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Lot 187
A pewter lidded tankard with scrollwork thumb piece and handle, the lid with fleur de lys decoration and stamped with crowned "WR" mark (a pre-Imperial William III mark), 12 cm high, together with another similar lidded tankard bearing stamp within a rectangle "R*M", 15.7 cm high and a cauldron type pewter lidded pot with swing handle and domed cover above a plain bellied body, 20 cm wide x 16.5 cm high not including handle
Lot 409
A circa 1966 Pernambuco cello bow by Arthur R Bultitude of Hawkhurst, the shaft of octagonal form, stamped "A R Bultitude" to both sides, the frog with Tudor Rose yellow metal inlaid decoration and mother of pearl and yellow metal base, the button with yellow metal and mother of pearl inlaid decoration, the tip plate also of yellow metal, 71 cm long, housed in a bespoke pine case bearing the stamp of "A R Bultitude Bow Makers and Expert High View Cottage High Street Hawkhurst Kent", together with four various handwritten letters from the maker to the vendor, 1966/67 CONDITION REPORTS Weight 76.8 g. Length 71 cm as per catalogue description. Basically in good condition throughout though clearly shows signs of wear to the leather conducive with 57 years of use by the musician vendor. NB there is also a facimile copy of the original receipt from A R Bultitude dated May 24 1966 stating "To your ordrer, cello bow octagonal pernambuco stick mounted in 14 carat gold & ebony inlaid Tudor rose, as quoted £63 = ="See images for further detail.
Lot 425
HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Christmas card with Peter Biegel black and white print of racehorses "Laffy, Double Star and The Rip at Lingfield December 9th 1961" dated 1962 bearing signature "From Elizabeth R" though from the early 1960s onwards Christmas cards were auto-pen signed 49.5 cm wide x 20 cm deep not including frame, 56 cm x 32.5 cm high
Lot 316
A George V silver two-handled trophy cup and cover, the main body inscribed “The Bobby Gibbs Tetbury Young Conservative”, inscribed with names of winners verso “1951 J H Harding. Mrs M Rich 1952 L F Wylde. Miss R Reynolds 1953 L F Wylde. Miss R Reynolds”, raised on a stepped circular foot (by Mappin & Webb, London 1913), 10.58 oz, 23 cm high
Lot 121
A collection of various sundry bygones including two lemonade bottles "R. White" and "Barrett & Collis Ltd", two Sucklings stone beer bottles, a Hammond stone beer bottle, a salt-glazed bottle stamped "G Woodhouse Back Lane Bowling" and a Doulton Lambeth stoneware bottle, three sweetheart silk cards "To my dear mother", "To my dear daughter" and "To my dear son", together with four various servant's bells and set of kitchen scales and three weights
Lot 609
A 19th Century mahogany cased long case clock, the eight day movement by Thomas Bullock of Corsham with painted arch dial, the arch depicting a view of a stag kill in a landscape, over a painted chapter ring with Arabic numerals enclosing a subsidiary seconds' dial and date aperture, inscribed "Thos Bullock Corsham", inscribed lower right with restorer's details "R M Collins 17 10 1968 13 5 1980", the rear of the dial stamped "W & H", the clock support plate stamped "Walker & Hughes Birmingham", 49 cm wide x 24 cm deep x 224 cm high
Lot 459
R. PUDDEY AFTER S. SHAW "To Thomas H.F. Whitgreave Esquire this view of his ancient house at Moslely is inscribed by his obliged servant S. Shaw" a study of a house, coloured engraving 19 cm x 24 cm together with AFTER C.K. BAFFIRE "Boscobel - House as in 1796" coloured engraving 18 cm x 23 cm together with a box of assorted decorative colour prints (1 box plus 2 loose)
Lot 290
Pair of Commemorating the Centenary of the Birth of R J Mitchell 1895-1995 First Day Coin Cover. Good condition. All autographs are genuine hand signed and come with a Certificate of Authenticity. We combine postage on multiple winning lots and can ship worldwide. UK postage from £5.99, EU from £7.99, Rest of World from £10.
Lot 99
50th Anniversary of the Battle for The Atlantic FDC signed by G a Thring, R Foster-Brown and Anthony Thorold. 1 stamp and 1 postmark. Good condition. All autographs are genuine hand signed and come with a Certificate of Authenticity. We combine postage on multiple winning lots and can ship worldwide. UK postage from £5.99, EU from £7.99, Rest of World from £10.
Lot 108
Red Arrows Farewell to The Gnat multi signed FDC by B R Hoskins, M T Curley, B C Scott, M D Howell, M B Stoner, R M Thomas, S R Johnson, N J Wharton and W Ward. 1 stamp and 3 postmarks 1 on front 2 on reverse. Good condition. All autographs are genuine hand signed and come with a Certificate of Authenticity. We combine postage on multiple winning lots and can ship worldwide. UK postage from £5.99, EU from £7.99, Rest of World from £10.
Lot 18
COLLECTION OF WWI AND WWII SERVICE MEDALS, comprising a WWI trio awarded to 425 Cpl. W. Henderson 13th Hrs., single 1914-15 Star awarded to 45777 Dvr. W. G. Irvine R.F.A., Victory Medal awarded to T-364286 Dvr. A. Fraser A.S.C., a WWII group of three with box addressed to Mr. C. R. Murray of Glasgow, and further medals, badges and buttons including a Scottish Society to Promote Kindness to Pit Ponies silver fob
Lot 75
THE BURMA ALPHABET (IN ENGLISH & BURMESE), FROM THE ORIGINAL SKETCHES BY CHARLOTTE I. WHEELER CUFFE Sold on behalf of the Fund for the Queen Alexandra Children's Hospital Mandalay [...], together with Typical Photographs of Burma Burmese Life and Scenes, pub. Rowe & Co., Rangoon, The Incomplete Guide to Burma by R. Swinhoe and Burmese Impressions by K. Nesbitt Hawes, pub. Thacker, Spink & Co, CalcuttaQty: 4
Lot 31
COLLECTION OF MILITARY AND RELATED EPHEMERA, EARLY 20TH CENTURY including Poetry, Prose, Philosophy, Satire and Story by John Lewis OBE, a collection of verse and prose, many amatory, together with an address book, Soldier's Service and Pay Book, a Territorial Army Soldier's Pocket Book relating to an R. H. Lewis and an invitation to an investiture by King George V dated 1919
Lot 546
Six: Sergeant G. Latus, Royal Anglian Regiment General Service 1962-2007, 2 clasps, Kuwait, Northern Ireland (24856373 Pte G Lauts R Anglian); U.N. Medal, on UNPROFOR riband, unnamed as issued; Operational Service Medal 2000, for Sierra Leone, without rosette (24856373 Pte G Latus R Anglian); Operational Service Medal 2000, for Afghanistan, 1 clasp, Afghanistan (Sgt G Latus R Anglian 24856373); Jubilee 2002, unnamed as issued; Jubilee 2012, unnamed as issued, court mounted as worn, nearly extremely fine (6) £700-£900 --- Gary Latus attested into the Royal Anglian Regiment in 1988 and served in various theatres during his 22 years’ service including Kuwait, Germany, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Cyprus, the Falkland Islands, Sierra Leone, Kenya and Afghanistan. Appointed Sergeant, he was discharged on 26 October 2012. Sold with a plated statue of a poacher inscribed ‘Presented to Sergeant Gary Latus On completion of 22 years service by the Warrant Officers and Sergeants Mess “The Poachers”.’ Also a copy of his second certificate of service, including his trade qualifications and confirmation of his medal entitlement, except his Diamond Jubilee Medal, which, due to his length of service and discharge date, he would have been awarded.
Lot 443
Three: Private W. T. Cumberlidge, Royal Lancaster Regiment, who was killed in action on the Western Front on 2 March 1916 1914-15 Star (17226 Pte. W. T. Cumberlidge. R. Lanc: R.); British War and Victory Medals (17226 Pte. W. T. Cumberlidge. R. Lanc. R.) very fine (3) £60-£80 --- William Thomas Cumberlidge was born in Hastings, Warwickshire, and attested for the King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment at Blackburn. He served with the 8th Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front from 28 December 1915, and was killed in action on 2 March 1916. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium.
Lot 369
Four: Major W. G. C. Hall, 19th (County of London) Battalion (St. Pancras), London Regiment British War and Victory Medals (Major W. G. C. Hall.); Territorial Force War Medal 1914-19 (Major. W. G. C. Hall. 19. Lond. R.); Territorial Decoration, G.V.R., silver and silver-gilt, hallmarks for London 1919, with integral top slide brooch bar, mounted as worn, nearly extremely fine (4) £500-£700 --- Wilfred George Carlton Hall was born at Brighton, Sussex in 1874 and was educated at Worcester College, Oxford. He was commissioned Lieutenant the 1st Volunteer Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment on 2 January 1897, and was promoted Captain on 18 July 1900. Transferring to the 19th Battalion, London Regiment he was promoted Major on 1 March 1909, and in 1914 was a member of the London Territorial Force Association. He landed in France on 12 October 1916 and was one of only six officers of the 19th London Regiment to receive the T.F.W.M. He was examined by a Medical Board at Etaples on 6 March 1918, at the age of 43, and was found to be suffering from debility and cardiac irritability, brought on by active service. He was disembodied on 14 October 1919. Awarded the Territorial Decoration, he resigned his commission on 1 February 1921, and died in Kew on 4 January 1948.
Lot 50
The ‘Jowaki 1877-8’ and ‘Peiwar Kotal’ campaign medals to Captain J. A. Kelso, Royal Artillery, who was killed in action at the Peiwar Kotal on 2 December 1878, shot through the head; General Roberts lamented, ‘Few men could have done what he did with his battery in so short a time, and I considered myself extremely fortunate in having him with my column’ India General Service 1854-95, 1 clasp, Jowaki 1877-8 (Captn. J. A. Kelso. R. Arty.) in its named card box of issue; Afghanistan 1878-80, 1 clasp, Peiwar Kotal (Captain. J. A. Kelso. R.A.) in its named card box of issue, both medals lightly polished on the obverse, otherwise good very fine (2) £2,400-£2,800 --- ‘John Andrew Kelso, who was killed at the Peiwar Kotal on the 2nd December, 1878, was the only son of the late John Kelso, Esq., of the Indian Civil Service, a gentleman who for many years had charge of the Government Revenue. Survey in the Province of Assam. The subject of this memoir was born on the 2nd February, 1839. After passing the earlier portion of his life with his parents in India, he proceeded to England, and studied for several years at King's College, London, from whence he entered Woolwich. Passing out from the Academy after the usual course, he was gazetted, in November, 1860, to the Royal Artillery, and, joining his battery in India shortly afterwards, did duty with it at various stations in the Bengal and Madras Presidencies for a period of seven years. In March, 1868, Kelso was posted Subaltern to No. 2 Light Field Horse Battery, Haidarabad. Contingent, and continued to serve with it until April, 1873, when he received his promotion and reverted to the regular service. After a twelve-months' interval, he was appointed Commandant of No. 2 Light Field Horse Battery, Punjab Frontier Force, which in January, 1877, was converted into No. I Mountain Battery, mules being substituted for horses. With this he served throughout the Jowaki campaign of 1877-78, obtaining the medal with clasp, and receiving honourable mention in Brigadier-General Keyes' despatches for the zeal and activity he displayed during the operations. Shortly after the conclusion of hostilities a severe attack of fever necessitated his proceeding on sick leave to the hill station of Murree. ‘In October, 1878, the battery was ordered up to Jamrud in view of the impending outbreak of war with Afghanistan, being detailed to Sir Sam. Browne's Division of the Army of Invasion, and Captain Kelso at once rejoined and resumed command of it. General Roberts, however, applying for its services, it was sent, a month later, to join the Kuram Force at Kohat, and proceeding from thence to Thal, took part in the subsequent advance of the division into the enemy’s country. It was during the assault of the Peiwar Kotal on the 2nd December, in the hour of victory, that Captain Kelso met a soldier's death, being shot through the head at the moment when - to quote the words of an eye-witness - he had "moved up the steep slope with incredible rapidity, and, wheeling to the right, formed up on the left of the Highlanders, and opened fire.” Captain Kelso was an officer of high repute in the service, and the sorrow caused by his death was both deep and wide-spread. After referring in his despatch to the assistance rendered by the battery in the advance, and to the determined manner in which the guns were fought, General Roberts, coupling the name of the deceased with that of the late Major Anderson of the 23rd Punjab Pioneers, wrote as follows: "The death of these officers is mourned by the whole force, for both were well known as brave and excellent soldiers;" and in a private letter, after expressing his great admiration for Captain Kelso's very soldierly qualities, the General added: "Few men could have done what he did with his battery in so short a time, and I considered myself extremely fortunate in having him with my column." Captain Kelso married, in January, 1867, at Trichinopoly, Marion, third daughter of the late W. H. Ranking, M.D., F.R.C.P.L., of Norwich. He leaves a widow, with one son and three daughters.’ (Ref The Afghan Campaign of 1878-1880, by S. H. Shadbolt.)
Lot 461
Three: Captain A. J. Sedgley, 6th (City of London) Battalion (Rifles), London Regiment 1914-15 Star (2.Lieut A. J. Sedgley, 6/Lond: R.); British War and Victory Medals (Lieut. A. J. Sedgley.); together with the recipient’s Masonic Million Memorial Fund Jewel, silver, the reverse inscribed ‘Bro. A. Sedgeley No. 3856.’ good very fine (4) £80-£100 --- Arthur John Sedgley was born in Camberwell, London, in 1881. An accountant by profession, he served in France as Second Lieutenant from 17 March 1915 with the 1/6th Battalion, London Regiment. The Battalion saw its first major action at the Battle of Loos in September 1915, and Sedgley is listed as wounded in the War Office casualty list of 27 September 1915. Raised Lieutenant on 1 June 1916 and Temporary Captain on 20 July 1917, Sedgley was seconded to the Ministry of Munitions in the spring of 1917. He remained engaged in overseeing and co-ordinating the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort until resigning his commission in 1921. Sold with copied research.
Lot 269
A Great War ‘Western Front’ M.M. awarded to Private J. Connolly, East Lancashire Regiment, for repeated trench raids and deception at a critical period Military Medal, G.V.R. (240996 Pte. J. Connolly. 1/5 E. Lanc: R.-T.F.) minor edge nicks, otherwise good very fine £200-£240 --- M.M. London Gazette 4 February 1918. Joseph Connolly was born at Stacksteads, Lancashire, in 1899. A schoolboy and part-time slipper operative, he attested for the 5th (Reserve) Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment, on 14 October 1914, and served overseas as part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force from 2 July 1915. He transferred to the Western Front in March 1917. The award of his M.M. is documented in the contemporary press: ‘Military Medal Presentation and other Gifts for Newchurch Lad An interesting ceremony took place in St. Peter’s R.C. School, Newchurch, on Saturday evening, when Pte. Joseph Connolly, of Bridleway, and one of the young men from St. Peter’s School, were presented by the Mayor of Rawtenstall, with the Military Medal, and also made the recipient of other gifts. Pte. Connolly, who is in the 5th East Lancashire Regiment., and whose home address is 7, Oak Cottages, Bridleway, has been awarded the Military Medal for a brave deed, officially described in the following terms:- He was one of eight men who raided three times in succession, enemy trenches which were causing us great trouble; brought back several prisoners, made enemy believe our numbers were greater; relieved a very critical situation.’ One of the speakers at the ceremony, Father Cashell, took great pains to add: ‘Connolly volunteered when war broke out, when men were badly needed. He volunteered at the age of 16; he acted when we shouted; waved flags and went about telling others what their duty was. Joe Connolly has gone through a hell during the past three or four years, and if he did nothing else he deserves all the honour which any government may give him.’ Connolly was duly presented with his medal, a gold watch and £5. He returned to France not long thereafter, and was wounded in action at the Battle of the Selle by a gunshot wound to the left thigh. Sold with copied Service Records and private research.
Lot 442
Family Group: Three: Private J. C. Gill, Royal Lancaster Regiment 1914-15 Star (240511 Pte. J. C. Gill. R. Lanc. R.); British War and Victory Medals (2114 Pte. J. C. Gill. R. Lanc. R.) some verdigris, otherwise very fine Five: Sergeant E. Gill, Royal Engineers, late Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Army Emergency Reserve Efficiency Medal, E.II.R., with Second Award Bar (22532496 Sgt. E. Gill. R.E.) very fine (8) £200-£240 --- James C. Gill attested into the Royal Lancaster Regiment for service during the Great War and served on the Western Front from 14 December 1915. Sold together with cardboard dog tags, named to the recipient. Eric Gill, a postman from Lancaster, was born on 17 December 1917. He served during the Second World War from 8 February 1940 to 19 May 1946 with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. He attested into the Territorial Army on 18 January 1951 and later served with the Army Emergency Reserve. Sold together with his copy of attestation into the Territorial Army, certificate for the award of his Imperial Service Medal (not present with this group), photographs of the recipient being presented with his I.S.M., and a copy of his Warrant certificate appointing him as a Warrant Officer, dated 7 April 1970.
Lot 548
Pair: Private B. L. Williams, Royal Welsh Iraq 2003-11, no clasp (25223776 Pte B L Williams R Welsh); Operational Service Medal 2000, for Afghanistan, 1 copy clasp, Afghanistan (Pte B L Williams R Welsh 25223776) mounted court-style as worn, contact marks to edges at 3 and 9 o’clock respectively, nearly extremely fine (2) £240-£280
Lot 38
Three: Gunner Robert Andrews, Royal Artillery Crimea 1854-56, 1 clasp, Sebastopol (Gr. & Dr. R. Andrews) officially impressed naming but unit details illegible through heavy edge bruising; China 1857-60, no clasp (Gunr. Robt. Andrews. No. 4 Bat. 2nd Bde. Arty.) officially impressed naming; Turkish Crimea 1855, British issue, unnamed, pierced with small ring for suspension, heavy edge bruising and contact wear, fine (3) £260-£300
Lot 511
Pair: Sergeant E. H. Guard, Devonshire Regiment British War Medal 1914-20 (30405 Sjt. E. H. Guard. Devon. R.); Territorial Force War Medal 1914-19 (556 Cpl. E. H. Guard. Devon. R.) contact marks, nearly very fine (2) £140-£180 --- Ernest Henry Guard was born in St. Giles in the Woods, Devon, on 8 July 1889 and served with the 2/4th Battalion Devonshire Regiment during the Great War. The Battalion served at Fort George, Madras, before leaving India on 15 October 1917 and landing at Suez on 26 October 1917, being placed under orders of Lines of Communication. Disbanded in Egypt in the autumn of 1918, it appears that Guard enjoyed a brief spell with the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry before qualifying for a Territorial Efficiency Medal in 1925 whilst serving with the 6th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment.
Lot 201
Pair: Private R. W. Salter, Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry War Medal 1939-45; General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Palestine 1945-48 (14905178 Pte. R. W. Salter. DCLI.) latter in named card box of issue; together with a DCLI cap badge, extremely fine (2) £60-£80 --- R. W. Salter served with the 1st Battalion, Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry in the Palestine operational area from 20 March to 12 July 1946. Sold with copied medal roll extract which states that the recipient’s G.S.M. was approved on 3 August 1967.
Lot 194
Three: Sergeant G. R. S. Jeram, Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry British War and Victory Medals (38803 Pte. G. S. Jeram. D. of Corn. L.I.); General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Iraq (38803 Sjt. G. R. Jeram. D.C.L.I.) minor edge nicks, good very fine (3) £100-£140 --- George Robert Sandell Jeram was born in Portsmouth in July 1899 and joined the Army on 8 March 1917. Mobilised into the Devonshire Regiment on 7 June 1917, he was subsequently posted to the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, and served with the 7th Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front from 1 April 1918. Demobilised, he re-enliisted on 11 February 1919, and saw further service in Mesopotamia in 1920, and was discharged at Exeter on 31 March 1921. He died in Hampshire on 18 February 1965. Sold with copied record of service, medal index cards, and other research.
Lot 465
Eight: Captain B. R. Vertannes, Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force, late Honourable Artillery Company, who subsequently served with the 18th Rangoon Battalion, Indian Defence Force 1914-15 Star (3639 Pte. B R. Vertannes. H.A.C.); British War Medal 1914-20 (Capt. B. R. Vertannes. R.A.F.); Victory Medal 1914-19 (Capt. B. R. Vertannes. R.F.C.); 1939-45 Star; Burma Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Volunteer Force Long Service Medal (India & the Colonies), G.V.R. (Pte. B. R. Vertannes, 18-Rangoon Bn. I.D.F.) impressed naming, mounted court-style for wear, light pitting to BWM, generally very fine and better (8) £700-£900 --- Benjamin Raphael Vertannes, an Armenian, attested for the Honourable Artillery Company and served with them during the Great War on the Western Front from 1 January 1915, before being commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Royal Flying Corps on 5 April 1917, serving with 42 Squadron. A Member of the 18th Rangoon Battalion, Indian Defence Force in the inter-War years, he saw further service during the Second World War, being granted an emergency commission in the Army in Burma Reserve of Officers on 10 April 1942. Sold with typed extracts from the Squadron Record Book giving details of the recipient’s flying operations during the period 5 December 1917 to 9 March 1918.
Lot 449
Three: Private S. Ball, 10th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment, who was killed in action on the First Day of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916, on which date his battalion suffered over 750 officers and men killed or wounded, the greatest number of casualties to a single battalion on the first day of the Battle 1914-15 Star (14275 Pte. S. Ball. W. York: R.); British War and Victory Medals (14275 Pte. S. Ball. W. York. R.) nearly extremely fine (3) £400-£500 --- Sydney Ball was born in Leeds and attested there for the West Yorkshire Regiment. He served with the 10th Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front from 13 March 1915, and was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916. On this date the Battalion was involved in an attack on Fricourt. Two companies moved forward at zero hours on the left of the assault, and cleared the enemy front lines with little loss. The supporting companies, however, met heavy fire, machine-guns having been brought from the dug-outs. The Regimental history records that the latter were almost annihilated, with total casualties of 22 officers and approximately 750 other ranks, the most casualties of any Battalion on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. Ball has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France. Sold with copied Medal Index Card and Battalion War Diary extract.
Lot 367
Four: Private H. J. Denton, 11th (County of London) Battalion (Finsbury Rifles), later 22nd (County of London) Battalion (The Queen’s), London Regiment British War and Victory Medals (364 Pte. H. J. Denton. 11-Lond. R.); Territorial Force War Medal 1914-19 (364 Pte. H. J. Denton. 11-Lond. R.); Territorial Force Efficiency Medal, G.V.R. (698142 Pte. H. J. Denton. 22/Lond. R.) polished, contact marks and minor edge bruising, nearly very fine (4) £300-£400 --- Henry John Denton served during the Great War on the Western Front with the 11th Battalion, London Regiment from 5 February 1917 to 29 January 1918, and as No. 698142 with the 22nd Battalion, London Regiment from 30 January 1918 to 7 February 1919. He was awarded the T.F.E.M. per Army Order No. 67 of 1 February 1919.
Lot 510
Pair: Petty Officer Steward R. Kelly, Royal Navy British War Medal 1914-20 (11825 R. Kelly B.Svt. R.N.); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 3rd issue, coinage head (L.11825 R. Kelly. L.Std. H.M.S. Leander.) mounted as worn, edge knock to BWM, very fine (2) £60-£80 --- Richard Kelly was born at Kilmacow, Kilkenny, Ireland, on 26 April 1901. He witnessed extensive inter-war service with the Royal Navy and was awarded his L.S. & G.C. Medal on 17 May 1934, but his promising career came to a premature end on 4 October 1939 when he was invalided from the service in consequence of a cerebral aneurism.
Lot 125
China 1857-60, 2 clasps, Taku Forts 1860, Pekin 1860 (Lieut. H. M. Moorsom, No. 6 B. 12th Bde. R. Art.) officially impressed naming, £500-£700 --- Henry Manvers Moorsom was the son of Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Moorsom of the Royal Scots Fusilier Guards, of Airey Hill, Whitby. Educated at Radley, he entered the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, in 1854, and was awarded the Sword of Honour in 1857. He served in the China War in 1860, including the capture of the Taku Forts and the surrender of Pekin (Medal and two Clasps). He was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in 1883 and to Colonel in 1888. He was an instructor at Royal Military College, Sandhurst, from 1877 to 1884. He retired in 1896, and in 1905 was awarded an additional pension for distinguished service. He died at Brighton on 5 May 1915.
Lot 331
Three: Private W. B. Scoffings, Royal Lancaster Regiment British War and Victory Medals (244510 Pte. W. B. Scoffings. R. Lanc. R.); Territorial Force War Medal 1914-19 (244510 Pte. W. B. Scoffings. R. Lanc. R.) with two flattened named card boxes of issue, nearly extremely fine (3) £180-£220 --- William Birch Scoffings was born at Belper, Derbyshire, on 17 September 1899. The Sheffield Daily Telegraph of 17 August 1923, reported that Scoffings had signed as an amateur goalkeeper for Sheffield Wednesday Football Club.
Lot 743
A scarce Victory Medal awarded to Private R. F. Vanderplank, Royal Army Medical Corps, late Non Combatant Corps, a ‘conscientious objector’ who put faith at the forefront of his decision making and served his country through hard manual labour and assisting the sick and wounded Victory Medal 1914-19 (144286 Pte. R. F. Vanderplank. R.A.M.C.) nearly very fine £60-£80 --- Robert Frank Vanderplank was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire, on 21 January 1878. A joiner and carpenter by trade, his Army Service Record records him living with his wife at 27 Quentin Street, Cardiff, and worshipping as an active member of the Plymouth Brethren. According to historian Elisabeth Wilson in The Eyes of the Authorities are Upon Us: The Brethren and World War I, the outbreak of the Great War ‘took the Brethren by surprise, and forced many of them to examine their views on the state afresh... There was private agonising over decisions, and some public debate and disagreement.’ Alongside Quakers, Christadelphians and Jehovah’s Witnesses, many refused to take up arms, and this in turn resulted in a large number of military tribunals; those who found enlistment acceptable were soon deployed as stretcher bearers and despatch riders, but those who refused to co-operate or faced unsympathetic magistrates were swiftly and harshly dealt with. Wilson notes, ‘there were usually forty or fifty brethren from Open assemblies in Dartmoor (prison) at any one time.’ Keeping strongly to his core belief, ‘thy shalt not kill’, Vanderplank obtained exemption from carrying arms on 2 August 1916. Appointed Private in the recently created Non Combatant Corps, he witnessed home service with No. 5 (Northern) Company and No. 6 (Western) Company, before requesting transfer to the Royal Army Medical Corps on 9 July 1918. Sent to Blackpool for training, he crossed from Southampton to Havre on 7 November 1918 and witnessed the final days of the war attached to 1/1 Northumbrian Field Ambulance.
Lot 375
Family Group: Three: Major C. F. Wightman, Hertfordshire Regiment British War and Victory Medals (Major C. F. Wightman.); Territorial Force War Medal 1914-19 (Major C. F. Wightman, Herts. R.) nearly extremely fine, the last rare to unit Pair: Second Lieutenant W. P. Westwood, 6th Battalion attached 1/4th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, who was killed in action on 26 September 1917 British War and Victory Medals (2. Lieut. W. P. Westwood.) nearly extremely fine (5) £600-£800 --- One of only two Territorial Force War Medals recorded as having been issued to the Hertfordshire Regiment. Cecil Frank Wightman served as Signalling Officer in the Hertfordshire Regiment, and later served as a Brigade Major on the Staff of 19th Division Head Quarters, landing in France in June 1916. His home address in 1921 was at The Old Palace, Royston, Herts. In civilian life he was a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Plarr’s Lives of the Fellows Online carries the following entry: ‘Born at Bungay, Suffolk, 7 January 1870, the fifth son of Henry Wightman, draper, and his wife, née Hambling. He was educated at the Grammar Schools at Bungay and Great Yarmouth, before proceeding to St Bartholomew's Hospital. From the Hospital he passed the final examination for FRCS at the age of 23. He filled the offices of house surgeon at the Scarborough Hospital, at the Chichester Infirmary, and at the Bolton Infirmary. In 1896 he entered into general practice in Leicester, but soon moved to Cornwall Gardens, London, where he practised as a consultant. Failing health led him to settle at Royston in 1902, where he entered into partnership with Dr C W Windsor, and retired in 1926 when his eyesight began to fail. He acted for many years as surgeon to the Royston Hospital, and was instrumental in getting it enlarged as the Royston and District Hospital. During the war he served with the Hertfordshire Regiment, and retired with the rank of major. He died unmarried at the Old Palace, Royston on 4 May 1937, and was buried at Therfield, Royston, Herts. He left £100 to St Dunstan's Home for the Blind. Dr Wightman did much for Royston. He was a good churchman, being Vicar's warden 1917-1929, was interested in the Boy Scout movement, and was the mainstay of the Social Club, where he was president for many years, until he resigned the position in 1933.’ Sold with a copy of his publication First Aid in Accidents, published jointly with Sir John Collie, London, 1912 (this in very distressed condition with covers and binding detached, contents good); two period photographs including the recipient, one being a group photo of a prize presentation, and the other as driver of a vintage motor vehicle; with additional copied press cuttings, including a photograph, and obituary. Walter Peter Westwood was the son of Mrs. Clara Westwood, of 43, Queen's Road, Royston, Hertfordshire, with his widowed mother remarrying Cecil Frank Wightman (see above). Westwood served in the ranks of the Suffolk Regiment as Colour Sergeant, but was commissioned prior to overseas service. He landed in France on 4 May 1917, and was killed in action on the 26 September 1917. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium.
Lot 295
A Great War D.S.O. group of six awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel J. C. Baines, Leicestershire Regiment Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., silver-gilt and enamel, with integral top riband bar; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 4 clasps, Laing’s Nek, Belfast, Orange Free State, South Africa 1901, unofficial rivets between second and third clasps (6775 Pte. J. C. Baines. I: Leic: Regt.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves (Lt. Col. J. C. Baines.); Territorial Force War Medal 1914-19 (Major J. C. Baines. Leic. R.); Territorial Decoration, G.V.R., silver and silver-gilt, hallmarks for London 1919, with integral top slip on brooch bar, mounted for wear; together with the related miniature awards, the D.S.O. in gold and enamel, these similarly mounted, and all housed in an ‘A. & N.C.S., London, fitted case; together with a small piece of shrapnel, this probably a memento of his being wounded, light contact marks, very fine and better (6) £1,400-£1,800 --- D.S.O. London Gazette 18 September 1918: ‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. This officer commanded the battalion during a week's fighting with great skill in difficult circumstances, having only joined it the day before. He was constantly in touch with them all, and kept the brigade well informed of the situation, besides filling up gaps with his reserve companies. On one occasion when the line was bent back he counter-attacked at once, restoring the situation. Owing to his close liaison with other units the relief of the brigade was much facilitated.’ John Cecil Baines was born at St. Peters, Leicester in 1876 and attested for the the Leicester Regiment on 26 January 1900, having previously served with the Regiment’s 1st Volunteer Battalion. He served with the 1st Battalion in South Africa during the Boer War and was discharged on his return on 30 May 1901. His service papers show entitlement to the clasps for Laing’s Nek and Belfast; however, the medal rolls for the 1st Volunteer Battalion the Leicester Regiment confirm entitlement to all four clasps. Baines is shown in the November 1914 Army List as a Captain in the 4th (T.F.) Battalion, Leicester Regiment, with seniority from 14 May 1909, and as Instructor of Musketry. He served with the 4th Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front from 22 February 1917, and was also sometime attached to the 2/5th Battalion, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment, and the 14th Battalion, Leicester Regiment. He was promoted acting Lieutenant-Colonel whilst commanding a Battalion on 12 April 1918, and was wounded by gun shot to his left leg. Awarded the Territorial Decoration in 1919 (London Gazette 19 August 1919), he died at Leicester on 26 January 1928.
Lot 348
Four: Private A. C. Lightwood, East Surrey Regiment British War and Victory Medals (1811 Pte. A. C. Lightwood. E. Surr. R.); Territorial Force War Medal 1914-19 (1811 Pte. A. C. Lightwood. E. Surr. R.); Territorial Force Efficiency Medal, G.V.R. (240313 Pte. A. C. Lightwood. 6/E. Surr. R.) mounted as worn in the incorrect order, light contact marks, good very fine (4) £220-£260 --- Archibald Charles Lightwood was born at Windsor, Berkshire in 1896. He served during the Great War with the 1/6th Battalion, East Surrey Regiment, and later in Aden attached to the Machine Gun Corps, and was awarded the T.F.E.M. per Army Order No. 148 of April 1920. He died at Staines, Surrey in 1973.
Lot 374
Three: Private C. C. Kettle, 25th (County of London) Battalion (Cyclists), London Regiment, later Middlesex Regiment, who died in India on 16 July 1918 British War and Victory Medals (267477 Pte. C. C. Kettle. Midd’x R.); Territorial Force War Medal 1914-19 (3134 Pte. C. C. Kettle. 25-Lond. R.) extremely fine (3) £180-£220 --- Clifford Charles Kettle served initially in 6th (Suffolk) Cyclists Company in 1913, and was transferred to 25th Battalion, London Regiment in December 1915. He disembarked at Bombay on 26 February 1916 and served with the Waziristan Field Force, before transferring to the 1/9th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment at Ambala on 5 November 1917. After serving with the Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force from November 1917 to July 1918, he died of pneumonia at the Wellington Barracks Hospital, Madras, India whilst on leave on 16 July 1918 and is buried in Wellington Garrison Cemetery.
Lot 396
Four: Colour Sergeant W. J. Davis, South Staffordshire Regiment Egypt and Sudan 1882-89, dated reverse, 2 clasps, The Nile 1884-85, Kirbekan (793 Pte. W. H. Davies [sic]. 1/S. Staff: R.); Army L.S. & G.C., V.R., 3rd issue, small letter reverse (2509. Cr: Sgt: W. J. Davis. S: Staff: R.); Meritorious Service Medal, G.V.R., 1st issue (C. Sjt. W. J. Davis. S. Staff. R.); Khedive's Star, dated 1882, unnamed as issued, contact marks and pitting to naming of first which has obscured much of the number and Regiment, otherwise good fine and better (4) £400-£500 --- William John Davis was born on the island of Corfu, Greece, in 1862. Following three years' service in the Dorset Militia, he attested for the 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot at Manchester on 14 September 1876 and was appointed Drummer. He served overseas in Malta and Egypt, and was present with the 1st Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment, when a British column under General Earle stormed the heights of Kirbekan and routed a strong Mahdist force. Appointed Colour Sergeant on 6 April 1887, Davis re-engaged for the South Staffordshire Regiment at Gibraltar on 18 July 1888 and served as drill instructor for a number of years until his discharge to pension in 1908. Awarded the M.S.M. under Army Order 242 of 1926, he died at Smethwick, Staffordshire, on 4 November 1932. Sold with copied research including two photographs of the recipient.
Lot 341
Three: Private I. Jackman, West Yorkshire Regiment, who was killed in action on the Western Front on 3 May 1917 British War and Victory Medals (40167 Pte. I. Jackman. W. York. R.); Territorial Force War Medal 1914-19 (40167 Pte. I. Jackman. W. York. R.) nearly extremely fine (3) £240-£280 --- Ingham Jackman attested for the West Yorkshire Regiment at Bradford and served with the 15th Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front. He was reported missing, presumed killed in action, on 3 May 1917. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, France.
Lot 267
A fine Great War ‘Western Front’ M.M. group of seven awarded to Sergeant F. Dunton, Bedfordshire Regiment, late Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment Military Medal, G.V.R. (3-8572 Pte. F. Dunton. 2/Bedf: R.); Queen's South Africa 1899-1902, 4 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Johannesburg, Diamond Hill (5831 Pte. F. Dunton. Derby: Regt.); King's South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (5831 Pte. F. Dunton. Notts: & Derby: Regt.); 1914-15 Star (3-8572 Sjt. F. Dunton. Bedf: R.); British War and Victory Medals (3-8572 Sjt. F. Dunton. Bedf. R.); Imperial Service Medal, G.VI.R., 1st issue (Frederick Dunton) the silver awards heavily toned, good very fine and better (7) £600-£800 --- M.M. London Gazette 21 January 1919. Frederick Dunton was born in the parish of Shefford, Bedfordshire, in 1878, and initially attested for the Grenadier Guards at Long Eaton on 9 February 1898. Transferred to the 1st Battalion of the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment six days later, Dunton was first sent to Malta for a year and thence to South Africa from 21 November 1899 to 7 September 1902. Attached to 21st Brigade, his Battalion soon developed a reputation for good work, notably during the many actions from 3 to 24 May 1900, and later at Doornkop on 29 May 1900, and Diamond Hill on 11/12 June 1900. However, his Army Service Record notes two weeks' incarceration not long thereafter, in consequence of 'setting the veldt on fire'. Discharged in February 1910 upon termination of his first period of engagement, Dunton returned home to Shefford and took employment as a postman. The outbreak of the Great War saw him return to service with the Colours, being posted to France on 12 August 1915 as Sergeant in the 7th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment. The following year this Battalion was heavily engaged during the Battle of the Somme, specifically the storming of the Pommiers Redoubt on 1 July 1916, the Battle of Bazentin, where the Division captured Trones Wood on 14 July 1916, and the Battle of Thiepval in September 1916. The latter engagement included the storming of Thiepval Village and the front face of the Schwaben Redoubt on 28/29 September 1916. Dunton was later commended by Major General R. P. Lee, Commanding 18th Division, for gallant conduct and devotion to duty in the Field on 5/6 August 1918, south of the Bray-Corbie Road. Decorated with the MIlitary Medal, he returned to employment with the post office and was awarded the Imperial Service Medal on 3 March 1939 as a postman based at the Harpenden Sub-Office, St. Albans. He died in St. Albans on 26 November 1946. Sold with the original hand-annotated card of commendation; three parchment certificates of character; and copied research.
Lot 243
A Great War ‘French theatre’ M.C. group of four awarded to Captain J. A. Mowat, 2/1st Hampshire Yeomany, attached 15th (Service) Battalion (2nd Portsmouth), Hampshire Regiment Military Cross, G.V.R.; British War and Victory Medals (Capt. J. A. Mowat.); Territorial Force War Medal 1914-19 (2. Lieut. J. A. Mowat. Hamps. R.) mounted for wear, generally good very fine (4) £800-£1,000 --- M.C. London Gazette 1 January 1918. John Alexander Mowat was born in Wick, Caithness in September 1887, and subsequently moved with his family to Southampton, Hampshire. He enlisted in the Hampshire Carabiniers at Winchester in February 1909, and advanced to Sergeant in October 1914. Mowat was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the 2/1st Hampshire Yeomanry in July 1916, and was attached for service with the 15th (Service) Battalion (2nd Portsmouth), Hampshire Regiment. He served with the latter in the French theatre of war from September 1916, and advanced to Temporary Captain. Mowat’s brother Second Lieutenant R. J. D. Mowat also served during the Great War with the Hampshire Yeomanry and was killed whilst attached to the M.G.C., 24 September 1918. Sold with a telegraph from recipient to his family address in Southampton, stating that he was ‘safe and well’, dated 5 July 1918; a photographic image of recipient in uniform, and copied service papers.
Lot 463
Three: Corporal R. W. Page, Royal Army Medical Corps 1914-15 Star (11941 Pte. R. W. Page, R.A.M.C.); British War and Victory Medals (11941 T.Cpl. R. W. Page. R.A.M.C.) good very fine Pair: Private V. H. Page, Essex Regiment British War and Victory Medals (29363 Pte. V. H. Page. Essex R.) good very fine British War Medal 1914-20 (27551 Pte. A. W. Page. Wilts. R.); Victory Medal 1914-19 (2) (404057. Cpl. G. F. Page. R.A.F.; 31693 Pte. J. H. Page. M.G.C.) generally very fine (8) £100-£140 --- Raymond Wesley Page was born in 1896 and served in the Balkan theatre of war from 18 October 1915. He is recorded as suffering from pleurisy in April 1916, and was sent to Mustapha to convalesce. Albert William Page was born in Dorking, Surrey, in 1899. He served with the 1st Battalion, Duke of Edinburgh’s (Wiltshire Regiment), and died on 28 August 1918. George Frank Page was born in 1884 and lived in Norwich. A cabinet maker by profession, he served with the Royal Flying Corps from 10 October 1916, and was later promoted Corporal Mechanic in the Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918. John Henry Page was born in Clitheroe around 1896 and served with the Machine Gun Corps in Salonika. Evacuated home suffering from malaria, his Army Service Record notes 14 days confined to barracks from 23 April 1918, in consequence of ‘destroying Government property i.e: chopping up a bed.’
Lot 473
Pair: R. H. Gent, Mercantile Marine British War and Mercantile Marine War Medals (Reginald H. Gent) very fine Pair: P. K. Williams, Mercantile Marine British War and Mercantile Marine War Medals (Penry K. Williams) edge bruise to BWM, contact marks, very fine (4) £70-£90 --- Reginald Hamilton Gent was born in Liverpool in 1856 and lived in Swansea. He served in the Mercantile Marine during the Great War. His son, Charles William Gent, he also served with the Mercantile Marine, was killed when S.S. Ilston was torpedoed by UB-23 and sunk on 30 June 1917. Penry Kieft Williams was born in Burry Port, Carmarthenshire in 1899 and served in the Mercantile Marine during the Great War. A duplicate BWM was issued to him in 1926.
Lot 480
Pair: Private A. E. Mathew, King Edward’s Horse British War and Victory Medals (1750 Pte. A. E. Mathew. K. Edw. H.) slight edge bruise and some staining to VM, otherwise very fine Pair: Private R. J. Miller, Devonshire Regiment British War and Victory Medals (37565 Pte. R. J. Miller. Devon. R.) very fine (4) £70-£90 --- Augustus Earle Mathew attested into King Edward’s Horse and served during the Great War in German South West Africa, before later service on the Western Front. Sold with a copy of his Statement of Disability, citing his residence as Dublin, and a King Edward’s Horse cap badge.
Lot 343
Five: Major A. Sissons, East Yorkshire Regiment British War and Victory Medals (Major A. Sissons.); Territorial Force War Medal 1914-19 (Major A. Sissons. E. York. R.); Territorial Decoration, G.V.R., silver and silver-gilt, hallmarks for London 1919, with integral top slip-on brooch bar; Special Constabulary Long Service Medal, G.V.R., 2nd issue (Alfred Sissons) mounted as worn and housed in a fitted leather case, good very fine (5) £360-£440 --- Alfred Sissons was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the 1st Volunteer Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment, on 10 October 1900. He was appointed Captain and Instructor of Musketry on 20 February 1908, and was appointed to be Captain in the 4th (Territorial) Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment on the establishment of the Territorial Force on 1 April 1908. Sissons served as Adjutant of his battalion from 25 September 1914, until seconded for duty with 25th Provisional Battalion on 15 August 1915 when he vacated his appointment as Adjutant. He served with the 4th Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front from July 1917, and was awarded the Territorial Decoration in 1919 (London Gazette 15 July 1919).
Lot 420
Three: Private C. F. Pearson, 1st Battalion, Hampshire Regiment, who was wounded in action at Le Cateau, 26 August 1914, and taken prisoner of war on the Western Front, 19 October 1914 1914 Star, with copy clasp (7537 Pte C. F. Pearson. 1/Hamps: R.); British War and Victory Medals (7537 Pte. C. F. Pearson. Hamps. R.) with related mounted miniature awards, generally good very fine (3) £140-£180 --- Charles Frederick Pearson was born in Fareham, Hampshire, and attested for the Hampshire Regiment at Winchester in November 1905. He was discharged in January 1912, only to re-engage for service at the outbreak of the Great War. Pearson served during the Great War with the 1st Battalion, Hampshire Regiment on the Western Front from 23 August 1914. He was wounded in action at Le Cateau, 26 August 1914, and listed as ‘Missing in Action’, 19 October 1914. Pearson was later confirmed as a prisoner of war, was interned in Germany and subsequently transferred to Switzerland. Sold with the following original documents: Soldier’s Small Book; letter from the Infantry Record Office informing recipient’s family that he has been wounded in action, dated 21 September 1914; and copied service papers.
Lot 448
Three: Lieutenant O. Huddleston, Chinese Labour Corps, late West Yorkshire Regiment, who commanded dozens of Chinese labourers in the crucial work of returning the battlefields of the Western Front to a habitable and relatively safe environment, post-Armistice 1914-15 Star (11754 Pte. O. Huddleston. W. York: R.); British War and Victory Medals (2. Lieut. O. Huddleston.) extremely fine (3) £140-£180 --- Oswald Huddleston was born in Flamborough, Yorkshire, on 13 August 1891. He attested for the West Yorkshire Regiment at Harrogate on 31 August 1914, and served in the Mediterranean theatre from 7 September 1915 to 1 July 1916, and France from 2 July 1916 to 27 July 1917. Appointed to a commission with the 3rd Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment in November 1917, his service was temporarily put on hold when he suffered a bayonet wound to the thumb whilst 'going through a hedge' on exercises at Romford. This necessitated an operation involving bone removal from the terminal phalanx on 7 February 1918. Recovered, he returned to France and was appointed to the 162nd Chinese Labour Corps on 11 April 1919. Today, very little is published regarding the Chinese Labour Corps. The story of the largest and longest-serving non-European labour contingent in the war has largely been passed over, indeed the Chinese labourers have been referred to in the British press as 'the forgotten of the forgotten.' In total, 94,146 Chinese labourers served in the Corps as a non-combatant part of the British Army, engaged during hostilities in the building and repairing of docks, railways and airfields, the loading and unloading of supplies and munitions, vehicle repair, and - once the conflict was over - battlefield clearance. According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, they had a reputation 'for hard work, ingenuity and improvisation.' Deployed in the important work of clearing live ordnance and exhuming bodies from battlefield burials and moving them to the new war cemeteries, the life of British Officers assigned to the Chinese Labour Corps of 1919 was challenging and almost as perilous as during the war. According to author Michael Summerskill in China of the Western Front, many of its officer cadre consisted of missionaries and sinologues. However, for the remainder, the language barrier and lack of knowledge regarding Chinese customs proved a real hindrance to the effectiveness of their units. Nearly 2,000 Chinese labourers died from the Spanish flu and accidents involving heavy machinery, booby-traps, poison gas shells and live grenades. Today, many of these brave men rest in the Chinese Cemetery at Noyelles-sur-Mer on the Somme, which bears a poignant inscription at its entrance chosen by Shi Zhaoji, Chinese Ambassador to Great Britain: 'These are my friends and colleagues whose merits are incomparable.' Sold with an attractive Birmingham 1920 hallmarked silver and yellow metal shield watch-fob, privately engraved to reverse ‘H.P.C.C.C. O. Huddleston. 1920.’
Lot 742
The historically important Great War Victory Medal awarded to Colonel T. Sinclair, Army Medical Service, who personally conducted the first post-mortem examination of Baron Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen in a hanger of No. 3 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, just hours after he was extricated from the wreckage of his red triplane, near Corbie, on 21 April 1918 Having analysed the pathway of a single .303 bullet through the Baron’s torso using a rudimentary piece of wire, it was Sinclair’s report which gave considerable weight to the argument that the fatal shot came from a trailing aircraft, rather than the ground - thus, the Canadian Pilot, Captain A. R. Brown, was officially credited with the ‘kill’ shortly after receiving a Bar to his D.S.C. Victory Medal 1914-19, with copy M.I.D. oak leaves (Col. T. Sinclair.) mounted on contemporary wearing pin, better than very fine £500-£700 --- ‘Copy extracts from A. H. File No. 21/13/506 In the Field 22nd April 1918. We have made a surface examination of Captain Baron von Richthofen and find there are only the entrance and exit wounds of one rifle bullet on the trunk. The entrance wound is on the right side about the level of the ninth-rib, which is fractured, just in front of the posterior axillary line. The bullet appears to have passed obliquely backwards through the chest striking the spinal column, from which it glanced in a forward direction and issued on the left side of the chest, at a level about two inches higher than its entrance on the right and about in the anterior axillary line. There was also a compound fracture of the lower jaw on the left side, apparently not caused by a missile – and also some minor bruises of the head and face. The body was not opened – these facts were ascertained by probing from the surface wounds.’ Thomas Sinclair, Colonel AMS, Consulting Surgeon IV Army, B.E.F. Thomas Sinclair was born in Belfast in 1858. Credited by the Ballymena Weekly Telegraph as ‘one of the most outstanding Ulstermen of his generation’, Sinclair graduated with distinction from the Royal University of Ireland and became Professor of Surgery at Queen’s University in 1886. Appointed surgeon to the Royal Victoria Hospital and consulting surgeon to the Ulster Hospital for Children, the Forster Green Hospital, and the County Antrim Infirmary, Sinclair spent the next thirty years training a generation of medical students in the art of surgery - indeed, under his tutelage, the Belfast School of Modern Surgery came to be regarded as one of the most advanced in the British Isles. Volunteering for active service at the outbreak of hostilities, Sinclair served as Colonel in Egypt from 15 November 1915, before being transferred to the Western Front as Consulting Surgeon to the Fourth Army, which at that time was commanded by that other distinguished Ulsterman, Lord Rawlinson. Decorated with the C.B., ‘in recognition of work well and faithfully done on various fighting fronts’, Sinclair was further Mentioned in Despatches on 4 January 1917 whilst serving as Consultant. However, quite by accident and pure circumstance, it was from Headquarters on a sunny spring day in 1918 that Sinclair received the order to proceed immediately to a small hangar at Poulainville aerodrome on the Somme; awaiting his inspection lay the body of one of the most dangerous foes of the Great War. Controversy remains to this day as to who exactly fired the fatal shot which killed the Red Baron. During the autopsy it was noted that Sinclair used a piece of wire, rumoured to be fence wire, to track the path of the bullet, rather than a more appropriate smooth and rounded apparatus. Such a crude improvisation laid open the opportunity for error and inaccuracy, but it is widely accepted that this first report remains the most important piece of evidence to this day which addresses the circumstances of death and factual wounds, more-so given that the infamous red Fokker Dr.I. 425/17 triplane was scavenged within hours for souvenirs. Sinclair’s conclusions however, remain contested, especially following recent analysis of the path of the machine gun bullets fired from the trenches by Sergeant Cedric Popkin of the 24th M.G.C., 1st Australian Imperial Force. Elected to the Ulster Senate representing Queen’s in 1921, Sinclair was later honoured as Founder of the Modern Ulster School of Surgery and is remembered via a large and impressive oil portrait by George Harcourt, R.A., which hangs to this day in the Great Hall of Queen’s University, Belfast. His acceptance speech was particularly humbling: ‘What a sustaining and consoling thought it is to me that so many warm friends consider that I have not altogether lived in vain, but have been enabled in some degree to alleviate or assuage the heavy burden of human suffering throughout the years.’ Sinclair died of illness on 5 November 1940.
Lot 366
Three: Corporal C. W. Whincup, 11th (County of London) Battalion (Finsbury Rifles), London Regiment, later Royal Garrison Artillery and Royal Air Force British War and Victory Medals (318148 Cpl. C. W. Whincup. R.A.); Territorial Force War Medal 1914-19 (639 A.Cpl. C. W. Whincup. 11-Lond. R.) mounted as worn, lightly polished and some staining to VM, contact marks and edge bruising, therefore good fine (3) £180-£220 --- Charles William Whincup was born in Westminster, London on 7 January 1892. He served initially as a Private in the 11th (1st Finsbury Rifles) Battalion, London Regiment (T.F.) from 10 February 1909 to 10 February 1913, before transferring to the Royal Garrison Artillery (T.F.) as Signaller, from 3 March 1913 to 3 August 1914, and when mobilised served in the R.G.A. from 4 August 1914 to 5 February 1919. He subsequently enlisted in the Royal Air Force on 18 July 1921, describing his trade as photographer, and residing at 12 Wemyss Road, Blackheath London. He served in Iraq with the Royal Air Force from 1921 to 1922 with 84 Squadron. He transferred to the R.A.F. Reserve in 1927 and then emigrated to Australia where his address was 86 Livingstone St., Ivanhoe, Melbourne, Australia.
Lot 505
Pair: Corporal P. W. Moyses, Army Service Corps British War and Victory Medals (S-33885 Cpl. P. W. Moyses. A.S.C.) very fine Pair: Private H. J. B. Whittingham, Royal Air Force, late Royal Flying Corps British War and Victory Medals (63444. Pte.1. H. J. B. Whittingham. R.A.F.) good very fine 1914-15 Star (1744 A-Bmbr. F. Coates, R.F.A.); British War Medal 1914-20 (51123 Spr. W. H. Rotherham. R.E.); Victory Medal 1914-19 (3658 Pte. J. Slater. L.N. Lan. R.) generally very fine (lot) £80-£100 --- Horace John Bertram Whittingham was born in Dudley, Worcestershire, in 1884. A master tailor, he joined the Royal Flying Corps as Air Mechanic 2nd Class on 1 March 1917, and was transferred to the newly-created Royal Air Force as Private 1st Class on 1 April 1918. He served in France from 3 May 1918, spending the majority of his time in the clothing stores at Courban. Sold with a British Red Cross Society Medal, with top riband bar ‘Proficiency in Red Cross Nursing’ (25593 G. Whitham); a British Red Cross Society Medal, with top riband bar ‘Proficiency in Red Cross First Aid’ (27627 G. L. Whitham); two Silver War Badges, officially numbered ‘C30333’ and ‘B306971’, the second lacking pin catch; two Great War period brass cap badges to the Royal Engineers and Royal Artillery, the second heavily worn; a Primrose League sweetheart brooch, black bakelite; a Bevin Boy Veteran lapel badge, gilt and enamel, in box of issue; a small ‘V’ for Victory badge; and a Freedom of the City of London Certificate to ‘Raymond Wesley Page, Citizen and Spectacle Maker of London’, dated 10 May 1927, in red transmission envelope; together with a pair of contemporary metal-rimmed spectacles, in leather case marked ‘P.A.’, the whole contained in card box of issue by the ‘General Optical Co., 120 Clerkenwell Road, London, E.C.1.’ Raymond Wesley Page invented the military spectacle.
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