Tom Whittaker’s purple & red Football Association 1925 Tour of Australia cap, embroidered F.A., ENGLAND, AUSTRALIA, 1925. This was the first-ever F.A. Tour of Australia and took place between 7th May and 3rd August. England won all 25 matches scoring 138 goals and conceding just 13. However, the tour proved disastrous for Arsenal’s Tom Whittaker who sustained a career-ending injury when he broke a knee cap. Through his injury Whittaker developed an interest in physiotherapy and fitness training which he implemented as first team trainer at Highbury under Herbert Chapman and played a vital role in the successes achieved at Highbury. Whittaker was also a trainer to the England team and became Arsenal manager in 1947. The club won two Championships and a F.A. Cup under his leadership before his untiemely death from a heart attacked in 1956 aged 58.
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Jimmy Nelson’s Scotland international cap from the ‘Wembley Wizards’ match v England season 1927-28, inscribed S V E, 1927-28. James Nelson was born in Greenock 7th January 1901 but grew up in Belfast. The uncompromising right-back who joined Cardiff City from Belfast Crusaders in 1921 was a member of the Bluebirds legendary 1927 F.A. Cup winning team. The press had some fun with this at the time describing Nelson as a Scot who came from Ireland to win an English Cup winner’s medal for a Welsh club. He also won four Scotland international caps including the present example awarded for the Wembley Wizard’s famous 5-1 victory over England in 1928. Nelson later played for Newcastle United where he won a second Cup winner’s medal in 1932.
A Channel Islands silver twin handled loving cup makers mark Pierre Amiraux (Jersey circa 1750 - 1760), with flared lip and scroll handles, the body with raised girdle and coat of arms for the Labey family of Jersey, set on a circular stepped foot, the base with makers mark struck once and the initials TLB, weight 7.5oz 5.5in (14cm) high. * The initials TLB refer to Thomas Labey who was related to the maker Pierre Amiraux by marriage. Both Thomas and Pierre served in the East Regiment of The Jersey Militia around the time of The Battle of Jersey and French Invasion. Thomas Labey once held the office of Constable of Grouville. The Labey family crest shows the correct shading for colours.
Jakob Bogdani (Hungarian 1660-1724) An Albatross, ducks, jay and wildfowl in a garden setting oil on canvas 39 x 47.5in (99 x 121cm). * Provenance - This picture has been in the ownership of the same family for several generations. It hung in the family house at Gore Court in the village of Ortham which is on the eastern border of Maidstone. The Kirkwood family sold Gore Court in the 1990's and then the picture was moved to Newbridge House in Bath. * Jacob Bogdani was born in a town called Eperjes in Hungary. Little is known about his early life before moving to London, where he became a respected artist. He was painting in Amsterdam in his early 20s. The Netherlands region had a strong tradition of attracting artists from around Europe. Whilst in Holland, Bogdani received tuition and worked with the German artist Ernest Stuven (1660-1712 ). Still Life painting was very popular at this time and Bogdani is known to have painted works depicting fruit and flowers during this period. Bogdani moved to London circa 1688 to join fellow Hungarian artists working in the capital. There is a record of him being contracted to decorate a room at Hampton Court in conjunction with master woodcarver Grinling Gibbons, for The King and Queen Mary. Queen Anne later became a patron of Bogdani as well as The Duke of Malborough's younger brother Admiral George Churchill, who at that time owned The Lodge in the little park at Windsor. The Admiral collected many species of exotic birds during his various campaigns around the world. The Lodge became well known as the finest privately owned aviary in Great Britain. Bogdani is known to have painted a number of canvases of the birds within this garden setting and the Admiral purchased many of these detailed and outstanding works of art. Other patrons who commissioned and purchased similar paintings of birds within the park include The Duke of Devonshire, Edward Harley, The 2nd Earl of Oxford and Sir Robert Walpole. During this time Jacob Bogdani established himself as the finest and most highly respected bird artist of his time. Very few of his works remain in private ownership, seldom appearing on the open market. * Collections: The British Royal Collection at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, The National Gallery of Hungary, Budapest and The Yale Centre for British Art, New Haven.
Macnab Clan Chief dirk circa 1780/90, with engraved silver mounted carved wooden lattice grip over a silver mounted panel engraved one side with two figures in Highland dress, the other bearing the Macnab Clan Crest, the engraved silver mounted leather bound wooden scabbard housing the knife and fork, 53.5cm total length.. Note: The dirk is said to have been the property of the Macnab Clan Chief who died in 1816 leaving many debts, most of his family then moved to Canada taking the dirk with them and one of the Macnabs became Prime Minister of Canada. Blanche Hilary Dell, who worked for estate agents Gosling & Milner in Surrey gave the dirk to Lesley Gosling and it passed to his son who was the vendor's best man at his wedding. Blanche had moved from the Canadian/American border during the first part of the 20th century as a spinster, bringing the dirk with her, it is believed that her mother was a Macnab. The dirk has been taken to James Charles Macnab, 23rd Chief of the Macnabs in Scotland. He has confirmed that it is a Macnab dirk and royal. He has written letters to the vendor (copies included). In summary, James C. Macnab states his opinion that the engraved head on the dirk is a Macnab crest which is substantiated by others knowledgeable in heraldry. Further, the 'open' crown engraved beneath the Neishes head signifies that the person instructing the engraving was considered a chief and the dating of the dirk suggests that this would be Francis 16th Chief (1734-1816). The dirk is considered to be the one pictured in the portrait of The Macnab by Sir Henry Raeburn, that hangs in the Kelvingrove Gallery and is the property of Diageo.
Viewing for this lot by appointment only a Massive Oak and Walnut Schrank, the boldly projecting cornice and frieze centred by a carved tableau of the judgement of Solomon, over two shaped and cushion-moulded doors, each centred by an oval wreath surmounted by a bishop's mitre/crown, within spandrels carved with Old Testament scenes and textual references (including the Book of Judith), between pilasters carved with tiered figures allegorical of the seven Liberal Arts and two others, the base with two cushion-moulded drawers between plinths carved with figures, all on massive turned feet. Northern Germany, probably Hamburg, late 17th/early 18th century, 292 cm by 118cm by 263cm See illustration for a similar schrank attributed to Hamburg in the Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbe, see Kreisel, Die Kunst des Deutschen Mobels (ed. 1985), pl. 505. bears a printed label on the back: from STREET & SON ANTIQUE FURNITURE WAREHOUSE, BREWER STREET, GOLDEN SQUARE, LONDON. street & Son are recorded at the Brewer Street address in Pigot’s Directory for 1839. They are described as dealers in “old oak carvings” in a letter form William Burn to O. Tyndall Bruce, 4th May 1842 (V&A files, with thanks to Katy Hay who kindly looked out these entries). also on the back, handwritten direction to: the Earl of Dunraven, Adare, Limerick. per Joshua Carrol care of Mr Mullock Ship Agent at Limerick See illustration
frederick E. Valter (1850-1930) "Highland Cattle and Sheep, Glencoe" signed and dated "1923", also inscribed with the title, the artist's name and his exhibition dates on the mount below, pencil and watercolour, 41.5cm by 63cm the artist was a Birmingham landscape painter who specialised in animals, mainly cattle and sheep, the brother of Henry V. Valter. He exhibited at Suffolk Street but mainly at the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists.
attributed to Augustus Osborne Lamplough (1877-1930) "Desert Mirage"; “Early Morning, Gizeh" bears signatures, also inscribed with the titles within the images, together with further titles, the artist's name and his exhibition details on the mounts below, pencil and watercolour, each 23.5cm by 60.5cm (a pair) The works also bear some similarity to Harry Stanton Lynton (fl.1886-1904) who also specialised in desert scenes and Middle Eastern subjects, often depicting scenes on the Nile, Bedouins by oasis's and scenes near Cairo. The work varies in quality but at its best could be mistaken for Augustus Osborne Lamplough.
mrs Benjamin Hoadly (neé Sarah Curtis) (fl.1692-1742/43) Portrait of John Graham, Viscount Dundee, son of William Graham of Claverhouse, born 1650, three quarter length, wearing period costume, his horse and groom standing nearby signed, also extensively inscribed on an old label verso, oil on canvas, 61cm by 51cm sarah Curtis was a professional portrait painter and was a pupil of Mrs Beale (d.1699). She died circa 11th January 1742/43. She was the first wife of Benjamin Hoadly who had become Bishop of Winchester before she died. After marriage she only painted family and friends, a portrait of the Bishop by her is in the National Portrait Gallery. See illustration
(Rev) Arthur Benjamin Bateman (1883-1970) Still Life of Roses in a Vase signed and dated "87" (1887), oil on canvas, 41cm by 31cm the artist studied at Nottingham School of Art. He specialised in landscapes, portraits, genre as well as still life and was quite a versatile artist who exhibited prolifically in London, Manchester and other provincial art galleries and museums
william Arthur Howgate (c.1884-1906) Coastal Scene at Low Tide with Fishing Boats in the Foreground signed, oil on canvas, 40cm by 65.5cm the artist is often confused with his father William Howgate (1837-1906), who was a chimney sweep in Leeds before setting up as a Fine Art Dealer. The son, however, also lived in Leeds and appears to have exhibited locally.
SCOTTISH ARTS & CRAFTS OAK FOUR POSTER BED the canopy carved with Gothic tracery and with rosette and flowerhead motifs above a plain head board with material covering, the front supports spirally moulded and imbricated with flowerheads, shields and acorn motifs, joined by a shaped triple panel foot board corresponding to the canopy 164cm wide, 242 high, 211cm long Provenance; Findynate House, Strathtay, Perthshire Note; Findynate House was built in 1876 but in 1909 the house was extensively remodelled inside and out by the architect Francis William Deas. The woodwork was fitted out by Messrs Scott Morton & Co and it is assumed that at this time also many of the fittings included in this auction were purchased, possibly though Scott Morton & Co. or perhaps through Whytock & Reid in Edinburgh, as several Whytock and Reid pieces were discovered in the house. Deas' client Miss Janet McEwan was perhaps influenced in her choice of fittings by her cousin Robert Finnie McEwan whose house Bardrochat in Ayrshire had. just been completed by Sir Robert Lorimer. The stylistic nature of the metal fireplace fittings featured here do suggest the influence or the hand of Lorimer who regularly worked closely with Scott Morton and Whytock and Reid.
WHYTOCK & REID, EDINBURGH WALNUT SIDE CHAIR with single splat back and drop in seat raised on cabriole legs; and a chequer-inlaid side chair (2) Provenance; Findynate House, Strathtay, Perthshire Note; Findynate House was built in 1876 but in 1909 the house was extensively remodelled inside and out by the architect Francis William Deas. The woodwork was fitted out by Messrs Scott Morton & Co and it is assumed that at this time also many of the fittings included in this auction were purchased, possibly though Scott Morton & Co. or perhaps through Whytock & Reid in Edinburgh, as several Whytock and Reid pieces were discovered in the house. Deas' client Miss Janet McEwan was perhaps influenced in her choice of fittings by her cousin Robert Finnie McEwan whose house Bardrochat in Ayrshire had just been completed by Sir Robert Lorimer. The stylistic nature of the metal fireplace fittings featured here do suggest the influence or the hand of Lorimer who regularly worked closely with Scott Morton and Whytock and Reid.
SIR ROBERT LORIMER (STYLE OF) PAIR OF ARTS & CRAFTS STEEL COMPANION SETS each with poker, coal nippers and ash shover, supported on a stand with hoop handle and shaped spreading base (2) 59cm high Provenance; Findynate House, Strathtay, Perthshire Note; Findynate House was built in 1876 but in 1909 the house was extensively remodelled inside and out by the architect Francis William Deas. The woodwork was fitted out by Messrs Scott Morton & Co and it is assumed that at this time also many of the fittings included in this auction were purchased, possibly though Scott Morton & Co. or perhaps through Whytock & Reid in Edinburgh, as several Whytock and Reid pieces were discovered in the house. Deas' client Miss Janet McEwan was perhaps influenced in her choice of fittings by her cousin Robert Finnie McEwan whose house Bardrochat in Ayrshire had just been completed by Sir Robert Lorimer. The stylistic nature of the metal fireplace fittings featured here do suggest the influence or the hand of Lorimer who regularly worked closely with Scott Morton and Whytock and Reid.
J Paynter, British, 18/19th century- "H.M.S Royal Sovereign"; watercolour, bodycolour, pen and brown ink, signed and titled, 35.5x50cm, in a maple frame, Note: J Paynter, served on H.M.S Sovereign, according to label attached verso. H.M.S Sovereign was a First Rate ship of the line of 1,883 tons (1786-1844) which served with distinction at the Battle of Trafalgar. Sovereign was commanded by Admiral Collingwood, Nelson's second in command, who led the second of Nelson's two columns which pierced the French line. In doing so, the Sovereign was first into action at Trafalgar. Just minutes from opening fire, HMS Royal Sovereign, carrying the flag of Vice-Admiral Lord Cuthbert Collingwood, approaches the Franco-Spanish line at Trafalgar, prior to breaking through and delivering a devastating broadside into the black-painted Santa Ana. Royal Sovereign had already taken terrible punishment as it had approached the enemy line.
After Raja Ravi Varma, Indian 1848-1906- "Shri Laxmi"; published Jain Picture Publishers, Bombay and Delhi, chromolithograph, 49.5x34.8cm: together with five other chromolithographs entitled, Lord Vinayagar, Shri Datt, Shri Shiv Panchaytan no 16, Jai Durga Maa 408 and Shri Ram Rajya no 4, (6) (part unframed) Note: Raja Ravi Varma 1848-1906 , Indian Painter who achieved recognition for his depiction of scenes from the poetry of the Mahabharata and Ramayana His paintings are among the best examples of the fusion of Indian traditions with the techniques of European academic art. He is generally considered to be among the greatest painters in Indian art.
A well engineered 4 inch scale model of a Garratt 7 nhp Agricultural Traction engine 'St Eligius’, built by Mr John Norman of South Wales to Bill Newcome drawings with Newcome and Whitehead castings, single cylinder, two speed multi purpose engine. The traction engine has a steel Franklin and Bell boiler with fittings including two water sight gauges, pressure gauge, safety valve, blower, clack and blowdown valves. Engine details include single cylinder approximately 2 3/4in bore x 4in stroke, drain cocks, ratchet mechanical lubricator, eccentric driven feed pump and bypass, two road speeds, 17 inch spoked flywheel, whistle, speed governor, chassis details include steel spoked and straked wheels with detachable rubber road tyres, worm and roller chain steering, damper, cable drum, fairlead, hand brake, polished wooden footboard. The model is finished in blue lined and black paintwork. Length 72in, width 30in, height 45in. Boiler History: Franklin Bell Steel Boiler No FB 198 . Passed boiler history and Certificate of Hydraulic test Certificate No 101110. Test pressure 180 psi Working pressure 120psi. Signed by K Morris Boiler Inspector City of Newport Model Engineers Society. Expiry Date 18th of August 2008. Steam test No 102166 Expiry Date 27th July 2008. This traction engine is based on the original agricultural engines built through out the early part of the 20th century by Garratt of Leiston in Suffolk a company founded in 1778 and who introduced traction engine building to their factory in 1857. The last Garrett traction engines were built in 1931 and would have been similar in design to this model. This model is the sister engine to the one sold in our last Bristol auction
A large 19th Century album of etchings and engravings, by the likes of Arthur John Strutt and Jacob George Strutt, views of Rome by Acquaroni, Parboni and Ruga, and many others, (Parcel) the album was most probably put together by Mr Robert Jones, the vendor’s predecessor who was an acquaintance of Strutt’s. See lot 277
Edward Bawden, (1903-1989), A set of artist proof linocuts for Malory’s ‘Morte d’Arthur’, the title page signed and inscribed in pencil ‘To Ivor Herring, artist’s proofs, Edward Bawden’, comprising plates 1-65 each numbered in pencil, also three of the heads of Arthur, Lancelot and Galahad, and the title page, each sheet 23.5 x 32cm. Twelve of these sets were produced for the Fine Art Society in 1981, and sold for £950 each at this time. This set was given by the artist to his friend Ivor Herring who was the vendor’s father.
A 19th Century album of watercolours and other pictures, mostly of Italy, to include works by Arthur John Strutt, (1819-1888), Jean Antoine Simeon Fort, (1793-1861), Jules Coignet, E. Giorgetti and others. The album was most probably put together by Mr Robert Jones, who was an acquaintance of Strutt’s. Some of Strutt’s etchings in the lot 257 are dedicated to Jones by the artist, in pencil verso.
D H LAWRENCE: THE MAN WHO DIED, ill John Farleigh, 1935, 4to, orig cl bkd bds, contents loose + CHRISTOPHER SANDFORD (ED): COCKALORUM ------ BEING A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE GOLDEN COCKEREL PRESS, [1949], 1st edn, orig cl, d/w + B L WARDE: THE NATURE OF THE BOOK, 1930, 1st edn, orig decor bds + J H MASON: PRINTING CONSIDERED AS AN INDUSTRIAL ART, 1949, 1st edn, orig cl (4)
A LITTLE CHAT ABOUT THE 1ST (CITY OF NORWICH) BATTEN NORFOLK VOLUNTEERS AFFILIATED TO THE CENTRAL ASSOCIATION VOLUNTEER TRAINING CORPS, [1915], with recruiting forms intact, orig ptd wraps, scarce, + NORWICH ROLL OF HONOUR OF CITIZENS WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-19, Norwich, 1924, 1st edn, orig wraps, (2)
Highland Park John Goodwin-35 year-old The Golden Age. Bottled October 1997 in honour of John McLeod Goodwin who joined Highland Distilleries in 1962 as Company Secretary, was appointed Chairman in 1988 and retired on 31st December 1997. In original cardboard tube. Single malt, cask strength 1 bottle
A SELECTION OF ORIGINAL LETTERS SIGNED BY W.D.M. 'KARAMOJO' BELL TO LOUIS WEYERS (GRANDSON OF GEN. SMUTS), a collection of eleven hand-written letters signed by W.D.M. 'Karamojo' Bell, the first dated 3rd July 1952 and the last 8th June 1954, sent from his Scottish address, they show the developing friendship between the two hunters and Bell discusses various expeditions he had taken together with the performance of differing types of round against the elephants he was so famous for pursuing, the later correspondence records that Weyers had planned to visit Bell in Scotland but as the last letter from Bell's widow records, Bell had passed away before this could take place, several of the letters have had the signatures cut out (this was done by Weyers who pasted them into copies of Bell's books that he had in his library). (12)
John Evelyn's copy of Anthoine de Vuauconsains. Ville de Citte Universitte de Paris, circa 1616, an engraved map of Paris, 68cm by 68cm. Note: John Evelyn visited Paris during the Civil War continuing on a Grand Tour where he stayed with the Earl of Arundel who had been Captain General in the army of Charles I.
Graham Browne, Two portraits of Jack Cox, both oils on artist's board, together with an oil on artist's board by Jack Cox, depicting fishing boats at dusk, signed, 41cm x 51cm, unframed. *This lot and the following pictures by Jack Cox have been consigned by a descendent of Graham Browne, who was a fellow artist and friend of the well known fisherman and artist.
dick (P.K.) Martian Time-Slip, 1976 1st UK ed., dw.; idem, Puttering About in a Small Land, 1985, 1st ed., dw.; idem, Gather Yourselves Together, 1994, 1st ed., dw.; idem, The Man Whose Teeth Were Exactly Alike, 1984, 1st ed., dw.; idem, Ubik, 1970, 1st UK ed.; dw.; idem, The Simulacra, 1977, 1st UK ed., (ex-lib), dw.; idem, The Man Who Japed, 1978, 1st UK ed., dw.; idem, Cosmogony and Cosmology, 1987, numbered 1st ed., card wraps. (8)
s.S. Titanic in Memoriam, William Edward Hipkins, n.d., illus. commemorative book. Hipkins was a Birmingham engineer, MD of W & T. Avery, and governor of Birmingham University who died in the Titanic disaster (1st class passenger). Includes account of the sinking and illus. of the ship. 45 single sided pages, a.e.g., padded mor.
Six: Private H. Neville, King’s Royal Rifle Corps ashanti Star 1896, unnamed as issued; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 4 clasps, Tugela Heights, Relief of Ladysmith, Transvaal, Laing’s Nek (5711 Pte., K.R.R.C.); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps (5711 Pte., K.R.R.C.); 1914-15 Star (3362 Pte., K.R. Rif. C.); British War and Victory Medals (3352 Pte., K.R. Rif. C.) worn and better, scarce combination to regiment (5) £380-420 Captain W. S. Kays commanded 25 men of the 3rd Battalion King’s Royal Rifle Corps, who formed part of the 5th Company of the 250 man strong Special Service Corps who served in the Ashanti Campaign of 1896. Private Neville confirmed as member of that detachment. Sold with copied extracts relating to the K.R.R.C. in that campaign. £380-£420
Three: Captain F. Walton, M.M., King’s Royal Rifle Corps, who was killed in action at the battle of Flers, 15 September 1916 queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 2 clasps, Orange Free State, South Africa 1902 (2538 Corpl., K.R.R.C.); 1914 Star, with copy clasp (2538 C.S. Mjr., 2/K.R. Rif. C.); British War Medal 1914-20 (Capt.); together with an erased Victory Medal 1914-19, M.I.D. oak leaf; ‘The J. H. Steward Jewel’ 1911, rev. inscribed, ‘South Eastern District Rifle Association won by Col. Sgt. Walton’, 35 x 33mm., 15ct. gold; Queen Victoria’s Cup Medallion, rev. inscribed, ‘2nd King’s Royal Rifles, Col. Sergt. F. Walton’, 54mm., silver; Henry Whitehead Cup Medallion, rev. inscribed, ‘1st Cheshire Regt. The Henry Whitehead Cup (Cavalry & Infantry) 1913, Col. Sergeant F. Walton, 2nd King’s Royal Rifles’, 44mm., silver, some scratches to Q.S.A., otherwise nearly extremely fine (lot) £300-360 Frederick Walton was born in Hunslet, Leeds, Yorkshire. A Fitter by occupation, he attested for the King’s Royal Rifle Corps on 9 January 1900, aged 18 years, 3 months. Posted to the 4th Battalion, he served with the regiment in South Africa, December 1901-December 1902. Then with the 2nd Battalion he served in India, December 1902-February 1910. At the beginning of the Great War he was a Company Sergeant-Major, and went to the France/Flanders theatre of war on 12 August 1914. For gallant conduct he was mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 17 September 1914), was awarded the Military Medal (London Gazette 22 January 1917) and given a commission in the regiment in April 1915. Serving with the 5th Battalion, he was wounded, suffering a gunshot wound to the back, on 26 May 1915, during the battle of Ypres. returning home, he was for some time an Instructor in Musketry with the 5th battalion at Sheerness. From there he joined the 18th Battalion in March 1916, to which battalion he was appointed Adjutant on 30 March. As a Captain with the 18th battalion he was killed in action at the battle of Flers, 15 September 1916, aged 34 years. He was buried in the Serre Road Cemetery, No.2. He was the eldest son of William H. and Fanny Walton of Beeston Hill, Leeds and husband of Marion Walton of 18A High Street, Godalming. Sold with about 78 copied sheets of service and related papers, together with a quantity of other research including copied photographs. Also with cap badge and riband bar. £300-£360
A Great War ‘Western Front’ D.S.O. group of six awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel G. K. Priaulx, 11th Battalion King’s Royal Rifle Corps, who, having been seriously wounded in 1914 and in 1915, was killed in action leading his battalion, 24 March 1918 distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., silver-gilt and enamel, complete with top bar; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 5 clasps, Cape Colony, Tugela Heights, Relief of Ladysmith, Transvaal, Laing’s Nek (Capt. K.R.R.C.); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps (Capt., K.R.R.C.); 1914 Star with clasp (Capt., K.R. Rif. C.); British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf (Lt. Col.), mounted on pad for display; Memorial Plaque (George Kendall Priaulx), in card envelope, Q.S.A. and K.S.A. with contact marks, very fine; others extremely fine (7) £2400-2800 d.S.O. London Gazette 18 June 1917. ‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when in command of his battalion. With the utmost confidence and determination he fought his battalion through the village, overcoming all obstacles and gaining his objectives. He set a magnificent example throughout’. m.I.D. London Gazette 10 September 1901, 23 June 1902; 21 December 1917. george Kendall Priaulx was born on 15 September 1877 and educated at Harrow and Sandhurst. He was commissioned into the 60th Rifles on 22 February 1898 and promoted to Lieutenant on 21 October 1899 and Captain on 22 January 1902. Serving in the Boer War, he was present at the relief of Ladysmith, the battles of Colenso, Spion Kop, Tugela Heights and Laing’s Nek. After peace was declared he served with the 2nd Battalion K.R.R.C. in India. With the onset of the Great War, he went to France in August 1914 and was dangerously wounded during the battle of the Marne in September 1914. Recovering, he returned to France, and in command of the 2nd Battalion he was again severely wounded at the battle of Loos in September 1915. In 1916, he was in command of the 11th Battalion, which captured the village of Metz and he was present at the operations near Langemarck, CrevecÏur and Cambrai. He was killed in action on 24 March 1918, aged 40 years, at Voyennes in the St. Quentin offensive, being first shot through the shoulder and then killed by a shell. Having no known grave, his name is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial. a Staff Officer at the H.Q. 18th Corps wrote, ‘On March 24th, 1918, when we were particularly hard pressed, his Battalion was making a very plucky stand at Voyennes, near St. Quentin; he was hit throught the shoulder and a few minutes later was killed by a shell. I need hardly tell you what a tremendous loss he was to the Division. His Battalion loved him and would have followed him anywhere. A splendid C.O. .... he did not seem to know what fear was’. sold with copied research and copied photographs. £2400-£2800
A Great War ‘Western Front’ M.M. group of four awarded to Second Lieutenant W. H. Benbow, King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, attached Royal Berkshire Regiment, late King’s Royal Rifle Corps, who was killed in action, 23 August 1918 military Medal, G.V.R. (Y-964 Sjt., 1/K.R.R.C.); 1914-15 Star (Y964 Pte. (A. Sjt.), K.R. Rif. C.); British War and Victory Medals (2 Lieut.); Memorial Plaque (Walter Harold Benbow), this in card envelope, nearly extremely fine (5) £800-1000 M.M. London Gazette 17 April 1917. walter Harold Benbow was born in Brueton, Somerset, on 10 February 1889 and educated at King Edward’s Grammar School, Camp Hill, Birmingham. A Clerk by occupation, he attested for service on 27 August 1914. With the 1st Battalion King’s Royal Rifle Corps he served with the B.E.F. in France, 3 August 1915-12 March 1916. Suffering a gun-shot wound to the chest on 7 March 1916, he was evacuated to England and remained there until 15 August 1916. He returned to further service in France, 16 August 1916-31 May 1917 and was awarded the M.M. for bravery in the field during 10/11 March 1917 which resulted in the capture of the Grevillers Trench Line and capture of Bailleul Village. After attaining the rank of Company Quartermaster Sergeant with the K.R.R.C. he was commissioned into the 7th Battalion King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. Returning once more to France, and attached to the 7th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment, he was killed in action on 23 August 1918, aged 29 years. He was buried in the Bienvillers Military Cemetery. He was the son of Mr H. Stewart Benbow of ‘Chadshunt’, Lyttleton Road, Stechford, Birmingham. Sold with a quantity of copied service papers and other research. £800-£1000
Six: Corporal D. A. Read, Royal Corps of Signals, who served in the Raiding Support Regiment 1944-45 1939-45 Star; Africa Star, clasp, 8th Army; Italy Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf; together with his wartime embroidered parachute wings and related badges (4), among them a cast Badge of the Greek Sacred Legion, the whole contained in a glazed display frame, generally good very fine (11) £300-350 douglas Arnold Read was born in Alverstoke, Hampshire in April 1920 and enlisted in the Royal Corps of Signals at Newport, Isle of Wight, in October 1937, direct from brief service as a Private in the Queen’s Royal Regiment. As verified by accompanying documentation, he served in the B.E.F. from September 1939 until being evacuated in June 1940, and went out to the Middle East in June 1942, in which theatre of war he appears to have been actively employed until the end of hostilities. indeed it is clear from his original Soldier’s Service and Pay Book that he was a qualified parachutist and a member of ‘Raiding Forces’, most probably as a Wireless Operator - he completed No. 1 4 Parachute Course in April 1944, was awarded his ‘operational wings, left breast’ in February 1945, and was further entitled to wear the ‘Badge of the Greek Sacred Regiment’. The same source also confirms that he won a ‘mention’ in June 1945. most probably, therefore, he joined the Raiding Support Regiment (R.S.R.) soon after it was established at the end of 1943, a call for parachute volunteers for ‘duties of a hazardous nature’ gaining around 3,000 applicants from 60 differents regiments and corps. Over the coming months, its members assisted a number of clandestine units in operations in Albania, Greece, Italy and Yugoslavia - in Greece alone its men destroyed 17 bridges, blew up six roads, wrecked hundred of metres of railway line on 18 different occasions, shot up or derailed five trains, blew up five petrol / ammunition dumps, knocked out 150 vehicles, destroyed a dam and killed around 300 of the enemy. read’s entitlement to wear the Badge of the Greek Sacred Regiment, a sister unit, is not without interest, for the R.S.R’s ‘Foxforce’ became embroiled in the Greek Civil War 1944-45, the British losing 250 troops in five weeks of bitter fighting against E.L.A.S. Discharged to the Army Reserve in the rank of Corporal in June 1946, he was serving as an Acting Warrant Officer in the 5th (Cadet) Battalion, Suffolk Regiment in the mid-1950s. sold with a quantity of original documentation, including the recipient’s Soldier’s Service and Pay Book, Regular Army Certificate of Service, a sketch book, a wartime field message form, with pencilled statement in a foreign language (‘If liable to be intercepted or to fall into enemy hands, this message must be sent in cipher ... ‘), and a calendar booklet for 1941-42, which includes a list of officers Read was appointed to train in Morse and wireless operation, suggesting perhaps even earlier participation in clandestine operations. £300-£350
Six: Private C. W. E. Morris, South Staffordshire Regiment, who is believed to have served at Arnhem 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals; Efficiency Medal, G.VI.R., 1st issue, Territorial (5382094 Pte., S. Stafford R.), together with a pair of embroidered Airborne ‘Wings’, the last an official but later impressed issue, generally good very fine (6) £80-100 The 2nd (Airborne) Battalion, South Staffordshires formed part of the 1st Air-Landing Brigade at Arnhem. £80-£100
Seven: Private J. Harrison, Parachute Regiment and Army Air Corps, late Cameronians, a member of one of ‘Lonsdale’s Force’ who evaded capture at Arnhem in September 1944 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals; General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Palestine 1945-48 (3246747 Pte., A.A.C.); Efficiency Medal, G.VI.R., 2nd issue, Territorial (3246747 Pte., Para.), very fine and better (7) £1200-1500 John ‘Jock’ Harrison, originally from Glasgow, enlisted in the Cameronians aged 17 years and, after training on Bofors and anti-tank weapons, served in North Africa, including the actions at ‘Knightsbridge’ and Tobruk. He then volunteered for the 11th Battalion, Parachute Regiment, forming in Palestine, and fought at Arnhem in September 1944, when he was among those to make their escape over the Rhine - his Battalion had been surrounded at Den Brink and reduced to 150 all ranks, following which the second-in-command, Major R. T. H. ‘Dickie’ Lonsdale, D.S.O., M.C. withdrew them to Oosterbeek church, where he told them they must ‘stand or fall, and fight to the last round’. And so they did, just a handful from ‘Lonsdale’s Force’ eventually making it over the Rhine on the 25th - an accompanying obituary from the Leicestershire Branch of the Parachute Association states that Harrison was saved by ‘a Geordie woman, Mary Baer, the wife of a Dutchman’, through whose terraced house he made his escape as the net closed. £1200-£1500
Four: Warrant Officer Class 2 H. Arnold, Army Air Corps and Parachute Regiment, whose determined leadership of 3 Para’s Anti-Tank Platoon in the Radfan operations led to the capture of an important ridge, thereafter known as ‘Arnold’s Spur’: he was, in the words of one ex-Para, ‘the finest R.S.M. the Parachute Regiment ever had ... a legend that none will surpass in the annals of the Regiment’ War Medal 1939-45; General Service 1918-62, 3 clasps, Palestine 1945-48, Near East, Cyprus (14458239 Sjt., A.A.C.); General Service 1962, 1 clasp, Radfan (22813442 W.O. Cl. 2, Para.); Army L.S. & G.C., E.II.R., Regular Army (22813442 W.O. Cl. 2, Para.), mounted court-style as worn, polished, otherwise generally very fine or better (4) £1800-2200 herbert ‘Nobby’ Arnold was born into a family of ten in April 1927, left school at the age of 11, and did odd jobs ranging from baker to truck driver. Enlisting in the Army in 1945, aged 18 years, he served with the Army Air Corps in Palestine before returning to civilian life to compete as a professional boxer. Two years later he rejoined the Colours with an appointment in the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment, and served in the Canal Zone in the early 1950s, followed by Cyprus and Suez. a strict disciplinarian, he went on to serve as a Drill and Weapons Instructor at the R.M.A. Sandhurst, but he returned to regular regimental duty as a C.S.M. in time for the Radfan operations. No doubt spurred on by news of the decapitation of two members of 22 S.A.S., who had originally set out to find a potential D.Z. for 3 Para., he first went into action in late May 1964, when given command of the Anti-Tank Platoon. The Red Devils, by G. G. Norton, takes up the story: ‘When the advance was continued on the evening of the 19th a forward patrol had a brush with a group of seven rebels and surprise was now lost. They covered a further 10,000 yards up onto the Hajib escarpment, and half the ridge was now in their hands. The advance on the 20th was led by the Anti-Tank Platoon under the forceful Company Sergeant-Major ‘Nobby’ Arnold. They surprised a party of 12 dissidents and captured three of them with their arms - the first time this had been achieved in the campaign so far. In recognition of his leadership the ridge was promptly named ‘Arnold’s Spur’. ‘ But to those who knew the C.S.M., such an achievement was a right of passage, for by then he had gained a reputation that was second to none - one regimental website carries a mass of individual tributes from ex-Paras: ‘Did he really think there was crude oil in the ground, when he had soldiers in Palestine dig for crude oil on the spots where the trucks had been leaking? Did he really think the Regimental Mascot, the pony ‘Pegasus’, was being insubordinate when it relieved itself on the parade ground? Were the regimental flags really ‘refusing to soldier’ when they wound themselves around the flag poles and did not fly? Or was he giving us all a lesson on military discipline and humour at the same time?’ ‘Nobby’ Arnold, who also gained fame for placing his pace-stick under close arrest, died at Worthing in July 2001: his funeral was attended by over 300 people, among them Field Marshal Sir Roland Gibbs and his old Radfan C.O., General Sir Anthony Farrar-Hockley - a legend indeed. an excellent photograph of R.S.M. Arnold in full uniform wearing his four medals appears in the book, On The Word of Command. £1800-£2200
Four: Corporal G. Furlong, Parachute Regiment, late Royal Artillery and Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, who was wounded in the drop at El Gamil Airfield during Operation Musketeer korea 1950-53 (22039245 Gnr., R.A.); U.N. Medal; Africa General Service 1902-56, 1 clasp, Kenya (22039245 Pte., R.N.F.), initials ‘G. F.’; General Service 1918-62, 2 clasps, Cyprus, Near East (22039245 Cpl., Para.), generally good very fine (4) £800-1000 the following obituary, which includes a photograph was published in the Pegasus journal, 1991: ‘Gerry Furlong died in April 1991 aged 61 years after a long illness. Gerry was called up for his National Service in 1948 and served with the Royal Artillery in B.A.O.R. He signed on for a further two years and saw service in Korea with the U.N. Commonwealth Division. He was demobbed in 1952 and after various jobs in civy street, he enlisted into the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers in 1953. He served with the Fusiliers in Kenya and took part in the operations against the Mau Mau. in 1954 Gerry transferred into the Parachute Regiment and was posted to the Third Battalion from 1954 until he was forced to leave the army in 1963, due to a back injury. Gerry was a well known J.N.C.O. in the battalion who was respected by everyone who came into contact with him. During his time in the battalion Gerry served in Cyprus in 1956 and was wounded in the drop at El Gamil Airfield and after a spell in hospital in Malta he rejoined the battalion in the U.K...’ Operation Musketeer the most recent, and to date, the last combat drop by the Paras, took place at Suez, when they joined French forces to protect the shipping canal after Egypt's President Nasser ‘nationalised' the international waterway. In November 1956, Lt Col Paul Crook, commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment, was told to prepare his Cyprus based unit for an operation. But with the 'run-down' of airborne forces after the war, equipment was in short supply. the plan, jointly agreed with French military commanders, called for 3 Para to parachute into a 'hot DZ' - held by the enemy - where they expected to face a fierce battle against 2,000 Egyptian troops, who were supported by armour. Operation Musketeer would need the element of total surprise if it was to succeed, and all 660 men had to be on the ground at El Gamil airfield and ready for action within four and a half minutes. Aircraft were covered in a coat of 'Gentian violet', a blue coloured medication, in a bid to camouflage them against the bright rays of the rising sun. In addition the airstrip at El Gamil was very narrow and the drop height had to be restricted to 700ft or less, in order to avoid soldiers being swept off the DZ by crosswinds. a further move which was not popular with the Battalion, was the decision not to wear reserve parachutes, due to the fact that they would not have the chance to use them at such low level. The Brigade had hardly enough aircraft for a single battalion lift. The Hastings and Valettas were unable to carry heavy equipment and at that time, the new Beverley transporters were not yet available. At 04.15 hours on November 5, 1956, 3 Para jumped in and although opposition was heavy, casualties were few. The unit medical officer, Lt Sandy Cavanagh, was shot in the eye as he descended to the DZ, as well as a dozen other injuries sustained on the ground. the Egyptians had been supplied with Soviet weapons and on the second day a Russian Mig fighter strafed the Paras, causing two casualties. It was a 'one-off incident, regarded as a show of strength by the Red Air Force against world opinion. A sergeant, who was one of the first out of the door at Suez, still remembers his concern for the unexpected 'We were nervous, nobody really knew what to expect, but as soon as we left the aircraft, they started firing at us . . . The airfield was covered with oil drums to stop aircraft landing and once we had cleared it, we made our way to Port Said. There was quite a bit of fighting and we took a few injuries, but nothing to shout about'. at Port Said, 2 Para came ashore, but within a week a ceasefire had been announced and the regiment pulled out, heading back to Cyprus. World opinion had forced Britain and France to withdraw their forces. £800-£1000
Six: Staff Sergeant J. P. Jones, Parachute Regiment, late Royal Marines, who won a ‘mention’ with 3 Commando Brigade in Malaya in 1952 naval General Service 1915-62, 2 clasps, Malaya, Near East, M.I.D. oak leaf (RM. 8119 A./Sgt., R.M.); General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Cyprus (23542136 Pte., Para.); U.N. Medal, UNFICYP riband; General Service 1962, 1 clasp, South Arabia (23542136 S. Sgt., Para.); Coronation 1953; Army L.S. & G.C., E.II.R., Regular Army (23542136 S. Sgt., Para.), mounted court-style as worn, together with a set of related miniature dress medals, very fine and better and rare (6) £800-1000 John Patrick Jones, who was born in Sutton, Surrey in September 1930, was awarded his mention in despatches ‘for gallant and distinguished service with 3 Commando Brigade, Royal Marines in Malaya during the period 1 January to 30 June 1952’ (London Gazette 21 October 1952 refers), most probably as a member of 42 Commando. Having then attended the Coronation Day parade in 1953, he participated in ‘Operation Musketeer’ in the Near East in 1956 and transferred to the Parachute Regiment towards the end of the decade. Thereafter, he witnessed further active service in Cyprus 1958-59 and in South Arabia in the 1960s, in addition to a tour of duty in the former country under the the auspices of the U.N. £800-£1000
A Second World War D-Day operations M.M. group of five awarded to Private R. J. Brennan, 7th Parachute Battalion, Army Air Corps, who landed behind enemy lines on the night of 6 June 1944 military Medal, G.VI.R. (4462955 Pte. R. J. Brennan, A.A.C.), an official replacement with attempted erasure of the ‘R.’; 1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals, together with a Parachute Regiment badge, good very fine or better (6) £600-800 m.M. London Gazette 31 August 1944. The original recommendation states: ‘Private Brennan was one of the parachute troops who landed behind the German lines on 6 June 1944. His battalion was in continual action for 21 hours. Throughout this time, Private Brennan’s courage and cheerfulness were an inspiration to his comrades and made an important contribution to the success of this unit.’ Ronald James Brennan, a native of Darlington, is listed among those members of his battalion who were wounded in the period leading up to 5 August 1944 (W.O. 171/1239 refers). the 5th Parachute Brigade, a glider-borne force which included the 7th Parachute Battalion, was charged with seizing the crossings over the River Orne and the canal at Benouville and Ranville, in addition to clearing landing zones north of Ranville for the arrival of reinforcements later on D-Day. Famously, of course, the capture of the former objective was carried out by six platoons of the 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Regiment, commanded by Major R. J. Howard, but it should be added that it was the 7th Parachute Battalion who arrived on the scene a little later, in order to help secure the area. of the fate of Brennan’s original M.M., and his replacement award, the following extract from a Northern Ireland Branch S.S.A.F.A. newsletter is not without interest: ‘At a simple ceremony in the Northern Ireland War memorial Building on Thursday, 8 January 1987, Mr. Ronald I. Brennan, M.M., was re-presented with the decoration awarded to him for gallantry in Normandy in 1944 ... an Englishman who has been living in Northern Ireland for some years, he served in the 7th (Light Infantry) Battalion, the Parachure Regiment in North-West Europe 1944-45. The original medal was presented by the then General Montgomery at an investiture in the field in 1944 ... After the War, during the course of his travels as an entertainer, Mr. Brennan lost his Military Medal, and it was not until S.S.A.F.A. came to his assistance on another matter, that Mrs. Grace Herbert, the Secretary for Northern Ireland District, heard the story and applied to the Army Medal Office for a replacement.’ £600-£800
Five: Major W. L. Forbes, Royal Fusiliers and Imperial Light Horse, who was severely wounded at Elandslaagte afghanistan 1878-80, 1 clasp, Kandahar (2nd Lieut., 2/7th Foot); India General Service 1854-95, 2 clasps, Burma 1885-7, Burma 1887-89 (Lieut., 2d Bn. R. Fus.); Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 4 clasps, Cape Colony, Elandslaagte, Orange Free State, Transvaal (Capt., R. of O.); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (Capt., R. of O.); Coronation 1911, privately engraved, ‘Major W. L. Forbes, Gold Staff Officer, Westminster Abbey’, edge brusing, generally very fine or better and a rare combination of awards £1600-1800 william Lachlan Forbes was born in Aberdeenshire in August 1859, the son of General Sir John Forbes, G.C.B., and was educated at Clifton and the R.M.C. Sandhurst. Originally commissioned in the 106th Foot, he transferred to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Foot in March 1879, and quickly saw action at the defence of Kandahar and in the battle of September 1880, when he served as Orderly Officer to Colonel Daubeny. advanced to Lieutenant in July 1881, he next witnessed active service as an Assistant to the Brigade Commissariat Officer in the Burma operations of 1886-87, and received advancement to Captain in July of the latter year. Having then been placed on half-pay, he served as Adjutant of the 1st (Volunteer) Battalion, Gordon Highlanders 1890-96 and was transferred to the Reserve of Officers in 1898. but with the outbreak of hostilties in South Africa, he gained appointment as a Lieutenant in the Imperial Light Horse, and was severely wounded at Elandslaagte. Thereafter, he was employed in the Remount Service, and was granted the rank of Major on being placed back on the Reserve of Officers. Onetime a J.P. for Aberdeenshire, Forbes died in the 1930s. £1600-£1800
A most unusual Spanish War 1898, Boer War and Great War group of five awarded to Major S. Norton-Taylor, 10th Canadian Infantry, late 1st Florida Infantry and Imperial Light Horse queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 5 clasps, Cape Colony, Elandslaagte, Defence of Ladysmith, Orange Free State, Transvaal (Lieut., I.L.H.); 1914-15 Star (Lieut., 10/Can. Inf.); British War and Victory Medals (Major); U.S.A., Spanish War Service Medal 1898, the edge officially numbered ‘30475’, generally good very fine and rare (5) £1200-1500 seymour Norton-Taylor, who was born at Bovey Tracey, Devon in November 1878, first saw active service as a Private in ‘C’ Company, 1st Regiment of Florida Infantry in the Spanish War of 1898, having enlisted in that corps at Tampa, Florida that May. Discharged at Tallahassee at the end of the same year, he next travelled to South Africa, where he enlisted in the 1/Imperial Light Horse and was present at Elandslaagte and the defence of Ladysmith, and participated in later operations after being commissioned in the 2nd Battalion. having then made his way to Canada where he worked as a rancher, Norton-Taylor volunteered for the Overseas Expeditionary Force at Valcartier, Quebec in August 1914 and was quickly commissioned as a Lieutenant in the 10th Battalion Canadian Infantry. Embarked for England in the following month, and thence for France, he was wounded by shrapnel in his right hand on 13 March 1915, and evacuated to the U.K. rejoining his unit in the Field as a Temporary Captain a month or two later, he was seriously wounded by an explosion in his dugout at Ploegsteert on 23 October 1915: ‘During the month of October 1915, Private Clutterbuck found a nose-cap of a shell. He took it into the dugout, where he accidentally dropped it. An explosion followed with the result that Captain Norton-Taylor, who was in the dugout, was severely wounded in the legs and Private Clutterbuck was also severely wounded - he afterwards died as a result of his injuries’ (an official witness statement refers). rushed to a Casualty Clearing Station at Bailleul, and thence to the Red Cross Hospital at Le Touquet, both of Norton-Taylor’s legs were amputated below the knee, but, after gangrene set in, it was necessary to amputate the right leg above the knee. Yet the latter still caused problems by the time he was strong enough to be transferred to a hospital in the U.K., and a further ‘shortening operation’ took place in December 1916. Indeed Norton-Taylor did not return to duty until May 1917, having by then mastered the use of his artificial limbs, and was seconded to the Adjutant-General’s Branch as, appropriately enough, a Hospital Representative. He was honourably discharged as a Major in October 1919, and, given his terrible wounds, lived to a ripe old age, dying at Westgate, Kent in December 1963; sold with a quantity of research. £1200-£1500
A Great War ‘Western Front’ D.C.M. awarded to Serjeant R. Dooley, Royal Field Artillery, awarded for an action near St. Quentin, 21 March 1918 distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R. (L-10081 Sjt., A.149/Bde. R.F.A.) very fine £500-600 D.C.M. London Gazette 3 September 1918. ‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when the enemy reached the gun positions he immediately organised a party with rifles and covered the withdrawal of the detachments. He himself covering the withdrawal of his party. Later, he went out by himself on a flank and held up the enemy, enabling some officers and men who had been cut off to withdraw to safety’. 21 March 1918 was the first day of the great German offensive ‘Operation Michael’ the main weight of the attack was between Arras and a few miles South of St Quentin. The new German infiltration (‘Hutier’) tactics meant that small groups of infantry using bombs and machine guns avoided Allied strong points and continued to press forward wherever there was an opportunity. Serjeant Dooley earned his D.C.M. for his gallantry in this very confusing and dangerous situation. £500-£600
Three: Second Lieutenant G. H. Merrikin, 2nd Battalion London Regiment, who was killed in action, 27 August 1918 1914-15 Star (42178 Pte., R.A.M.C.), surname spelt ‘Merriken’; British War and Victory Medals (2 Lieut.) extremely fine (3) £300-350 George Holden Merrikin was born in the Parish of St Mary, Louth, Lincolnshire in 1882. His Father was a Church of England Rector and his Mother was Frances Merrikin. He was educated privately at Bedford House School, Bedford and then at Oxford University where he obtained his B.A. in 1901 and M.A. in 1904. Following Oxford he went to the Ely Theological College where he qualified as a Clerk in Holy Orders. After being ordained he became Chaplain at Wellingborough School, then Curate at Dulwich College and finally the Preceptor of Bristol Cathedral. on 19 October 1914, aged 32 years and 240 days, he enlisted at Deptford into the R.A.M.C. as a Private. At the time of his enlistment he was living at The Chantry, Westbourne, Emsworth Hampshire. As a Private he served for 92 days in England and then two years six days in France. On 5 March 1917 he returned to England and was posted first to 5 T.R.B. in St Albans and then E Company, R.A.M.C. Blackpool. At this time he applied for an appointment as a Chaplain but this was refused and on 17 December 1917 he was commissioned into the 1/2nd London Regiment. At that time the 1/2nd London Regiment as part of 169 Brigade 56th Division were reorganising after the 1st Battle of Arras and in April 1918 2nd Lieutenant G H Merrikin joined as reinforcement with seven other 2nd Lieutenants. by 25 August the Battalion were committed to the 2nd Battle of Arras. The ‘Regimental History of the 2nd City of London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers)’ describes the death of George Holden Merrikin on the afternoon of 27 August 1918 - ‘The 1/2nd Londons were ordered to establish posts in Fooley Trench opposite their front. With this object two platoons each from ‘A’, ‘C’ and ‘D’ Companies formed up outside the uncut and very thick wire of Summit Trench and, at 2.45 am on the 27th, made a stealth attack on Fooley Trench. The trench was still occupied by the enemy in strength and heavy machine gun fire from it as well as from the Hindenburg Line and from the direction of Croisilles held up the attackers. A section of ‘A’ Company under Sgt Ayton succeeded in getting within measurable distance of its objective, but in its gallant effort was wiped out to a man. Although the line of Fooley Trench was not made good, a number of posts were firmly established in advance of Summit Trench.’ The Battalion suffered in all 43 casualties and many of the wounded were lying in No Mans Land. The Regimental History records that - ‘2nd Lieut Merrikin at once volunteered to take out a party to bring them in and, while gallantly carrying out this task, was killed by machine-gun fire.’ Aged 40 at the time of his death, he was buried in Summit Trench Cemetery, Croisilles - near the site of Summit Trench. He was the husband of Mrs Norah Louise Merrikin then living at 42 Herberton Road, West Southbourne Bournemouth, Hampshire. Sold with original Officers’ Relatives War Report, copied service papers, m.i.c., and modern photograph of his grave. £300-£350
Pair: Lieutenant R. V. Manford, Royal Field Artillery, who was killed in action, 8 August 1918 1914-15 Star (2 Lieut., R.F.A.); Victory Medal 1914-19 (Lieut.) extremely fine (2) £80-100 Reginald Valentine Manford was born in Welshpool, Montgomeryshire on 14 February 1892. Educated at Welshpool Grammar School, and then became the Private Secretary to the Earl of Powis at Powis Castle. On 2 March 1914 he joined ‘B’ Company Montgomeryshire Yeomanry as 2080 Private R.V. Manford. On 21 May 1914 he was promoted Lance-Corporal Artificer in the Motor Cycle Section and on 5 August 1914 was embodied into ‘D’ Company and was later promoted Sergeant. on 22 February 1915, having served 358 days in uniform, he was commissioned into the Royal Field Artillery (Chester Brigade). He entered the France/Flanders theatre of war on 21 November 1915. On 8 August 1918 as a Lieutenant serving with 59 Battery, R.F.A. in the 18th Army Brigade, 1st British Army, he was killed in action, aged 26 years. He was buried in Ribemont Communal Cemetery Extension, Somme. He was the son of Mr and Mrs S. Manford of Springbank, Welshpool. Sold with copied service papers. £80-£100
Pair: Second Lieutenant D. A. G. Cook, Royal Highlanders, who was awarded the Military Cross british War and Victory Medals (2 Lieut.) nearly very fine (2) £180-220 M.C. London Gazette 8 March 1919. ‘For conspicuous gallantry and leadership of a platoon throughout the operations east of Ypres from 28th September to 27th October 1918. When the battalion was ordered to fill a gap in the line east of St. Louis on the night of 22nd-23rd October, he and his platoon were responsible for gaining touch on the left. He also gained some valuable information as to posts held by the enemy’. david Archibald George Cook was commissioned on 24 April 1918 and promoted to Lieutenant on 24 October 1919. £180-£220
Pair: Captain K. S. Howard, Sherwood Foresters, who was killed in action, 6 October 1918 british War and Victory Medals (Capt.) nearly extremely fine (2) £160-200 Kenneth Salway Howard was born in Bushbury, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire on14 December 1879. He was educated at Gorsebrook House, Bushbury; Wolverhampton Grammar School, Haverford West and Durham University. After leaving University he became an Assistant Master at the Royal School, Armagh, Northern Ireland and then a Superintendent of the Irish Intermediate Education Board. in August 1914 he was serving in camp at Kempton Park, Sunbury as a Private in ‘A’ Company of the 79th Public Schools Battalion, 16th Middlesex Regiment. With the onset of war he volunteered for the Army and on 19 August 1914 applied for a commission. He was attested on 5 September 1914 and continued to serve in the Public Schools Battalion. On 17 May 1915 he was commissioned into the 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion of the Royal Sherwood Foresters. he served at home until 1 September 1918 when he joined the 1st Battalion Sherwood Foresters in France. On the night of 6/7 October during the 2nd Battle of Arras, the Germans launched a counter attack on the Rouvroy Fresnes Line at Oppi. In a fierce fight the counter attack was repulsed but Captain Kenneth Salway Howard was killed. He was buried in Roclincourt Military Cemetery. Sold with copied service papers, m.i.c., a modern photograph of his grave and other research. £160-£200
Pair: Lieutenant R. H. Lelievre, Royal Air Force, who was killed in an Air Crash on 30 August 1918 british War and Victory Medals (Lieut.) nearly extremely fine (2) £120-150 Roger Horace Lelievre was born in Ottawa on 25 April 1896. He enlisted in Quebec on 20 November 1914 and arrived in England on 29 May 1915. On 2 February 1916 when serving with the Canadian Infantry, he was wounded. He transferred to the Royal Flying Corps on 17 November 1917 and was promoted to Lieutenant on 25 May 1918. As a pilot based at 41 Training Depot Station, he was killed in an air crash at Hounslow on 30 August 1918. He was buried in Heston (St. Leonards) Churchyard, Middlesex. He had served in the 22nd, 26th, 69th, 10th and 23rd (Reserve) Battalions of the Canadian Army and No.34 Squadron and 3 Wing R.A.F. £120-£150
A British War Medal awarded to Second Lieutenant J. A. Chrystie, Royal Scots Fusiliers, who was captured and killed, 28 October 1914 british War Medal 1914-20 (2 Lieut. J. A. Chrystie) nearly extremely fine £80-100 James Alexander Chrystie was born on 30 May 1888 and lived at 18 South Crescent, Ardrossan, Scotland. His parents were James Brown and Elma Eliva Chrystie. He was educated at the Ardrossan Academy and Glasgow University. He was a member of the Ardrossan School Cadet Corps, which was affiliated to the 1st Volunteer Battalion Royal Garrison Artillery. In 1907 he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the 1st V. B. Royal Garrison Artillery and was promoted to Captain in 1908. On 19 November 1913 he was commissioned as a Special Reserve Officer in the 3rd Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers. By September 1914 he had passed the Matriculation Examination to gain entry to Glasgow University and was in his fifth year of Medical Training. He was immediately ‘called up’ and was attached to the 2nd Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers. the 2nd Battalion had returned from Gibraltar in 1914 and were quickly sent to Flanders in October 1914 to join the ‘Contemptible Little Army’. They were part of 21 Brigade, 7th Division and took a major part in the heroic defence of Gheluvelt during the First Battle of Ypres. At this battle, ‘The 2nd RSF were reduced to a mere handful of men commanded by a subaltern, but held their place in the Line’. During this period Lieutenant Chrystie came to notice by utilizing his medical skills to bandage wounded soldiers. His Adjutant, later wrote, ‘This skill saved many lives’. at 6am on 28 October 1914 Lieutenant Chrystie was sent out in command of a patrol to make contact with the battalion on their right flank near Gorndvoorde, 5 miles East of Ypres. He returned from this patrol and at 9am set out again with a second patrol with the same mission. In the patrol, Privates Hill and Douglas acted as ‘Point’ followed by Lieutenant Chrystie. Following Chrystie were Corporal Richardson and three other soldiers of the 2nd Battalion including Private Harman. As they moved forward they met and joined with, a patrol of a corporal and three soldiers from the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. suddenly, according to Private Hardman, they ‘got into a trap’ and Lieutenant Chrystie, the two soldiers on ‘point’ and the four soldiers from the Royal Warwickshire Regiment were taken prisoner. Private Hardman hid in a ruined church but saw that Lieutenant Chrystie was unwounded but standing up with his revolver in his hand. He then saw Chrystie and the six soldiers being marched away as prisoners. on their return to the Battalion, Corporal Richardson and Privates Elliot and Hardman reported the incident to Sergeant J. McBain and their Company Commander, Captain J. C. Whigram. Captain Whigram initially thought that James Chrystie had either ‘been hit’ or had become separated from his patrol and had stayed with the Household Cavalry who were in the area. He did however send out a patrol to look for Lieutenant Chrystie and his soldiers, but this was unsuccessful. On 30 October 1914 Chrystie was officially reported as ‘Missing 28th October 10am while on patrol taken prisoner unwounded with 6 men’. the parents of Lieutenant Chrystie then made strenuous efforts to discover the whereabouts of their son. His Mother first met Captain Whigram in London, then his Father, Mr James Brown Chrystie, who was now Provost of Ardrossan, met Captain Whigram in Greenock. Captain Whigram consistently stated that when he interviewed the remaining soldiers of Christie's patrol, they all said that Chrystie had been unwounded when he was captured. Provost Chrystie then contacted Sergeant McBain who wrote that Private Elliot had no doubt that Chrystie was captured without being wounded and was standing untouched in any way. Provost Chrystie then interviewed Private Hardman, who had subsequently been wounded, who also confirmed that Mr Chrystie was unwounded and had been made a prisoner with the six other soldiers. The Army then officially interviewed Private Hardman and on 7 March 1915 a Captain Stanton wrote to Provost Chrystie confirming that the evidence all pointed to the conclusion that Mr Chrystie was unwounded when he had been marched away as a prisoner. On 5 August 1915 Provost Christie wrote to the Military Secretary asking for information as to whether his son was a prisoner of war or killed. The American Authorities in Berlin passed this request to the German Government who on 30 September 1915 sent a ‘Note Verbale’ which stated that at the beginning of March 1915 while deepening the bed of the road from Tenbrieler to Zandvoosde, the body of an English soldier had been found by a working party. The body had been reburied due west of the road, but apart from an identification disc - ‘Chrystie J.A. 21 Pres. RSF’ nothing further was found on the body. On 14 December 1915, Provost Chrystie was informed by the War Office that as the identity disc of his son had been forwarded by the German Government through the American Embassy ‘the death of 2/Lieut. Chrystie has now been accepted for official purposes as having occurred on or since 30th October 1914, the date he was reported missing’. james Alexander Christie's body was not recovered and his name is on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial. His name is also on the Ardrossan Academy Roll of Honour that is sited in the Assembly Hall, and is on the Roll of Honour of Glasgow University and the Town War Memorial of Ardrossan. Sold with copied papers and other research. £80-£100
A British War Medal awarded to Second Lieutenant C. V. Holder, King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, late London Regiment, who was killed in action at Delville Wood, 24 August 1916 british War Medal 1914-20 (2 Lieut. C. V. Holder) good very fine £40-50 Charles Vincent Holder was born on 29 May 1885 at Cornwall House, Lavender Hill, London. On leaving school he went to the Royal Academy to study painting and after qualifying became a professional artist. With the onset of war he volunteered for the Army on 8 August 1914, joining the 1st Battalion London Regiment. As a Private he entered the France/Flanders theatre of war on 6 January 1915. With them he saw action at the battle of L'Epinette, the defence of Ypres and the actions at Hooge and the Menin Road. On 25 October 1915 Private Holder returned to England to be commissioned, and on 1 November became a 2nd Lieutenant in the 9th Battalion Kings Shropshire Light Infantry. After training, he returned to France and was posted to the 5th (Service) Battalion Kings Shropshire Light Infantry. as part of the Somme offensive, South African forces in the face of bitter opposition had captured Delville Wood suffering 766 dead. The Wood was however not totally cleared and in August 1916, 42 Brigade, 14 (Light) Division that included the 5th Battalion K.S.L.I. were given the task. By 21 August the Battalion had reached trenches at the edge of Delville Wood and at 05.45am went ‘Over the Top’. They had initial success but were not supported from the flank and in the face of severe artillery and machine gun fire were forced back to their original trench and then to the second line trench. They had captured two officers and 115 German soldiers but had suffered 201 casualties. 2nd Lieutenant Holder was among the seven 2nd lieutenants killed in the attack. in 1917 when the Allies advanced through Delville Wood Holder's identity discs were found on his body. However his body was not recovered for official burial and his name was commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. Sold with copied service papers, m.i.c., and other research. £40-£50
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