. He served in the ranks of the Volunteer Force with both the Gloucestershire Regiment and Worcestershire Regiment between 1894 and 1903, and was advanced Corporal. Commissioned into the Royal Engineers on 22 January 1917 for service during the Great War, he served on the Western Front as a Roads Officer. Advanced Temporary Major, he was appointed Deputy Assistant Director of Roads on 20 October 1917, and was released with the rank of Major on 20 February 1919. Post-War he worked as a Senior Engineering Inspector with the Ministry of Transport and died suddenly, as a result of a heart attack, on 9 January 1927. Sold together with his original ‘blue book’, copied service papers, copied Medal Index Card, detailed original correspondence and articles relating to his death, including one published in The Times, and copied research.
Loading...-
297887 item(s)/page