Pia Pack Interlude, 2025 Acrylic, wax pastel, and pencil on paper Signed on Verso 10 x 15cm (3¾ x 5¾ in.) About Pia Pack's work examines ideas surrounding motherhood and domestic life through an exploration of social interactions around the kitchen table; 'Table Talks'. Pia combines familiar patterns and shapes with repetition and overlapping to create looseness and tension. Through these contradictions, she expresses a universal statement about the challenges and satisfactions of human relationships. Her work speaks to engagement with family life, social expectations and daily patterns. Pia says of the works 'There is no shying away from the beauty and oddities of family life in these paintings.' Pia lives and works in Bristol and is represented by Gertrude. Pia studied painting at Wimbledon School of Art, Central St Martins and Bath School of Art and has been included in many group shows in London and in the U.S. In 2019, Alex Eagle invited Pia to take over their Soho studio with an exhibit entitled Table Talk. Whilst living in Los Angeles, Pia established the podcast 'What Artists Listen To' aimed at bringing artist's studio practises to life and building a community amongst creatives in the city and further afield. This communal sentiment has been continued recently with an initiative in London entitled 'The Binder of Women', organised by Pack to unite a group of 11 women artists to create a portfolio of works together. Solo shows 2024 Table Talk - TEALS, Somerset 2019 Table Talk - Alex Eagle, London, UK Group shows 2025 Tenterhooks presented by Binder of Women - Gillian Jason Gallery, London Art on a Postcard - International Womens Day, Bomb Factory, London 2024 Binder of Women, 4th Edition - Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, London Colour Takes Shape - Eponine, London Art on a Postcard - International Womens Day, Bomb Factory, London Mothers of Invention - The Mount Without, Bristol Arts Emergency - Art for Charity Collective 2023 Presence - That Art Gallery, Bristol It's My House with CURA - Home House, London 2022 Binder of Women, 3rd Edition - The Arts Club, London Gertrude PRESENTS - The Truman Brewery, London Art for Charity Collective - Unit 1, London It's My House with CURA - Porch Gallery, Ojai 2020 Oblomovrooms - Bertoli Mauti, London LA: Night & Day with CURA - The Lodge LA 2019 Sexy X-Mas - The Lodge, LA A Store Show - Odd Ark, LA Dinner's Ready - Gallery Bang Bang, Nashville, TX You must not reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, resell or exploit any works. In doing so, you endanger our relationships with artists and directly jeopardise the charitable work we do.
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Catherine Chambers Fly, 2025 Acrylic on paper Signed on Verso 10 x 15cm (3¾ x 5¾ in.) About Catherine Chambers is a figurative artist who documents poignant moments, often from her experiences of living abroad in Ethiopia and the Middle East. Catherine is inspired by environments and their inhabitants, capturing intimate moments of connectedness. However, as with all good portraiture, there is more than meets the eye to her work. These works ask the viewer to confront the complicated dynamics of love, care and identity. This is Catherine's second time working with Art on a Postcard. Her previous contributions zoomed in on feet from her larger paintings. This time, Catherine has created postcards looking at the hands in existing works of hers. Education 2009-2012 BA (Hons) Drawing and Applied Arts, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK Solo Exhibitions 2019 I Appreciate You, The Embassy of Ethiopia, London 2016 A Brother's Progress, Freespace Gallery, Kentish Town, London Red Lodge Chair, Red Lodge Museum, Park Row, Bristol Possession(s), The Tobacco Factory, Bristol Group Exhibitions 2024 Herbert Smith Freehills Award, National Portrait Gallery, London Women In Art Finalists, The Roundhouse, London RBA Rising Stars, Royal Over-Seas League, London Wells Contemporary Art, Wells Cathedral, Wells A Personal Treasure, The Nunnery Gallery, London 2023 Missed Letters, Making Space Gallery, London New Wave, Spitalfields Studios, London Awe and Wonder, Chaiya Art Awards, Oxo Gallery, London 2022 Football Art Prize, Millennium Gallery, Sheffield Galvanise, Spitalfields Studios, London Art on a Postcard, The Bomb Factory, London 2021 Summer Show, Royal Academy of Arts, London Sunny Art Prize, Sunny Art Centre, London 2020 Summer Exhibition, Green and Stone Gallery, London 2018 Summer Show, Royal Academy of Arts, London Awards 2024 3rd Prize for The Herbert Smith Freehills Prize at the National Portrait Gallery Royal Society of British Artists Rising Star Women in Art Prize finalist Gallery Representation Mall Galleries, London, UK Statement About AOAP Submitted Artwork Fly is a cropped detail from a larger painting currently being exhibited at the Mall Galleries annual Royal Society of British Artists exhibition. The painting continues a conversation Catherine introduced with her painting "Lying" which won third prize at the National Portrait Gallery in 2024. In this painting, the same sitter holds a bird securely; as it is, the bird cannot fly despite being born to do so. Catherine wants the audience to contemplate, if you have something (could be a relationship, land, artefacts...) but you have it by force or deceit, do you really have it at all? And is it still worth having? Class is a cropped detail from Catherine's larger painting "Between Classes". The girl chooses colours to fill the outlines of a princess. The postcard questions how the girl came to choose those specific colours and how they differ to the girls own image. The work explores ideas of care, influence and status; how they overlap, interact and differ. Fortune is a detail from Catherine's larger painting "Nafkot (Yeabsra)". A child holds a popular paper game, commonly known as a chatterbox or fortune teller. It was introduced to the girl by Catherine in an exchange of sharing games local to one and foreign to another. Games are a recurring theme in Catherine's work, highlighting how unlevel the playing field is in real life. First Hand is a detail from Catherine's larger painting "Holding Space". The hand is of a dear friend of the artist, and celebrates a friendship that challenges outside expectations. It is a prompt to think for oneself and to learn from trusted resources. You must not reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, resell or exploit any works. In doing so, you endanger our relationships with artists and directly jeopardise the charitable work we do.
Bex Massey Queen, 2025 Watercolour and acrylic on paper Signed on Verso 10 x 15cm (3¾ x 5¾ in.) About Bex Massey's work examines the role of painting and the language of display in the face of popular culture. She amalgamates simulacra and allegory to investigate notions of 'worth' via motifs and tones extracted from her childhood. Massey's previous works and exhibitions have engaged the codes and history of queer culture, along with markers of selfhood and Northern identity. Recent works have become visually softer, more sedate and uncomfortable as the unease and 'value' in this series is created via the relationships between the minimal conflations. The image pairings within these paintings encourage allusion to female bodies, building an underlying sexual tension imbued by the artist into quotidian objects. Compositionally the couplet mirror each other and their visceral epicentres form a visual echo. This is further extended by an implied auditory element as the scenes contain the potential of noise, whether it is the moment a cat yawns or fizzy drink explodes - force in one image is released in its partner. These climactically coupled, female laden, tension imbued depictions are a nod to societies persistently binary notions of gender and therein the habitual reminder that outside the male gaze, Female + Female = Incorrect. Masseys recent fertility journey with her partner has brought this into sharp focus, and this process is alluded to in the titles of canvas which are named after the sperm donors they have considered. This additional layer encourages the work to be viewed via a reproductive lens. Education 2012-2013: MA Fine Art. Merit. Chelsea School of Art, London. 2004-2007: Ba Hons Fine Art. 2:1. The School or Art, Architecture and Design, London. 2025: Just Desserts, Seventeen, London, UK Solo Exhibitions 2024 My deuce, My double, GERTRUDE x Seventeen, London, UK 2022 The truth is out there, Roman Road, London, UK 2020 We didn't start the fire, VOLT Eastbourne, UK 2018 ÀhhÁÀhhÁ, SLUGTOWN, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK 2017 ÀhhÁ, Arebyte LASER, London, UK Group Exhibitions 2024 Strange Days: Surrealist Gaze, Cross Lane Projects, Cumbria, UK Landscape of the Gods, Vestry street, London, UK 2023 Landscape of the Gods, Cross Lane Projects, Cumbria, UK Catastrophic, Unit G, London, UK 2022 Elephant, Art Gazette, London, UK QUEER ART(ists) NOW, Space Station Sixty Five, London, UK Art on a Postcard summer Auction, The Bomb Factory, London, UK Instagram Live, 19 Karen, Queensland, Australia Northern Deviants, Unit G, London, UK Kunst the clown and friends, Gallery 46, London, UK Hyper Contemporary, Hasbrook Galleries, Milwaukee, USA 2021 Play and the post peak, The Factory, London Still Journey, The Columbia, London. The Big Show, Good Mother Gallery, San Francisco. Everywoman, Superchief Gallery, New York. 2020 Pop Now, Gallery 46, London. Body Politic, Susan Boutwell Gallery, Munich. She Performs, The Glass Tank, Oxford. Viewing Room, Harlesden High St, London. Awards 2024 Shortlisted 'Macfarlanes Art Prize'. Shortlisted 'Clyde & Co Art Prize'. 2022 Shortlisted 'BEEP Painting Prize'. 2021 Winner 'Repaint History Prize for Womxn Artists'. 2016 Shortlisted 'Blooom Award, by Warsteiner'. 2016 Shortlisted 'Taking Shape Prize'. 2014 Shortlisted 'Young Masters Art Prize' 2014 Shortlisted 'The Signature Art Prize Gallery Representation Seventeen (London, UK) Statement about AOAP Submitted Artwork 'Queen' is a hopeful bid for equality in light of International Women's Day, as Queen Conch shells are seen as lucky. They are a motif that I return to regularly in my work as they are also evocative of the female form. You must not reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, resell or exploit any works. In doing so, you endanger our relationships with artists and directly jeopardise the charitable work we do.
Tanaka Mazivanhanga (Untitled III) Landscape Series (Detail I), 2025 Mokulito on paper Signed on Verso 10 x 15cm (3¾ x 5¾ in.) About Tanaka Mazivanhanga is a contemporary artist whose work delves into themes of memory, identity, and the preservation of histories. Specialising in printmaking, installations, and object-making, she values the physicality of working with her hands and engaging directly with materials. This hands-on approach enables her to layer textures, build marks, and create tactile images. Education 2017-2019 MA: Visual Arts - Printmaking, Camberwell College of Arts, London, United Kingdom. 2010-2014 BA: Architecture, Kingston School of Art, London, United Kingdom. Solo Exhibitions 2025 TBC, ArtWorks Project Space, London, United Kingdom TBC, ASC Gallery, London, United Kingdom Group Exhibitions 2025 LOOP 2025, Bankside Gallery, London, United Kingdom Terra Incognita, Thames-Side Studios Gallery, London, United Kingdom Art on A Postcard International Women's Day Auction 2025, The Bomb Factory Art Foundation, London, United Kingdom 2024 Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, Woolwich Works, London, United Kingdom Don't Be a Square!, AKKA Projects, Venice, Italy East London Printmakers - Festival of Print, Art Pavilion, London, United Kingdom The Women in Art Prize, The Roundhouse, London, United Kingdom 2023 Also Known As Africa, Art and Design Fair, Paris, France Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, Woolwich Works, London, United Kingdom The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2023, Trinity Buoy Wharf, London, United Kingdom LOOP 2023, Bankside Gallery, London, United Kingdom Bainbridge Open 2023, ASC Gallery, London, United Kingdom RA Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London, United Kingdom NAE Open 2023, New Art Exchange, Nottingham, United Kingdom Art on a Postcard International Women's Day Auction 2023, Fitzrovia Gallery, London HERE & WHERE, Curious Kudu Gallery, London, United Kingdom 2022 Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, Woolwich Works, London, United Kingdom StART x Martin Miller's Gin Emerging Art Prize, Saatchi Gallery, London, United Kingdom Althea McNish, Colour Is Mine, William Morris Gallery, London, United Kingdom African Identities Chapter III, AKKA Project, Venice, Italy Fragile Bites, No Format Gallery, London, United Kingdom 2021 Withheld, Safehouse, London, United Kingdom East London Printmakers - Festival of Print, Art Pavilion, London, United Kingdom artHARARE, Contemporary Online Fair Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, Woolwich Works, London, United Kingdom Un I Veiled, Brocket Gallery, London, United Kingdom Mayfair Art Weekend, London, United Kingdom 2020 My Love Is Your Love, Every Woman Biennial, London, United Kingdom Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, Online Edition 2019 Clifford Chance Postgraduate Printmaking A Survey Exhibition, London, United Kingdom Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, Woolwich Works, London, United Kingdom MA Visual Arts Summer Show, Camberwell College of Arts, London, United Kingdom Celebrating Women's History Month, Brentwood Road Gallery, London, United Kingdom Awards 2024 Solo Exhibition and Cash Prize, Barbican Arts Group Trust The Printing First Prize - The Printed Editions Award, The Women In Art Prize 2023 ASC Award - Solo Exhibition, ASC Gallery 2022 Cash Prize, StART x Martin Miller's Gin Emerging Art Prize Studio Award, HausPrint Studio 2019 Studio Award, East London Printmakers Studio Award, Bainbridge Print Studios Statement about AOAP Submitted Artwork Untitled III Landscape Series explores the often-overlooked marks and surfaces of the urban landscape. Texture plays a vital role in this work, brought to life through the painterly qualities of the Mokulito process, which evokes the essence of diverse landscapes. Remnants reflects remnants left by enslaved women during the Atlantic slave trade on the Gold Coast, capturing and honouring their presence. Deeply etching the metal plate was essential to convey the depth and weight of their stories. You must not reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, resell or exploit any works. In doing so, you endanger our relationships with artists and directly jeopardise the charitable work we do.
A piece of WWII shrapnel and accompanying printed ephemera. The shrapnel was found in Wallace Road in Bath, by St Saviours Church Larkhill in April 1992, probably from the bomb in Larkhall Square. Together with a pamphlet 'The Bombardment of Bath April 1942', a copy of the Bath Weekly from 10th April 1941, and two other books.
Revell a boxed 1:72 scale group of military aircraft model kits, to include; H-204 - Focke-Wulf Fw 200 'Condor', H-202 Avro Lancaster 'Dam Buster' (with secret bomb) as well as others. Conditions appear Good to Excellent (though unchecked for completeness) within generally Good to Good Plus boxes. See photo.
Airfix & Heller, a boxed group of plastic military kits which includes earlier issues to include Airfix H1819:198 Jupiter "C" (50 Years Of Revell Special Edition), Revell H-202 Avro Lancaster "Dam Buster" With Secret Bomb, (Part Painted/Assembled), Heller L320 Super Broussard and similar. Although unchecked for completeness or pre painted/pre assembled, conditions appear Fair to Good in generally Fair to Good boxes with scuffing, crushing, tearing, old price stickers, tape repair etc. Hard to find kits. See photos.
HANS FEIBUSCH (GERMAN-BRITISH 1898-1998) ⊕ HANS FEIBUSCH (GERMAN-BRITISH 1898-1998)PORTRAIT OF SIDONIE, THE ARTIST'S WIFEsigned with initials and dated 42 lower rightpencil on paper22 x 13.5cm; 8 1/2 x 5 1/4in36 x 26cm; 14 x 10 1/4in (framed)HANS FEIBUSCH (LOTS 9-32)Introduction To stand before an empty wall as in a trance… to let shapes cloudily emerge, to draw scenes and figures, to let light and dark rush out of the surface, to make them move outward or recede into the depths, this was bliss. (Hans Feibusch) IntroductionFeibusch fought for the Kaiser in the First World War, survived the Russian Front, and studied with Carl Hofer in Berlin and with Emil Othon Friesz and André Lhote in Paris. Come the 1930s he had a dealer in Berlin, had exhibited widely, and been awarded the German Grand State Prize for painting by the Prussian Academy of Arts. But Hitler’s rise to power threatened it all. In a meeting of the Frankfurter Künstlerbund which he attended in 1933, a new member appeared in Nazi uniform, jumped on a table and pointing at the Jews with his riding crop said: ‘You’ll never show again’. It was the moment Feibusch determined to emigrate. Arriving in London Feibusch had his first one-man exhibition at the Lefevre Gallery, and was soon a member of the London Group. Further exhibitions with Lefevre followed; then in 1938 he completed his first large scale mural: Footwashing in the Methodist Chapel, Colliers Wood. It was a commission that would result in the artist becoming the leading muralist in Britain. Working both for the Church of England and local municipalities, over the next thirty-five years he decorated some forty plus churches, civic buildings and private houses across England and Wales. His work contributed hugely to the re-generation of public buildings after the War and the debate on art in public places. But it also took him away from the Mayfair-centric contemporary art world and its critics, and thus to a large extent out of the public eye and the commercial art world. After his last exhibition at the Lefevre Gallery in 1951 he would not have another gallery show until the late 1970s. Instead Feibusch devoted himself to large scale mural projects, designing the decorations for the tearoom at the Victoria & Albert Museum in 1946, and championed by George Bell, Bishop of Chichester, embarked on a series of commissions to decorate bomb-damaged churches that were being restored and re-built. These included painting The Resurrection and Scenes from the Life of St Peter at St Peter's Church, Pickford Lane, Bexley Heath and Angels with Infants for the baptistry of Christ Church and St Stephen’s, Battersea. Feibusch also wrote Mural Painting a treatise on the history, theory and technique of the art in 1946, and contributed the foreward to the catalogue of the first exhibition of the Society of Mural Painters held in 1950.A consummate draughtsman, whether sketching his surroundings, or studying the model before him, he captures each scene with a fine eye for detail. And as a colourist, he responded to the light of his surroundings with a breathtaking freshness and immediacy. But above all it is the manner in which he places the human form at the heart of his work with such ease and fluidity that leaves an abiding impression on the viewer and makes his work so compelling today.Held under glass, not examined out of frame. Despite watermark along lower edge of mount, appears in good original condition.
GEORGE MAYER-MARTON (HUNGARIAN 1897-1960) ⊕ GEORGE MAYER-MARTON (HUNGARIAN 1897-1960) EVENING OVER THE FUNFAIR watercolour on paper 39.5 x 57.5cm; 15 1/2 x 22 3/4in unframed Painted in 1951. GEORGE MAYER-MARTON (LOTS 1-8) Introduction HIS APPEARANCE, ACCENT AND MANNER SPOKE OF A LOST AND TO US LARGELY UNKNOWN MITTELEUROPA. Always meticulously dressed in a suit and wearing a hat and polished shoes, he would arrive in the college with his leather briefcase and don his professional white coat. In Their Safe Haven', Hungarian artists in Britain from the 1930s, compiled and edited by Robert Waterhouse, the bleak story of George Mayer-Marton's dispossession is graphically pieced together from the artist's diaries and first hand accounts. Born in Györ, North Hungary, the artist's formative years had largely been spent in Austria and Germany. During the First World War he had served on the front line in the Austrian army, and - leading up to the Anschluss - he lived in Vienna, happily married and, as vice-president of the Hagenbund, he was a leading voice among contemporary artists. But with Hitler's annexation of the country at the end of September 1938 with Grete his wife he fled Vienna for London. Mayer-Marton's diaries evoke with withering honesty the reception he received and his despairing sense of dislocation: 'For the moment, London spells turmoil, noise, rows of double decker buses and a language one doesn't understand... We observe the English art of 'splendid isolation', their culture of bureaucratic niceties, good manners and cold souls; their complete consideration for others out of consideration for their own piece and quiet.' (Waterhouse, p. 74). Eventually the couple set up home and a studio in St John's Wood, only for the premises to be hit by an incendiary bomb in 1940 during the Blitz. In the ensuing fire Mayer-Marton lost the vast majority of the work he had brought with him. At the end of the War he learnt of the murder of his and Grete's parents together with his brother in the Holocaust. Unsurprisingly these horrors took a mental toll: all too much for Grete, she suffered a nervous breakdown and died in a psychiatric hospital in Epsom in 1952. Yet, despite such a succession of tragedies, Mayer-Marton remained resolutely determined. He strove to replace the works lost in the London bombing, not simply with copies but because he felt challenged by the very different light and landscape of the British countryside, his lightness of touch and deftness of colour are abundantly apparent in the present selection of works. He was also appointed a senior lecturer at Liverpool College of Art, a post in which he flourished. His Liverpool students recalled Mayer-Marton's innovative approach to teaching. He introduced weekly 'Socratic method' seminars, challenging students with rhetorical questions ranging from 'Kant's moral imperative to Schopenhauer's aesthetic theory, the scientific ideas of Einstein, concepts of the primitive in art, abstraction, expressionism, the medieval guilds and so on... these seminars were a decade before the history and theory of art were incorporated into art school curricula in the 1960s' (Waterhouse, pp. 212-213). In Liverpool he also introduced new technical know-how, in particular fresco painting and the re-introduction of Byzantine-style mosaic practices. These he deployed in a series of large scale ecclesiastical commissions in the north-west, including the large Crucifixion mural at the former church of the Holy Rosary, Oldham (1955), Pentecost now in Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, and the Crowning of St Clare at St Clare's Church, Blackley. Small dogear upper left corner. There is slight wear to edges of paper. Otherwise this work is in good original condition.
WHEELER JOHN A.: (1911-2008) American theoretical physicist, best known for popularising the term 'black hole'. During World War II Wheeler worked with the Manhattan Project's Metallurgical Laboratory in Chicago where he helped design nuclear reactors and later, in the early 1950s, helped to design and build the hydrogen bomb. A.N.S., John A Wheeler, to the verso of a colour picture postcard depicting a panoramic view of Filacciano (north of Rome, Italy) Austin, Texas, 24th July 1979. Wheeler wrtites, in full, ´We will first understand how simple the universe [is] when we recognise how strange it is´. Addressed in the hand of the Italian collector Roland Sensini. A postal cancellation slightly affects a few words of text, but not the signature. VG
MUNNINGS ALFRED: (1878-1959) English painter, a member of the Newlyn School from 1912-14, and regarded as one of the finest painters of horses. A good collection of A.Ls.S. (5; one a brief illustrated message on a postcard), a T.L.S., five original pencil drawings, and a few pieces of printed ephemera. The autograph and typed letters signed Alfred Munnings, A. J. Munnings, and with his initials AJ, twelve pages (total), 4to and smaller, various places (Dedham, Essex & Withypool, Somerset), early to mid-1940s, to various correspondents including the portrait painter Maurice Codner. Munnings states, in part, ´I am not sure about the Tissot, as I told that secretary to remove the pictures if the raids started & they should have done so. How awful, that lovely [painting?] which nobody really cared for & which as Lutyens said was ruined by the overlighting of the chandeliers. What a hateful lot of buggers used that room.....& what a disagreable rascañ that Drysdale was wo stood in the way of everything. Damn him, what a pity he wasn´t in the drawing room when the bomb fell. My place in Chelsea has had it - windows out & all glass in frames broken......Winston in chair first dinner. Next Thursday Lord Gort in chair & they all give Winston a snuff box´ (to Maurice Codner, 30th September 1940, accompanied by the original envelope), ´I can´t tell you how glad I was to see that good notice of your work in The Times on Friday. You couldn´t want better and who ever the present (sic; President) is he is a more sane fellow than the last & I find him very good. Far better than the other old blighter - well - I was glad I read it out to Violet who never cares much about critics, & she was delighted. I´ve always seen you gradually gaining & burrowing in. You´re as undefeatable as the Hun. And to think you´re doing this in spite of the bombs & with only one eye......I´ve just written a line to Oswald Birley, poor fellow......I´m losing the will to work´ (to Maurice Codner, 4th November 1941, in pencil), ´What a pity that you could not remain at such a stage of brilliance for the rest of your natural life - or unnatural life, or whatever your present existence may be - Can´t you buy up a quantity of that same sherry & consume at intervals & go on flying through the air like a blazing comet?......Hunting all over England should be stopped. That´s my opinion. People who go wouldn´t if the hounds didn´t. Absolute not. Have you had time to go & see the exhibition of under 20 guinea pictures yet at Trafalgar Square? If not, go & let me know......You & I should go & stay at Bradley Farm up in the woods & hills near here for a month & live on cream & stuff & work.....trees galore & stone buildings & the rest & when it rained we´d do masterpieces indoors - big sitting rooms......write again my lad of wax - any f - g lately?´ (to Maurice Codner, n.d. [c. September 1942], in pencil), ´One day I´ll be round there. On Exmoor now, Army took my house at Dedham´ (to A. R. Blundell, 22nd March 1944), ´The man who did that plate of an old poplar tree is [a] great artist. If you can do such a thing as that although it is uncared for by the crowd is someone to be reckoned with. If only you could [do] an oil like that & as well!! It is superb. I saw it in Emmons´ house at Flatford Mill & looked & looked [at] it again having seen it in the R.A. It is equal to anything of its kind I know´ (to Blundell, 3rd January 1946; actually 1947), the postcard featuring an ink drawing by Munnings of a skier lying face down in the snow, with a mountain, trees and sun in the background, wishing the recipient a Happy Easter and hand addressed by Munnings to Mr. and Mrs. John Napper, April 1956. Together with five original pencil sketches by Munnings, one signed in full, three with initials, and one unsigned, the largest measuring approximately 20.5 x 16.5 cm, the majority depicting horses and one of a cow feeding her calves. All are matted and framed. Also including a small collection of ephemera etc. including printed illustrated 8vo booklets advertising new signed artist´s proofs of the works Going to the Meet, The Whip and A Little Piece of England, a catalogue for a Loan Collection of Pictures by Alfred Munnings exhibited at the Art Galleries of the Norwich Castle Museum, August - September 1928, etc. One letter with some tears and staining (only FR), generally G to about VG, Sml Qty.
TELLER EDWARD: (1908-2003) Hungarian-American theoretical physicist, known as 'the father of the hydrogen bomb', and an early member of the Manhattan Project. Signed 5 x 7 photograph of Teller in a head and shoulders pose holding his spectacles. Signed in black ink with his name alone to the lower white border. Together with a bold black ink signature (´Edward Teller´) on a plain white oblong 12mo card. VG to EX, 2
ENOLA GAY: Signed 10 x 8 photograph by three crew members of the Enola Gay individually, comprising Paul Tibbets (1915-2007) American Brigadier General in the United States Air Force, pilot of the Enola Gay, the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb, Hiroshima, 6th August 1945, Thomas Ferebee (1918-2000) American Colonel in the United States Air Force, bombardier of the Enola Gay and Theodore J. Van Kirk (1921-2014) American Major in the United States Army Air Forces, navigator of the Enola Gay. The image depicts the three men standing together in three-quarter length poses, each wearing their uniforms, and with the Enola Gay in the immediate background. Signed by each in bold blue inks to the image. Together with an A.L.S. by Van Kirk with his initials TJV, one page, 8vo, n.p., n.d., to Mr. Keyser, snding the photograph and explaining ´The signatures of Tibbets and Ferebee are authentic´, and in a postscript also remarking ´Photo taken early 1944. Probably at Roswell, N.M.´. EX, 2
DOOLITTLE JAMES H.: (1896-1993) American General and aviation pioneer, remembered for his daring raid on Japan during World War II. Signed 8 x 10 photograph of Doolittle standing in a full-length pose, surrounded by various other American servicemen, pinning medals that were previously awarded to American naval officers by Japan to the tail fin of a bomb destined for Japan. Signed by Doolittle in black ink with his name alone to a largely lighter area at the base of the image. An unusual image to find signed. VG
NEAVE AIREY: (1916-1979) British soldier and politician, the first British prisoner-of-war to succeed in escaping from Colditz Castle during World War II. Following the war Neave served with the International Military Tribunal at the Nuremberg Trials. The politician was assassinated in a car bomb attack at the House of Commons. Signed commemorative cover issued by the Royal Air Forces Escaping Society and featuring a colour illustration of an officer parachuting over a barbed wire fence, postmarked 29th May 1968. Signed by Neave in blue fountain pen ink with his name alone to a clear area. VG
MATTHEW DAY JACKSON (AMERICAN B. 1974) DRESDEN Burned wood and lead on panel Signed and dated 2010 (verso) 249 x 165cm (98 x 64¾ in.)Provenance: Grimm Fine Art, Amsterdam Private Collection, Fatima & Eskandar Maleki, London A versatile and prolific artist, Matthew Day Jackson is represented by Pace Gallery; he has exhibited at MFA Boston, Portland Museum of Fine Art, and the Whitney Museum. What unites many of his varied works is a focus on landscape and nationhood, particularly as regards American cultural identity. The present panel, whose material vocabulary speaks to Jackson's interest in mortality and destruction, is not alone in the artist's œuvre. Jackson's 2012 sculpture in the same media, August 6, 1945, presents an aerial view of San Franciso, counterfactually devastated by the atomic bomb that struck Hiroshima. His 2017 rendering by the same title turns to New York, continuing this imagined history. Only that of Dresden need not be imagined: in 1945, the city was ravaged by an Allied attack, the disproportionate intensity of which compromised the morality of its perpetrators. Jackson thus calls attention to modern crises of international justice and the questionable righteousness of its loudest proponents. Condition Report: In overall good condition. Some light surface dirt and dust. A small repair at the lower left hand edge with corresponding damage to the wooden support verso.Condition Report Disclaimer
Essex County Constabulary Archive of ARP Reports Book, & Documents,Hand written document of day to day running and reports given to the Head Warden of the ARP, the book is a hand written account of all the incidents including bomb damage, meetings and other day to day operations of the ARP,Printed ARP documents relating to gas masks, making bomb shelters etc..,Copies of the Midnight Watch paper,A typed letter from the Essex County Constabulary concerning Flying Bombs with an identification leaflet for ‘GERMAN PILOTLESS AIRCRAFT’.A typed report concerning the bombing of Little Hallingbury dated August 30th 1940A typed letter concerning German Long Range Rockets dated 27th November 1944Document concerning training of Civil Defence Wardens in aircraft identification.Along with many other documents all period copies of typed documentsA number of Original WW2 Auxiliary Territorial Service Corps ATS Cap Badges
Admiral Stuart Nicholson, Malta Album WWI,Photo Album, Malta, half leather, stamped to the front board in gilt A.B.N. (Althea Badley Nicholson – Son of Admiral Stuart Nicholson) dated 25 May 1918 in ink to inside cover, photographs with manuscript descriptions in white ink include: images of the crew of H.M.S. dido, 1906; Malta Rifle meeting 1911; Kings visit to malta in 1912; king & Queen Malta 1912; The sinking of Stuarts Flagship H.M.S. Majestic, 1915; Stuart in his cabin H.M.S. Exmoth 1915; Destroyer Scorpion 1915; H.M.S. Queen Elizabeth taken from a airplane 1915; Stuart saying goodbye to Gen d’Amade on board H.M.S.Lord Nelson; Stuart in the Trenches at St. Helles; Turkish prisoners at Lemnos; Submarine E.14 returning from her successful trip up the Dardanelles; Front line Trenches Salonica; French Battle Ship Charlemagne; Norseman beached off Turla pointafter being torpedoed. She had 1000 mules on board, 500 were saved; Canadian nurses; S.S. NorsemanStuart and his staff, Royal Naval Depat Immingham; ship wreck titled ‘????? the Huns’; Lord French receiving volunteers at Hull; Stuart & Maj. General von Dench Humber Devision; The King signing the visitors book at the R.N. hospital Hull; Royal Naval Department Birmingham winter; Zepplin bomb hole near Immingham; King inspecting the Guard, Immingham; king at the Mine Store; Women fitting anti-submarine nets; Admiral Stuart Nicholson, CB, MVO (1865-1936), was a distinguished officer of the Royal Navy whose career spanned over four decades, characterized by significant contributions to naval operations and strategy. Born on October 11, 1865, Nicholson entered the Navy in July 1878, marking the beginning of a lifelong dedication to naval service.Nicholson's early career was marked by participation in notable historical events, such as the Anglo-Egyptian War of 1882, where he was awarded the Egypt Medal and the Khedive's Star. His exemplary performance in these early roles led to a rapid rise through the ranks, with a notable assignment as a torpedo specialist—a role that leveraged his technical expertise and strategic acumen.One of the defining moments of his career came during the Benin Expedition of 1897. As part of this punitive expedition against the King of Benin, Nicholson was tasked with managing the water supply for the forces, a critical role that earned him a medal and a promotion to commander. This assignment underscored his ability to handle logistical challenges under pressure, further enhancing his reputation within naval circles.Throughout his career, Nicholson held several key positions, including Assistant Director of Naval Intelligence and Chief of Staff to Admiral Sir Edmund Poë in the Mediterranean. His leadership skills were particularly evident during World War I, where he commanded the 6th Battle Squadron of the Home Fleet. His efforts during the war were recognized with the prestigious appointment as a Member of the Royal Victorian Order by King Edward VII in 1908, and later, the award of the Companion of the Bath (CB) in 1916 for his indefatigable service.Upon retiring in 1920, Nicholson remained active, dedicating time to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and pursuing his hobby in photography, which also supported charitable causes.Nicholson's life was not only marked by his naval career but also by his personal life, where he was a family man, married to Althea Badeley, and a father. His legacy in the Royal Navy is remembered for his strategic impact, leadership, and significant contributions to naval operations and intelligence. His collection of awards and medals serve as a testament to his distinguished service and commitment to his country.
AUCHENTOSHAN CLASSIC AND 2 GLASS GIFT PACK LOWLAND SINGLE MALT 40% ABV / 70cl Qty: 2 Auchentoshan is part of a small minority of Scottish distilleries, in that every drop of whisky it produces is sold as a single malt. Similarly unusual is its use of triple distillation to produce a purer spirit that’s light and mildly fruity. Situated just outside Clydebank, the distillery was lucky to survive the 1941 blitz relatively unscathed. Only one of its warehouses was damaged by a bomb blast, and another near miss provided a blast crater that later became the distillery’s picturesque pond.
Four: Sick Berth Petty Officer S. G. Palmer, Royal Navy 1939-45 Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.VI.R., 1st issue (M.39151 S. G. Palmer. S.B.P.O. H.M.S. Boscawen.) mounted as worn, good very fine (4) £70-£90 --- Sydney George Palmer was born in Eastleigh, Hampshire, on 15 December 1903 and joined the Royal Navy as a Probationary Sick Berth Attendant on 19 May 1925. Serving at various Royal Naval Hospitals in the inter-War years, including Portland, Haslar, and Malta, he was advanced to Sick Berth Petty Officer on 30 January 1937. He served during the Second World War at the Royal Naval Hospital Portland from the outbreak of War, before joining the Auxiliary Hospital at Minterne House, Dorchester, on 1 April 1941 - having suffering bomb damage in 1940, the decision was made to move as many patients as possible to the requisitioned Minterne House, leaving the Royal Naval Hospital at Portland to deal with casualties and emergencies only. He was awarded his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal with Gratuity on 27 April 1940, and was shore pensioned on 14 July 1947. Sold with copied record of service and other research.
A fine Second War ‘Malta operations’ O.B.E., Baltic 1919 Operations D.S.C., Order of St. John group of twelve awarded to Captain E. J. F. Price, Royal Navy The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Military) Officer’s 2nd type breast badge, silver-gilt; Distinguished Service Cross, G.V.R., hallmarks for London 1919, the reverse privately inscribed, ‘Lieut. E. J. F. Price, R.N., “Baltic”, 1919’; The Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Officer’s breast badge, silver and enamel, with heraldic beasts in angles; 1914-15 Star (Lieut. E. J. F. Price, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (Lieut. E. J. F. Price, R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, with M.I.D. oak leaf; Coronation 1937, unnamed as issued; Coronation 1953, unnamed as issued, mounted court-style for display, the earlier awards with contact marks, lacquered overall, otherwise generally very fine (12) £1,800-£2,200 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Provenance: R. C. Witte Collection, Dix Noonan Webb, June 2013. O.B.E. London Gazette 6 October 1942: ‘For bravery, endurance and sustained devotion to duty at Malta and at sea during and after the passage of an important convoy’. Seedie’s roll confirms award for ‘Malta Convoy, March-April 1942’. D.S.C. London Gazette 8 March 1920: ‘Honours for services in the Baltic, 1919’. M.I.D. London Gazette 19 August 1941. Seedie’s roll confirms award for services at ‘Fire, Essex, Malta. Edward Joseph Francis Price was appointed a Midshipman in January 1907 and, having enjoyed seagoing experience in the Mediterranean, was serving as a Lieutenant in the destroyer H.M.S. Grampus by the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914. Ordered to the Dardanelles in the following year, Grampus was involved in one of the failed attempts to finish off the stranded submarine E-15 off Kephaz Point, in addition to supporting the landing of the 11th Battalion, Manchester Regiment, in Suvla Bay in early August 1915. Having then served in the cruiser Diamond from January 1916 to June 1918, Price joined the light cruiser Phaeton in August 1919, in which capacity he was awarded his D.S.C. for his services as her Navigating Officer in the Baltic before the year’s end - an award undoubtedly reflecting Phaeton’s part in maintaining the Allied blockade of Libau against German shipping in October-November, during which period she carried out a successful shore bombardment in support of a Latvian contingent. He was also advanced to Lieutenant-Commander in March 1920. Placed on the Retired List as a Commander in June 1933, Price was recalled on the renewal of hostilities and was appointed Sea Transport Officer in Charge in Malta during 1940. And he remained similarly employed throughout the island’s siege, latterly as Divisional Sea Transport Officer in the acting rank of Captain. He was Mentioned in Despatches for his part in the rescue operations of the M.V. Essex on the occasion she was hit by a heavy bomb while being unloaded in harbour - miraculously her cargo of thousands of tons of ammunition did not explode. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in October 1942 for his services as D.S.T.O. during an important convoy to Malta in March and April 1942, and was released from service in early 1945. Sold with copied research.
Pair: Corporal J. Brown, M.S.M., 4th Regiment, South African Infantry 1914-15 Star (Cpl. J. Brown 8th Infantry); Bilingual Victory Medal 1914-19 (Cpl. J. Brown. 4th S.A.I.) traces of adhesive to reverse of both, nearly very fine 1914 Star (Pte. A. S. Carlton 4th S.A.I.) very fine The British War Medal awarded to Lance-Corporal R. Wilson, 4th Regiment, South African Infantry, who was killed in action during the German Spring Offensive on 24 March 1918 British War Medal 1914-20 (L/Cpl. R. Wilson. 4th S.A.I.); Memorial Plaque (Robert Wilson) traces of adhesive to reverse of both, good very fine and better (5) £100-£140 --- James Brown was born in Northumberland around 1877, and attested for the 4th South African Infantry at Potchefstroom on 30 August 1915. Posted to France 15 April 1916, he was granted a First Class Certificate as Bomb Throwing Instructor on 14 June 1917, and was later awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (London Gazette 3 June 1919). He was discharged at Maitland on 6 June 1919. Robert Wilson was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on 20 August 1898, and attested for the 1st South African Infantry at Durban on 5 March 1917. Embarked from Cape Town to England per Euripidies on 20 April 1917, he was reported missing whilst serving with the 4th Regiment on 24 March 1918, and was later reported as dead by the German Authorities. He has no known grave and is commemorated upon the Pozieres Memorial, France. Sold with copied service records for the above two recipients. Note: At least two men of the name ‘A. S. Charlton’ served with the 4th Regiment, South African Infantry.
A Second War D.F.M. group of six awarded to Whitley Air Observer Warrant Officer F. H. Parks, Royal Air Force Distinguished Flying Medal, G.VI.R. (581158 Sgt. F. H. Parks, R.A.F.); 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Royal Air Force L.S. & G.C., E.II.R., with Second Award Bar (W./O. F. H. Parks (581158) R.A.F.) mounted as worn, very fine and better (6) £1,600-£2,000 --- D.F.M. London Gazette 11 February 1941. The original recommendation states: ‘Sergeant Parks has completed 16 operational flights including attacks on Berlin, Leuna, the Channel Ports and other targets in enemy country. In spite of being delayed in his training, through illness, Sergeant Parks quickly became a reliable and courageous navigator and Bomb Aimer. His coolness and gallantry in the face of opposition has been outstanding.’ Frank Harold Parks was born in Eastbourne on 21 April 1921 and joined the Royal Air Force following the outbreak of hostilities in 1939. Qualifying as an Air Observer, his first operational posting was to 58 Squadron, a Whitley unit operating out of Linton-on-Ouse, in February 1940. He is believed to have flown his first sortie in the same month but, up until the summer of 1940, relevant Operations Record Book (O.R.B.) details are sparse by way of aircrew identities. Of his remaining operational activity in 1940, the O.R.B. reveals four sorties flown in September, three in October, one in November and three in December, the targets including Berlin, Mannheim and Regensburg. His final sortie was flown against Boulogne in February 1941, when he is noted as having been taken ill. Remaining in the Royal Air Force following the cessation of hostilities, Parks was advanced Warrant Officer and was awarded his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in 1957. He died in 1986. Sold with copied research including a photographic image of the recipient.

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 4 clasps, Relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg, Driefontein, Belfast (17214 Bomb: F. Costello. U Bty., R.H.A.) good very fine £240-£280 --- D.C.M. London Gazette 27 September 1901. Thomas Lysaght, alias Francis Costello, was born in Killenora, co. Clare, Ireland, in 1874 and attested for the Royal Munster Fusilier at Ennis on 25 May 1893. He deserted on 11 December 1896, and attested for the Royal Horse Artillery under the alias of Costello on 19 November 1896. He served with ‘U’ Battery in South Africa during the Boer War from 21 December 1899 to 26 June 1902, and was captured and taken Prisoner of War at Sannah’s Post on 31 March 1900. For his services in South Africa during the Boer War he was Mentioned in Lord Roberts’ Despatch (London Gazette 10 September 1901), and was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his gallantry at Blakfontein. He transferred to the Army Reserve on 26 April 1903. Sold with copied service papers, medal roll extracts, and other research.
Royal Air Force Pilot’s Flying Log Books pertaining to Lieutenant N. S. Hewitt, South African Air Force Two Royal Air Force Pilot’s Flying Log Books, the first covering the period 26 May 1941 to 21 July 1944, extremely well annotated with details of all of the recipient’s 81 operational sorties as a Baltimore pilot with 21 Squadron, South African Air Force, based at Tortorella, Italy, during the period 2 November 1943 to 2 May 1944; the second covering the period 24 July 1944 to 6 November 1945; together with the recipient’s Ex-Volunteer’s Identity Book; a small number of photographs; and other ephemera, generally good condition (2) £200-£240 --- Neil Spencer Hewitt served during the Second World War as a Baltimore pilot with 21 Squadron, South African Air Force, based at Tortorella, Italy, and undertook 81 operational sorties during the period 2 November 1943 to 2 May 1944. All his operational sorties are well annotated in his Flying Log Book, a typical entry reading thus: ‘47. Raid led by Maj. Ord, 12 Balts from 223 Sqdn ldg 12 Balts from 21 Sqdn. Target: Town of Carroceto on beach head S. of Rome. Intense heavy clueful A/A. Two holes in A/C (1 in Bomb bay, 1 in elevator). Area Fighter cover 2.500 3.250.’
A Great War ‘Western Front’ D.C.M. group of four awarded to Corporal R. J. Lloyd, Shropshire Light Infantry, who was killed in action on 18 April 1917 Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R. (9718 Cpl. R. J. Lloyd. 1/Shrops: L.I.); 1914 Star (9718 Pte. R. J. Lloyd. 1/Shrops: L.I.); British War and Victory Medals (9718 Cpl. R. J. Lloyd. Shrops. L.I.); Memorial Plaque (Richard James Lloyd) slight edge dig to first, otherwise very fine (5) £900-£1,200 --- D.C.M. London Gazette 14 November 1916. ‘For conspicuous gallantry and presence of mind. When distributing bombs prior to attack a fuzed bomb without a safety pin commenced to burn, and the man holding the bomb dropped it. Cpl. Lloyd, grasping the situation, ordered the men under cover, picked up the bomb, and threw it away. It exploded almost as it left his hand. His prompt courage undoubtedly saved many lives.’ Richard James Lloyd, from Dolgelley, Merioneth, living in Betton Strange, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, attested into the Shropshire Light Infantry and served during the Great War with the 1st Battalion on the Western Front from 10 September 1914. Advanced Lance Sergeant, he was killed in action on 18 April 1917 and is commemorated on the Loos Memorial, France. Sold with copied Medal Index Card and copied research.
A Great War ‘Cape Helles, Gallipoli’ D.C.M. group of three awarded to Bombardier J. Archbold, Royal Field Artillery, for his gallantry in bringing in three wounded men under heavy fire; for his services with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force in 1915 he was additionally Mentioned in Despatches Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R. (34447 A. Mmbr: J. Archbold. 97/Bty. R.F.A.); Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal (34447 Gnr: J. Archbold, 17th. Bty: R.F.A.); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (34447 Bomb: J. Archbold. R.F.A.) minor edge bruising, very fine (3) £800-£1,000 --- D.C.M. London Gazette 16 November 1915: ‘For conspicuous gallantry on 27 June 1915, at Cape Helles (Dardanelles), when he went out under severe fire and brought in two wounded men from in front of an observing station. Again, on 14 July, he advanced beyond our lines at night, and brought in a wounded man under very heavy rifle fire. Bombardier Archbold on many previous occasions had displayed great resource and bravery in repairing telephone wires under shell and rifle fire.’ M.I.D. London Gazette 5 November 1915 John Archbold was born in Darlington, County Durham, in 1871 and attested for the Royal Field Artillery there on 6 April 1889. He served with the 17th Battery in South Africa during the Boer War from 25 January 1900 to 22 October 1902, and subsequently with the 44th Battery during the Great War on the Western Front from 16 August to 30 September 1914, being repatriated home after suffering a shell wound to his left side on 26 September 1914 (also entitled to a 1914 Star and clasp trio). He saw further service with the 97th Battery as part of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force from 20 Mach 1915 to 19 November 1917, again being repatriated home having suffered a severe gun shot wound to his right leg and side in October 1917, and was Mentioned in Despatches and awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. He was discharged on 24 February 1919, after 19 years and 325 days’ service. Sold with copied service record and other research.
Five: Bombardier C. West, Royal Field Artillery 1914 Star, with copy clasp (30341 Gnr: C. West. R.F.A.); British War and Victory Medals (30341 A-Bomb. C. West. R.A.); General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Iraq (30341 Bmbr. C. West. R.A.); Army L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (1045228 Bmbr. C. West. R.F.A.) heavy contact marks, heavily polished and worn, nearly fair (5) £100-£140 --- Charles West attested for the Royal Field Artillery and served with the 7th Divisional Ammunition Column during the Great War on the Western Front from 6 October 1914. Sold with copied medal roll extracts.
A scarce M.S.M. for gallantry awarded to Acting Company Sergeant Major J. S. Holborn, M.M., 4th Regiment, South African Infantry, who was twice decorated for initiative and courage and was later killed in action during the German Spring Offensive on 17 April 1918 Army Meritorious Service Medal, G.V.R., 1st issue (X15 A.Cpl. J. S. Holborn. 4/S.A. Inf:) traces of adhesive to reverse, minor edge bruise, nearly extremely fine and scarce to unit £300-£400 --- M.M. London Gazette 9 July 1917. The original recommendation - initially for a D.C.M. - states: ‘In the operations on 9 April [1917] this Non Commissioned Officer was in charge of a platoon and displayed great initiative and courage. In the attack on the second objective he led a bombing attack against a portion of the enemy and dispersed them. In the operations of 12 April, he again led his platoon in a very gallant manner and by his courage act - a very splendid example to the men. In this attack he was wounded, but in the arm and the leg but refused to leave his post for nearly four hours after being wounded and until he had been assured that his platoon was in a secure position.’ M.S.M. London Gazette 9 March 1917. The original recommendation states: ‘For Gallantry in the Performance of Military Duty. During a course of instruction in live grenade throwing, an N.C.O. threw a live mills bomb which lodged in the parapet of the trench just above his head. L/Cpl. Holborn pushed the man aside and grasping the bomb threw it over the parapet, thus averting a most serious accident and probably saving several lives. Deed performed at Bordon, 23 July 1916.’ John Simpson Holborn, a boilermaker, was born in Gourock, Scotland, around 1876, and attested for the 4th South African Infantry at Bordon on 29 November 1915. Allocated the Regimental number ‘X15’ and attached to “K” Company, he disembarked at Rouen for the Western Front shortly after his M.S.M. winning exploits and was promoted Corporal in the trenches on 8 August 1916. Further promoted Sergeant 6 November 1916, his service records state that he survived the Battle of the Somme but was wounded in action on 12 April 1917, during the action for which he was awarded the Military Medal. Evacuated to Eastbourne suffering from a severe gunshot wound to the right hip, he returned to Belgium in March 1918 as Acting Company Sergeant Major. He was killed in action a short while later on 17 April 1918; he has no known grave and is commemorated upon the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium. Sold with copied service record and private research.
Part of the Black Box Series, this second box figurine in the collection is a somber yet humorous tribute to animals lost to road accidents. The intricately crafted piece features a group of animals gathered on a cloud in heaven, bearing tire marks as evidence of their demise. Each creature, except the snake and Peter's visiting mouse, has been given angel wings. A hedgehog peeks out from beneath a badger clutching an exhaust pipe, while another badger holds the tail of a squirrel. A determined rabbit is poised to detonate a bomb hidden within the box, seeking revenge on the car that caused their fate. The inscription 'For Kelly' on the tail is a tribute to a beloved pet dog that once belonged to Peter's wife, adding a personal touch to this collectible figurine. This item has its original box. TJBB99.Artist: Peter CalvesbertDimensions: 2.75"HCountry of Origin: EnglandCondition: Age related wear.
The notable Second War D.S.M. group of eight awarded to Petty Officer V. R. Crisp, Royal Navy, for his gallantry as an Oerlikon gunner in Lord Mountbatten’s famous command H.M.S. Kelly at the time of her loss to enemy aircraft off Crete in May 1941 Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. C/JX.141619 V. R. Crisp. A./L./Smn., H.M.S. Kelly) impressed naming; Naval General Service 1915-62, 1 clasp, Palestine 1936-39 (JX.141619 V. R. Crisp, A.B. R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Imperial Service Medal, E.II.R. (Victor Robert Crisp) mounted as worn, extremely fine (8) £3,000-£4,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Provenance: Bonhams, December 1999. D.S.M. London Gazette 8 January 1942: ‘For outstanding gallantry, fortitude and resolution during the Battle of Crete.’ The original recommendation states: ‘[For] courage and devotion to duty in continuing to fire the starboard Oerlikon gun up to the last possible moment when H.M.S. Kelly was sunk by 24 Ju. 87 dive bombers and for being instrumental in bringing down one Ju. 87 and in badly damaging another.’ Victor Robert Crisp was born at Forest Gate, London on 15 December 1918 and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in May 1934. An Able Seaman in H.M.S. Garland on the outbreak of hostilities in September 1939 - in which ship he had witnessed active service off Palestine - he removed to another destroyer, the Wolsey, in January 1940. The Wolsey was heavily engaged off France in May-June 1940, delivering demolition teams, bombarding the enemy ashore, and embarking refugees and troops at Calais. It was however in Operation ‘Dynamo’ that she truly excelled herself, bringing away a total of 2,800 troops from Dunkirk to Dover over several trips. Having then served at the shore establishment Pembroke from July 1940, Crisp joined Lord Mountbatten’s famous command the Kelly as a Leading Seaman in November 1940. And he remained likewise employed up until her loss off Crete in May 1941. Kelly spent the first three months of 1941 patrolling the Western Approaches, as well as a great deal of time at sea off the French coast, where she was bombed on several occasions, including while in Plymouth harbour; she was also visited by Lord Mountbatten’s cousin, King George VI. In April 1941, Kelly sailed for the Mediterranean, and for three weeks was based in Malta, patrolling between the embattled island and the North African coast. On 21 May 1941, she was directed to Crete to assist Commonwealth forces defending the island against the German invasion. That evening, she encountered and sank two caiques carrying German troops, and bombarded Maleme aerodrome, enabling the New Zealanders to mount a successful counter-attack. Kelly and Kashmir then turned for Alexandria but, shortly after dawn on the 23rd, both ships were bombed and sunk by German dive-bombers. Kashmir was lost first - physically torn apart by a 1,000lb. bomb. The Stukas then concentrated on Kelly, just as Crisp concentrated on the Stukas with his Oerlikon gun. Then came a fatal blow when a bomb smashed Kelly’s X Turret, continued through the ship, and finally detonated just aft of the engine room. The ship capsized in around a minute, trapping many men below decks; the propellers were still turning as her upturned hull bobbed on the surface for upwards of half an hour. As the survivors awaited their consort Kipling to pick them up, the German pilots machine-gunned them in the water and on the life rafts. In total, 80 men were lost in the Kashmir and 131 in the Kelly, but Mountbatten and Crisp were among those rescued. The loss of the Kelly during the battle for Crete became one of the Second World War’s most famous incidents, largely thanks to Noel Coward’s celebrated film “In Which We Serve”. Despite the necessary change of names, the fictional exploits of the destroyer Torrin mirrored those of the Kelly and her commander Lord Louis Mountbatten in such a way as to immortalise both ship and captain in the eyes of the public. Crisp next served in the battleship Queen Elizabeth (May 1941-December 1942), in which period he was advanced to Acting Petty Officer. He would also have been present when the ship was attacked and seriously damaged by Italian ‘charioteers’ in Alexandria on 19 December 1941. A lengthy posting in Pembroke having ensued, his final wartime appointment was in the Malta shore establishment St. Angelo. He was released ‘Class A’ in February 1949. Sold with the recipient’s original parchment Certificate of Service and five wartime photographs, the latter depicting survivors being picked up, possibly therefore Kelly crew members being rescued by the Kipling; case of issue for I.S.M.; Dunkerque Medal in box of issue, and two swimming medals, one of them a Royal Life Saving Society bronze award, named and dated ‘Oct. 1934’.
The emotive Dunkirk ‘little ships’ D.S.M. awarded to Engineer Fred Barter, H.M. Yacht Ankh, who, under heavy fire, assisted in ferrying 400 troops from the beaches; it is said that he also delivered a no-nonsense broadside of his own, when Lord Gort, V.C., apparently tried to jump the queue to his boat, a broadside of the four-letter variety Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (F. Barter, Yacht Engn. H.M.Y. Ankh.) impressed naming, contact marks, otherwise nearly very fine £1,000-£1,400 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Provenance: Jeffrey Hoare Auction, April 2000. D.S.M. London Gazette 16 August 1940: ‘For good services in the withdrawal of Allied Armies from the beaches at Dunkirk.’ Requisitioned by the Admiralty, H.M. yacht Ankh was taken over by Captain J. M. Howson, R.N., as a temporary H.Q., when she arrived off Dunkirk on the morning of 31 May. She was manned by a handful of naval personnel and civilians. Howson had charge of nine yachts, which he divided between the beaches at Bray and La Panne, but owing to their deep draft they were unable to get close inshore, thereby necessitating the use of small launches and rowing boats to collect the awaiting troops from the beaches. One such boat was manned by Fred Barter and Able Seaman W. F. ‘Frank’ Lunn, R.N., a boat with a capacity for eight people but in which they proceeded to embark 20 at a time. During one return trip to the yachts, the boat was capsized by a near miss bomb, leaving the embarked soldiers floundering in water in full kit. Barter and Lunn swam over a mile to the yachts to collect another boat, and, under fire, returned to the beaches. In fact, they continued their gallant work throughout the day, eventually ferrying a total 400 troops to safety. In an article published in The War Graves Photographic Project Newsletter in the Spring of 2017, Barter’s grandson recalled how Fred never really spoke of his experiences off Dunkirk. He also recalled how he came across an amusing anecdote concerning Field Marshal Lord Gort, V.C. Apparently Gort appeared on the beach and tried to jump the queue to Fred’s boat, an endeavour that was smartly curtailed when the latter told him to “**** off!” Barter may have been a modest man, but he did manage to say a few words to The Hampshire Telegraph and Post, when interviewed in March 1941: ‘Barter shared charge of a rowing boat which was sent ashore to pick up soldiers. Normally the boat held only six, but Barter and his companion got in 20, and towed rafts carrying several other soldiers. “We were sunk by enemy action and had to swim for it,” said Barter. “Many of the B.E.F. men returned to the shore, but Lunn and I swam over a mile back to the yacht, took another boat, and carried on with the good work. Eventually we got nearly 400 soldiers safely on to our yacht.” ’ He received his D.S.M. from King George VI at Buckingham Place on 16 July 1940.
The Second War bomb and mine disposal George Medal awarded to Lieutenant S. E. Jenner, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, whose gallant work encompassed the Coventry Blitz of November 1940 George Medal, G.VI.R., 1st issue (Elec Lieut Stanley Edmund Jenner, RNVR.) mounted on original investiture pin, nearly extremely fine £2,800-£3,400 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Provenance: Penrith Farmers and Kidds, March 2000. G.M. London Gazette 27 June 1941: ‘For gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty,’ The original recommendation states: ‘This officer in November 1940 rendered safe three unexploded enemy mines, two at Coventry and one near the R.A.F. Station, Wythall. One mine, which fell in Humphrey Barton Road, Coventry, called for particular courage and coolness. It first had to be towed out of a hole by rope before it could be dealt with, and this task was made more harassing by an unexploded bomb within 10 yards. During this operation Lieutenant Jenner was ably helped by A.B. Tuckwell, G.C., who showed his usual complete disregard of danger.’ Stanley Edmund Jenner was educated at St. Dunstan’s College, London, and was a playing member of Aldershot Rugby Football Club in the mid-1930s. Commissioned as an Electrical Sub Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in September 1940, he was quickly enrolled as a bomb and mine disposal officer at the shore establishment H.M.S. Lucifer. An account of some of his subsequent ‘incidents’ appeared in the Reader’s Digest in September 1942: ‘The land [parachute] mine is wholly unpredictable. If one fails to explode in the usual 22 seconds, it is impossible to guess when its mechanism may suddenly start. Lieutenant Stanley E. Jenner, for example, once rushed off to deal with a mine which had crashed through two upper stories of a Birmingham flour warehouse and was lying on the sixth floor. “I didn’t like the situation at all,” he told me. “Moving it was out of the question and working on it there meant that I had no chance of escape if it should show signs of going off. “Well, I started to work and in about an hour the mechanism suddenly began ticking – the Nazi rattlesnake’s usual 22-second warning. I fell downstairs in a hurry, expecting next step would find me on my way to Kingdon Come in a cloud of flour. But nothing happened, so after a bit I went back upstairs and found that the ticking had stopped. Thirty minutes later the mechanism went into action once more. Again I moved out in a hurry. “This time, when nothing happened, I sat down and smoked a cigarette. I couldn’t leave the mine there, of course – flour is too valuable in England. So back I went for a third try. When the ticking started again 15 minutes later, I stuck on the job as though nothing was wrong. It stopped again and in two hours the mine was as innocent as a baby.” ’ The recommendation for Jenner’s G.M. refers to two parachute mines that he rendered safe in Coventry in November 1940, most likely after the most devastating Luftwaffe raid of them all on the night of the 14th-15th, when the city was attacked by 500 aircraft. But omitted from the recommendation is the following incident, as also described in The Reader’s Digest: ‘Sometimes a deactivating job can be completed in 30 or 40 minutes. Other mines require four of five hours of nerve-racking effort. In one mine that fell on Coventry, Lieutenant Jenner told me, gadgets were not where he expected to find them; the colour of the wires had been changed; things stuck; the whole internal set up seemed to have been altered – and there he was all alone with it in a vast area of gutted buildings. Suddenly the clock started ticking and Jenner raced towards an underground shelter which he had selected in advance. When the explosion came, he was completely buried but they dug him out unharmed.’ Jenner was advanced to Lieutenant in January 1941 and gazetted for his G.M. in June, but it would not be until May 1943 that he was able to attend an investiture. In the interim, for a subsequent act of gallantry in disposing of a UXB aboard the M.V. Empire Salvage, he was mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 2 September 1941, refers). The UXB may well have been one dropped by the Fleet Air Arm on 15 June 1941, when the ex-Dutch ship was in the service of the Kriegsmarine. She was then boarded and taken as a prize. Sold with his Royal Society of St. George membership certificate, dated 8 October 1941, and an original copy of the above quoted edition of The Reader’s Digest.
The unique Second War ‘London Blitz’ George Cross, O.B.E., George Medal group of eight awarded to Acting Lieutenant-Commander E. O. ‘Mick’ Gidden, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, ‘the man who saved Charing Cross’ A master of mine disposal operations and the first man to be awarded both the G.C. and G.M., his gallantry in dealing with a parachute mine on Hungerford Bridge, outside Charing Cross Station, in April 1941, was among the great epics of the war: in a six hour operation, in which he was unable to apply a safety device for much of that time, he had to resort to using a hammer and chisel George Cross (Lieut. Ernest Oliver Gidden, G.M., R.N.V.R.); The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Military), Officer’s 2nd type breast badge, silver-gilt; George Medal, G.VI.R. (T/Sub-Lieut. Ernest Oliver Gidden, R.N.V.R.); 1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Coronation 1953, mounted as worn, good very fine (8) £100,000-£140,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Just eight men have been awarded the combination of the G.C. and G.M.; the addition of the O.B.E. makes this a unique combination of awards. G.C. London Gazette 9 June 1942: ‘For great gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty.’ The original recommendation states: ‘An unexploded parachute mine dropped on Hungerford Bridge on 17 April 1941. At the time the mine was dropped, some trains and many sleepers were on fire, and Charing Cross Hotel was burning in the background. It was necessary to stop the Underground trains, and evacuate many buildings, including the War Office. Lieutenant Gidden arrived on the Bridge shortly after dawn and found the mine lying across a live electric wire at the foot of the main signal gantry, with the bomb fuse and primer release mechanism facing downwards. The electric current from the rail had melted some of the metal around the bomb fuse and primer release mechanism to such an extent that if the fuse was removed at all, it could only be done by drilling; and, further, before any attempt could be made to arrest the operation of the fuse by the insertion of a “gag”, a lump of molten metal had to be prised from the surface of the fuse itself. Before operations of any kind could be commenced the mine had to be turned to get at the bomb fuse. Turning the mine was in itself likely to detonate it, with disastrous results for railway communications and important buildings. In order, therefore, to be in a position to control the operation with accuracy, Lieutenant Gidden stood at fifty yards only from the mine, while the necessary pull was being exerted from a distance. To appreciate the danger of this case, it should be understood that the fuses in these mines are clockwork and liable to be actuated by the slightest vibration. Lieutenant Gidden had to stop firemen playing water on the sleepers and trains while he got to work, and the burning wood kept giving off loud cracks during the whole of the operations, thus hampering his ability to listen for the clockwork in the fuse running, which is essential for safety. He successfully cleared the surface of the fuse, and inserted a “gag” but the melting had damaged the part in question, and the gag was not a secure fit, and he was aware of the fact. He then attempted to remove the remains of the screw threaded ring (which holds the fuse in place) with a hammer and chisel. At the first blow the clockwork in the fuse started to run. Lieutenant Gidden, who had kept his head close to the fuse, heard the ticking, and made off as best he could, but as it was necessary to jump from sleeper to sleeper, with a ten foot drop below, there was little chance of escape. As it happened the “gag” held, and Lieutenant Gidden returned with a drill. He succeeded in removing the ring, but then found it necessary to prise the fuse out with a chisel. This he successfully did in spite of its dangerous condition. Normally fuses are removed from a distance for fear of some anti-handling device. This operation took six hours to complete. It is considered that this case is in the very highest category of courage and devotion to duty. Lieutenant Gidden has served in the L.I. [Land Incident] Section for over a year, and has dealt with 25 mines. He has successfully commanded the Blue Watch (one third of the Watch) for nine months, and is a most reliable and trustworthy officer.’ O.B.E. London Gazette 28 September 1943: ‘For great bravery and steadfast devotion to duty.’ The original joint recommendation states: ‘This was the second of two acoustic mines dropped at Seasalter, near Whitstable, which had failed to explode and over which a depth charge had been detonated, driving the mine deeper into the mud without countermining it. On this occasion a concrete shaft was used with very satisfactory results. The shaft required no support and remained stationary until the ejector was used, when it sank at a rate of about 6 inches per hour. Work commenced on 31 May 1943, and the mine was exposed on 12 June at a depth of 28 feet over 68 working hours. In order to reduce vibration and noise to a minimum, the last 8 feet were excavated by skip and crane. The mine was found in a vertical position with the tail nuts sheared. This was lifted clear by means of the crane – all unnecessary personnel having been sent to a safe distance. Lieutenant-Commander Gidden, with Leading Seaman Pickett, who volunteered to stay with him, remained at the bottom of the shaft to render the mine safe; Pickett keeping the water, which was coming in under the cutting edge, clear from the two fuses. Whilst uncovering the first fuse, air started to escape, and they were both under the impression that the clock had started. They both started up the iron rungs, knowing full well that if it was the fuse, they could not possibly hope to get clear. After a short interval, they returned and dealt with the fuse – one keep ring had to be drilled off owing to distortion. A flotation bag was then secured to the lifting lug of the mine, which was floated to the surface at high water, towed ashore and steamed out. In the officer’s own words: “I cannot express too highly the manner in which Leading Seaman Pickett worked with me under rather trying circumstances during the rendering safe operations.” It is considered that Lieutenant-Commander E. C. Gidden, G.C., G.M., R.N.V.R., and Leading Seaman F. H. Pickett showed a very high degree of courage and devotion to duty on this occasion and are recommended for awards. G.M. London Gazette 14 January 1941: ‘For gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty.’ The original joint recommendation states: ‘A “D” type mine containing 750lbs. of High Explosive was partly buried in the foundation of a house and in a narrow alley between two houses in Harlesden, in such a position it was not possible to get at the bomb-fuse or electric detonator and primer. Tackles were therefore rigged and the mine dragged out of the ground. It was then lowered into a lorry where attempts to extract the fuse failed, since it had been badly damaged. The electric detonator and primer were now removed and, after reference to the Admiralty, it was decided to sterilise the mine in situ. With the help of an R.E. Bomb Squad, this work was successfully done, with little damage to the surrounding houses. Sub.-Lieutenant Gidden and Able Seaman Lipsham are fortunate in being still alive, since...
The South Atlantic medal awarded to Lieutenant D. R. Mugridge, Royal Navy, who was duty navigating officer in the frigate H.M.S. Antelope when she was bombed and sunk in San Carlos Water in May 1982 South Atlantic 1982, with rosette (Lt D R Mugridge RN HMS Antelope) extremely fine £1,200-£1,600 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Provenance: Alan Hall Collection, June 2000. David Rhodri Mugridge was born in Cardiff, Glamorganshire in July 1953, and entered the Royal Navy as a Midshipman in the Royal Naval College Dartmouth in September 1971. Confirmed in the rank of Sub Lieutenant on his passing out in September 1973, he joined the frigate H.M.S. Naiad, followed by time in the counter measures ship Crichton, in which he was advanced to Lieutenant in January 1978. But it was in the courses of his subsequent appointment to the frigate Antelope in 1981-82 that he witnessed active service in the South Atlantic. Antelope arrived on station off the Falklands on 21 May 1982, and, two days later, was allocated to air defence duties at the entrance to San Carlos Water. Here she came under attack from four Argentine Skyhawks, operating in pairs. The first pair swept in low from astern, one of them being damaged by a Sea Cat missile and forced to break away but the other delivering a 1,000lb. bomb through Antelope’s starboard side. It failed to explode but killed one of her crew. The second pair of Skyhawks attacked moments later from the starboard side and one of them delivered another well-aimed 1,000lb. bomb which penetrated Antelope amidships but also failed to explode. The aircraft in question was hit by Oerlikon 20mm. fire and collided with Antelope’s main mast before disintegrating. Antelope withdrew to more sheltered waters to await the arrival of two bomb disposal specialists from the Royal Engineers, Warrant Officer Phillips and Staff Sergeant James Prescott. On arrival, one of the bombs was deemed inaccessible and work commenced on the other, but three attempts to remove the fuse by remote means failed. Tragically a fourth attempt, using a small explosive device, detonated the bomb, killing Prescott immediately and severely wounding Phillips. The detonation tore Antelope open from her waterline to her funnel, fracturing the starboard fire main in addition to further serious damage. With major fires spreading and no electrical power, Commander Nick Tobin gave the order to abandon ship. He was the last man to depart the crippled frigate and, about five minutes later, her missile magazines started to explode, thereby providing some of the most iconic photographs to emerge from the conflict. By dawn it was evident that Antelope had broken her keel, and her superstructure appeared as a mass of melted, twisted metal. She sank later that day. An excellent firsthand account of Antelope’s fate appears in Michael Ashcroft’s Falklands War Heroes, as provided by Chief Petty Officer Malcolm Cooper. Following his return from the Falklands, Mugridge resigned from the Royal Navy in 1983. Commander Nick Tobin was awarded the D.S.C.
The Naval General Service medal awarded to Lieutenant F. J. Turner, Royal Navy, for his services as Midshipman aboard the Sirius in action with a French flotilla off the Tiber in April 1806 Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, Sirius 17 April 1806 (Francis J. Turner, Midshipman.) extremely fine £14,000-£18,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Provenance: Hyde Greg Collection 1887; Whitaker Collection 1890. 10 clasps issued for ‘Sirius 17 April 1806’, including two R.N. officers, one R.M. officer, and one Surgeon. Only 2 medals issued with this single clasp. On 17 April while cruising off the west coast of Italy, Captain William Prowse in the Sirius 36 gained intelligence of a French flotilla about to sail that morning for Naples. The Sirius closed with the flotilla soon after sunset within two leagues of the mouth of the Tiber, near Civita Vecchia, on the west coast of Italy. At about 7.00 pm, the Sirius attacked the enemy vessels which comprised the Bergère, three brigs, a bomb vessel with two heavy mortars, a cutter and three gun ketches, totalling 97 guns. The action, conducted at pistol shot distance, lasted for two hours until the Bergère hailed a surrender. Some of the other French vessels were badly damaged and had ceased firing but Sirius was prevented from pursuing due to her crippled rigging. Captain Prowse received a vase of 100 guineas for this action from the Lloyd's Patriotic Fund. Francis John Turner entered the Navy on 12 July 1800, as First-class Volunteer on board the Dorset yacht, Captain Sir Alexander Schomberg, employed off Dublin in attendance upon the Lord-Lieutenant. He served next on the Home and Mediterranean stations from February 1801 until 1 February 1803, in the Glenmore 44, Captains John Talbot and John Maitland, and from 23 September in the latter year until promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, 19 December 1807, in the Melpomène 38, Captains Robert Dudley Oliver and Sir Peter Parker. In 1804 he assisted, as Midshipman, in twice bombarding the town of Havre-de-Grace. He served in Sirius in action with a French flotilla of 15 sail off the Tiber in 1806 and in Pompée at the reduction of several fortresses on the coast of Calabria in the same year. His last appointments afloat were – 30 December 1807, to the Humber, Captain John Hill, on the Falmouth station; 25 August 1808, to the Comet 18, Captains Cuthbert Featherstone Daly and Richard Henry Muddle, employed in the Bay of Biscay, at Newfoundland, and among the Western Islands; 5 June 1813, after two years of half-pay, to the Goliath 74, Captain Frederick Lewis Maitland, from which ship, stationed at first in the West Indies and next on the coast of North America, he was sent, in March 1814, to the Hospital at Bermuda; and in September of the latter year, for a few months, to the Akbar 50, Captain Archibald Dickson, on the Halifax station.
The outstanding and unique Great War D.C.M., M.M. and Two Bar group of five awarded to Chief Petty Officer William Brown, R.N.V.R., Hood Battalion, Royal Naval Division Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R. (Tyne Z 618 C.P.O. W. Brown. Hood: Bn: R.N.V.R.); Military Medal, G.V.R., with Second and Third Award Bars (TZ-618 A.S. W. Brown. Hood Bn: R.N.V.R.); 1914-15 Star (TZ. 618. W. Brown. A.B. R.N.V.R.); British War and Victory Medals (T.Z. 618 W. Brown. C.P.O. R.N.V.R.), together with Northumberland and Albert Edward Dock Employees Tribute Medal, ‘War Service 1914-18’, 9 carat gold, hallmarked Chester 1918, the reverse inscribed ‘Presented to W. Brown, M.M. & 2 Bars. D.C.M.’, with rings for suspension, mounted court-style for display, nearly extremely fine (6) £20,000-£24,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Provenance: Dix Noonan Webb, July 2016. M.M. London Gazette 26 March 1917. Tyne Z 618 Petty Officer Brown, Wm. R.N.V.R. “On the 3rd-5th Feb. 1917 in the attack on Puisieux trench, showed great presence of mind and courage in getting together a fresh Lewis gun crew from reserves in different parts of the line to take place of one which had been wiped out. This proved to be of valuable service in repelling counter attacks.” (Ref. WO 95/3115 ‘Actions for which medals were awarded to N.C.O’s and men of the Hood Battalion on operations north of The Ancre February, 1917’) M.M. Second Award Bar London Gazette 9 July 1917. M.M. Third Award Bar London Gazette 19 March 1918. Recommended for Immediate award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal: “On the 30th Dec. 1917 in the attack on Welsh Ridge, P.O. Brown was in the support line which was heavily barraged, small parties of the enemy had penetrated down the communications trench past Hero, and the enemy was pressing heavily, driving our bombers slowly back. P.O. Brown with great initiative, collected a few men, and pushed to the assistance of the bombers who encouraged by his example, attacked with great vigour and after severe fighting, in which P.O. Brown displayed conspicuous courage, the enemy was entirely ejected from our line, retreating in disorder, and suffering casualties from our rifle and Lewis gun fire.” (Ref. ADM 137/3064 Hood Bn. War Diary) The following extract is taken from the Hood Battalion War Diary for 7.30 a.m. on 30 December 1917: ‘Sub-Lieut. Weir at once organised the “C” Company platoon into a large bombing squad and led by Petty Officer Brown of “B” Coy, it bombed up the top until the supply of bombs ran out, the Germans having a large supply of stick bombs and egg bombs carried by men in tight order temporarily forced them to give ground. A supply of bombs was then organised by Lt. Mandsley from the support company and the party was then able to again bomb up the trench. At this point Sub-Lt. Price of “B” Coy was wounded and Sub-Lt. Sanford O.C. “A” Coy. During the enemy bombing attack two German officers reached our “B” Coy Hqrs at Regt 68. These were met at the head of the dug-out by A.B. Brown “B” Coy officers’ cook who threw a mills bomb at them killing one and wounding the other. The party was at this time able to bomb up, right up Ostrich Trench and up to the supply head.’ D.C.M. London Gazette 18 February 1919; citation published 10 January 1920: “On the 29th September 1918 in the attack west of the Escaut Canal when the company was held up and the officer wounded, this Chief Petty Officer took command of a platoon and by skilful leadership captured a machine gun, and then turned the machine gun on the enemy inflicting heavy casualties. He displayed fearless and able leadership.” William Brown was born on 7 April 1892, at Percy Main, Northumberland. He joined the Tyneside Division of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve on 23 October 1914, his trade being a coal-teamer. He served in Gallipoli until May 1916, and afterwards in France, being demobilised on 7 February 1919. In April 1920 he received one of 158 solid gold medals made for presentation to ‘War Heroes’ employed by the Tyne Improvement Commission at the Albert Edward and Northumberland Docks. Full details of the ‘Welcome Home’ and presentation of medals at North Shields was reported in Shields Daily News, full details of which accompany the group together with detailed research and an R.N.D. cap tally.
The Second War bomb disposal operations D.S.C. and George Medal group of six awarded to Lieutenant-Commander D. Law, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve: having diffused around 40 UXBs in the period 1940-42, he went on to carry out equally gallant work at Calais and Zeebrugge in October 1944, carrying out an examination of the lock-gates for booby-traps at the latter place when enemy troops were positioned just 40 yards away Distinguished Service Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse hallmarked London 1942, officially dated ‘1945’ and privately engraved ‘Lt. Cdr. David Law, R.N.V.R.’ George Medal, G.VI.R., 1st issue (Lieut. David Law, R.N.V.R.); 1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals, mounted court-style for display, good very fine and better (6) £6,000-£8,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Provenance: Dix Noonan Webb, September 2006. G.M. London Gazette 28 April 1942: ‘For gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty.’ The original recommendation states: ‘This officer has dealt with 39 bombs, one of which was embedded in six feet of concrete with only the filler-cap showing. The bomb could not be withdrawn owing to the lack of purchase. Also the existence, close by, of important installations, made it impossible to destroy it on the spot. It was essential to remove it as soon as possible, the safety period therefore having to be ignored. Everyone was sent away while Lieutenant Law gently chipped a hole in the concrete with the least possible vibration and scraped out the sand underneath with his hand until he found the fuse. This he discharged, but then had to remove it by hand as it was not possible to rig up remote control apparatus. He tested it roughly for spring in case a Zus. 40 booby-trap was present and then removed the fuse. Afterwards the hole was made long enough to take out the bomb. A bomb had fallen into the bunker of a ship. A channel was cut through the coal to the spot where it was assumed that the bomb lay. This was between 8-12 feet down and 16 feet in. The tail of the bomb was found and gradually the fuses were exposed and discharged. The bomb was hoisted out. The flooded engine room could then be pumped out and a second bomb was found with the fuse downwards. Lieutenant Law, by careful use of wedges and a crowbar, turned the bomb until he could get at the fuses and discharge them.’ D.S.C. London Gazette 16 January 1945: ‘For gallantry and devotion to duty in operations leading to the capture of Calais and Zeebrugge.’ The original recommendation states: Lieutenant-Commander Law was one of two Bomb Safety Officers attached to the Port Reconnaissance Party which entered Calais on 1st October. Information was received from Prisoners of War that the enemy had p[laced demolition charges in the Main Control Bunker (concrete shelter) and it was found that the bunker was on fire inside. Lieut.-Comdr. Law, with his assistant Sub-Lieut. Swain, entered the bunker, wearing oxygen breathing apparatus and succeeded in extinguishing the fire and neutralising seven 500-lb charges which were already hot. On 18th October, prior to the capture of Zeebrugge, this Officer, with the same companion, undertook to obtain information regarding the state of the lock-gates at this port. At the time, the German line was about 40-yards east of the lock-gates and the British line was 800-yards west of them. The two officers succeeded in making their way under cover of darkness to a suitable position where they waited until daylight and were able to make the necessary detailed observation of the lock and gates and to establish that any attempt to capture the position intact was pointless. Lieut.-Comdr. Law showed courage of a high order, initiative and devotion to duty.’ David Law, a native of Clydebank who graduated from Glasgow University prior to the War, was attached to the Director of Unexploded Bomb Department (D.U.B.D.) from as early as December 1940, so we may be sure that many of the 39 bombs referred to in his G.M. recommendation were very much of the “Blitz” period. But his gallant deeds in a ship’s bunker - those cited in the same recommendation - were actually enacted on the 2 October 1941, when he was called to the S.S. Sturdee Rose at Milford Haven, which merchantman had put in to port after being attacked by a brace of prowling He. 111s. He was duly awarded the G.M., which decoration he received at an investiture held on 30 June 1942. Law was serving in the Torpedo and Mining Department by the time of his subsequent acts of gallantry at Calais and Zeebrugge in October 1944, and was invested with his D.S.C. at Holyrood Palace on 27 September 1945, shortly before his release from the R.N.V.R. Sold with a quantity of original documentation and artefacts, including his commission warrant for the rank of Temporary Sub-Lieutenant, R.N.V.R., dated 15 January 1943, with seniority from 29 September 1940; a superb album of copied photographs taken from the recipient’s original archive (approximately 40 images), the whole detailing the events of a UXB incident in the Grimsby area, and fully captioned with explanatory notes; an unused “Unexploded Bomb Report” card and a copy of the Civil Defence training pamphlet Notes On The Detection and Reporting of Unexploded Missiles (H.M.S.O., 1943); Admiralty letter notifying him of the award of his D.S.C., dated 20 January 1945, with three others relating to investiture arrangements; and the artefacts including his R.N.V.R. uniform epaulettes and cap badge, cloth “UXB” sleeve badge, wooden R.N. B.D.S. (Royal Navy Bomb Disposal Section) wall-plaque and wartime White Ensign, the leading edge ink-inscribed, ‘D. Law, R.N., B.D.S.’
‘The Army A.A. Gunners, under Bombardier Labern, and Naval Gunners, under Gunlayer Pilling, assisted by the ship’s crew, kept up a marvellous, continuous and accurate barrage in the face of unceasing and direct attack on numerous occasions. Their courageous keenness kept the men untiringly at their posts, and on many occasions near misses drenched them with water, which swamped their guns, but never their ardour. The above mentioned Bombardier and Gunlayer were outstanding and set a wonderful example to their crews.’ Captain W. D. Mason, G.C., in his official report, following the miraculous arrival of the tanker Ohio at Grand Harbour, Valetta. The important Second War Operation ‘Pedestal’ D.S.M. group of seven awarded to Acting Bombardier R. H. H. Labern, Royal Artillery, 4th Maritime A.A. Regiment (R.A.), who commanded a Bofors section aboard the tanker Ohio Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (6202472 R. H. H. Labern. A/Bmbdr. R.A.) impressed naming; 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; Italy Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, mounted as worn, nearly extremely fine (7) £8,000-£10,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Provenance: Dix Noonan Webb, February 2015. Just 51 D.S.M.s were awarded to Gunners of the Royal Artillery for services in Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships in the 1939-45 War. D.S.M. London Gazette 8 December 1942: ‘For bravery while serving in Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships on passage to Malta.’ The original recommendation, for an immediate D.C.M., states: ‘During the recent passage of a convoy to Malta, Bombardier Labern was Detachment Commander of a Bofors Gun on the M.V. Ohio. During a submarine attack a torpedo struck the vessel and caused a fire to break out on deck. Bombardier Labern organised the men under his command into a firefighting party and in the face of great danger succeeded in extinguishing the fire. The ship was dive-bombed and attacked by E-Boats on numerous occasions. Throughout this N.C.O. stood by his gun and showed great personal courage.’ Out of 161 D.E.M.S. Gunners employed in Operation ‘Pedestal’ 28 were killed in action. Reginald Henry Holswatt Labern was ultimately awarded the D.S.M., an award approved by the Vice-Admiral Malta, no doubt on the back of the above quoted statement made by Captain W. D. Mason, G.C. He received his decoration at an investiture held in February 1944. The importance of Operation ‘Pedestal’ needs no introduction here, Winston Churchill himself requesting regular updates as to the convoy’s progress, but for the record’s sake it is worth registering the bare facts: of the 14 merchantmen that set out, nine were sunk and three damaged, while the Senior Service’s input of 59 escorts, the largest such force ever assembled in defence of a convoy, sustained losses of an aircraft carrier, a cruiser and a destroyer, as well as having another half a dozen ships damaged. But of all the participating vessels, it was the tanker Ohio that captured the headlines, her survival and vital cargo of fuel allowing Malta to continue her grim defence. In the final 60 hours of her epic voyage, prior to her triumphant entry into Valetta on 15 August 1942, she received no less than seven direct hits and 20 near-misses. Her Master, of course, was awarded the George Cross, the citation for which honour makes specific mention of his ship’s gunners: ‘During the passage to Malta of an important convoy Captain Mason’s ship suffered most violent onslaught. She was a focus of attack throughout and was torpedoed early one night. Although gravely damaged, her engines were kept going and the Master made a magnificent passage by handsteering and without a compass. The ship’s gunners helped to bring down one of the attacking aircraft. The vessel was hit again before morning, but though she did not sink, her engine room was wrecked. She was then towed. The unwieldy condition of the vessel and persistent enemy attacks made progress slow, and it was uncertain whether she would remain afloat. All next day progress somehow continued and the ship reached Malta after a further night at sea. The violence of the enemy could not deter the Master from his purpose. Throughout he showed skill and courage of the highest order and it was due to his determination that, in spite of the most persistent enemy opposition, the vessel, with her valuable cargo, eventually reached Malta and was safely berthed’ (London Gazette 8 September 1942 refers). The Ohio, an oil tanker built for the Texas Oil Company in 1940, first arrived in U.K. waters in June 1942, soon after which she was turned over to a British crew under the auspices of the British Eagle Oil and Shipping Company, for she was already earmarked for the Malta-run. Her new Master was Dudley Mason, in command of 77 men, no less than 24 of them R.N. and Army Gunners to man the tanker’s newly installed 5-inch A. A. gun aft and a 3-inch A.A. gun in the bows, in addition to an array of Oerlikon guns. Captain Mason having attended a special conference, Ohio departed the Clyde with her fellow ‘Pedestal’ merchantmen and a naval escort on 2 August 1942, the tanker laden with 11,500 tons of kerosene and diesel fuel oils. Gibraltar was reached without incident on the 10th, but thereafter, the convoy entered the “killing zone”, an early casualty being the aircraft carrier Eagle, torpedoed on the 11th with a loss of 260 officers and men. From now on the merchantmen, and Ohio in particular, were subjected to relentless attack, from U-Boats and Italian submarines, the Luftwaffe and Regio Aeronautica, and from Axis surface vessels. On 12 August a combined enemy force of 100 aircraft struck at the merchantmen, the likes of Labern and his fellow D.E.M.S. Gunners undoubtedly being kept busy, but Ohio ultimately fell victim to the Italian submarine Axum, which delivered an accurate torpedo attack amidst the chaos and carnage of the ongoing air strike. Ohio was hit amidships, a huge column of flame leaping high-up above mast level. The resultant damage included a hole in her port side, measuring 24 by 27 feet, a gaping hole in her buckled deck, and the loss of steering gear and compass. No less concerning was the kerosene seeping through the damaged tanks. Here, then, as cited, the moment Labern and his men fought the blaze, while Mason and his crew rigged up emergency steering gear from aft, the tanker even reaching 13 knots, fortuitous progress given pending events. Nearing Pantelleria, Ohio was marked out for the special attention of 60 Stukas, bombs and machine-gun fire raking her decks, the 3-inch A.A. gun in the bows being put out of action but Labern and the D.E.M.S. Gunners breaking up some of the approaching formations and downing at least one enemy aircraft, the wreckage of which crashed into Ohio’s starboard side, half of one wing smashing into the upper work of the bridge. But the enemy aircraft kept on coming, two sticks of bombs straddling the tanker and lifting her clean out of the water and others stopping her engines on two occasions, the resultant periods of “restarting” leaving her a sitting duck. In fact, at one stage, most of the crew were taken off by H.M.S. Penn, only to be returned the following day when it was decided to take the stricken tanker in tow. Yet again, however, the Ohio was hit, a bomb falling near the original damage caused her by the Axum’s torpedo strike and reducing her to 4 or 5 knots; a preliminary damage report revealed that she had almost certai...
‘I have been much impressed with the report you sent me indicating the fine work performed by the Land Incident Section since its inception. The work of these officers and ratings, and the cold-blooded heroism with which they performed it, have been of the highest quality, and have been the cause of saving many lives and homes.’ Winston Churchill in a message to the First Sea Lord of the Admiralty, 10 January 1945. The important Second War bomb and mine disposal O.B.E., George Medal and Bar group of seven awarded to Lieutenant-Commander G. J. ‘Jack’ Cliff, Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve, who on one occasion was recommended for the award of a G.C. and had previously been decorated with the M.B.E. for like services, a very rare instance of ‘quadruple gallantry awards’ in the Second War Often working alongside his fellow Australian Lieutenant-Commander L. V. Goldsworthy, G.C., D.S.C., G.M., he became known as ‘Contractor Joe’ for his extraordinary skills in rendering safe deeply embedded ‘G’ type mines, thereby gallantly embracing the Land Incident Section’s informal motto to ‘get rid of the damn things’; described by one contemporary as being ‘slightly eccentric’ and ‘a bright and jovial man with a hearty laugh’, he also possessed ‘a remarkable capacity for drinking beer.’ And few, it may be said, deserved a crate of the amber liquid more than he, for his survival was nothing short of miraculous: On one occasion in the Blitz he was buried under rubble while working on a brute of a parachute mine in Bermondsey; on another, in tackling a badly damaged ‘G’ type on the Isle of Sheppey, ‘he worked on through a series of electric shocks and sparks due to the damaged switch, not knowing whether these were going to detonate the mine … ‘ The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Military) Officer’s 2nd type breast badge, silver-gilt; George Medal, G.VI.R., 1st issue (Lieut. Geoffrey J. Cliff. R.A.N.V.R.) with Second Award Bar, the reverse officially dated ‘1942’; 1939-45 Star; Pacific Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Australia Service Medal, these last three officially impressed (G. J. Cliff. R.A.N.V.R.) mounted as worn, very fine (7) £8,000-£10,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Provenance: Spink/Noble Auction, March 1999. Just four Australians have been awarded the George Medal and Bar, a civilian and three officers of the Royal Australian Navy. O.B.E. (Military) London Gazette 18 April 1944: ‘For gallantry and devotion to duty:- Lieut. G. J. Cliff, M.B.E., R.A.N.V.R.’ - a promotion from M.B.E. (Military) awarded in London Gazette 28 September 1943. The 4-page recommendation describes the rendering safe of a mine which had fallen in Coal Barge Wharf at Southampton. The complex operation to recover the mine extended from August to October 1943, the concluding paragraphs of the recommendation stating: ‘At high water the (air) bag with the mine attached was towed from the dock through Southampton Water to Hamble Spit where it was intended at low water to make an effort to gag and remove the fuse. On the way to this spot, due to a leak in the bag, the mine sank to the bottom. Lieutenant-Commander Cliff was faced with the position of casting it off or dragging it as best he could towards the shore where it was hoped to beach it. This was accomplished not without alarm, and the bag and gear attended to, and the tow proceeded with. Upon examination at the next low water the mine was found to be a ‘GC’ type. It was seen that the fuse could not possibly be gagged owing to corrosion of its face. The keep ring appeared to be in good condition but could not be persuaded to move. Lieutenant-Commander Cliff therefore drilled the keep ring away from the case and again attempted to remove the fuse. This would not stir and owing to the absence of the screwed portion on the bomb fuse face, due to corrosion, it was not possible to utilise the extractor. Permission was then sought and granted for the removal of the mine to a safe spot at the entrance to the Hamble River where it was intended to detonate the filling. The mine was finally detonated on 7 October 1943, at high water, and very little damage to surrounding property was caused. The work carried out by Lieutenant-Commander Cliff and Lieutenant Goldsworthy was of the highest order. It had been found by experience that mines which have had charges exploded near them without detonation are extremely dangerous, and both officers were well aware of this. They are both recommended for an award.’ G.M. London Gazette 9 June 1942: ‘For gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty.’ The original recommendation states: ‘On 11 May 1941 an unexploded parachute mine was reported as having dropped on a two-storey building in the Leather Market at Bermondsey. The mine was eventually found completely covered by debris, and Lieutenant Cliff had to make his way through and below this debris to reach it. When he was about to commence operations another mine or bomb detonated nearby, completely burying him in wreckage and rubble. Lieutenant Cliff realised full well that this detonation was more than liable to have started the clockwork fuse in the mine with which he was dealing. With the greatest difficulty he managed to escape from under the debris by which he was buried, and immediately continued his operations on the mine which he successfully rendered safe. A further instance of the difficulties and onerous conditions under which he was working is provided by the fact that it was necessary to demolish the walls of the building before the mine could be removed. On 2 July 1941, a ‘G’ type Mine dropped at Leysdown, Isle of Sheppey. ‘G’ Type Mines are dropped without parachutes, and, if they do not explode on impact, nearly always bury themselves deep in the ground. Moreover, they contain not only a magnetic unit, which is presumed to be alive, but also an anti-handling device operated by a photo-electric cell. It is therefore necessary to work at the bottom of a deep hole and in darkness. In this instance the mine was badly damaged by its fall, making it even more dangerous, and was buried 24 feet down in clay soil. Lieutenant Cliff found that the clay had found its way under the cover of the mine and had shorn off the top plate of the switch. In consequence he worked on through a series of electric shocks and sparks due to the damaged switch, not knowing whether these were going to detonate the mine. He eventually removed the damaged switch by sheering off the six screws which held it. He then had to remove the bolts holding the magnetically alive unit with a hacksaw owing to their damaged condition. However, after nearly a month of hard and hazardous work he succeeded in rendering the mine safe. Between August to October, Lieutenant Cliff also successfully dealt with three other mines in the Thames Estuary District, which were endangering oil tanks at Thames Haven. These mines were covered with water and mud and were buried about 8 to 16 feet down. In each instance coffer dams had to be erected and the water pumped out, and each took between a fortnight and a month to recover. These mines were particularly dangerous, as previous attempts had been made to countermine them. Lieutenant Cliff was assisted throughout by Lieutenant Charles Graham Tanner, R.N.V.R. as ‘Learner’, and the excavating and timbering was done by Lieutenant Lombard ...
The South Atlantic and Gulf operations pair awarded to Leading Steward M. W. Devine, Royal Navy, who sustained concussion when H.M.S. Coventry was bombed and sunk in May 1982 South Atlantic 1982, with rosette (AL STD M W Devine D156565L HMS Coventry); General Service 1962-2007, 1 clasp, Gulf (L STD M W Devine D156565L RN) mounted for display, good very fine (2) £1,600-£2,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- H.M.S. Coventry, a Type 42-class destroyer launched in 1974, served during the Falklands War under the command of Captain D. Hart Dyke, initially as part of the air defence vanguard for the two aircraft carriers, H.M.S. Hermes and H.M.S. Invincible. On 25 May 1982, Coventry was attacked and hit by three bombs, and sank in less than 30 minutes, with the loss of 19 killed and 30 injured. One of the bombs exploded beneath the computer room, destroying it and the nearby operations room. A second entered the forward engine room, exploding beneath the junior ratings’ dining room. The third bomb failed to detonate. Hart Dyke, father of the award-winning actress Miranda Hart, later described Coventry’s role and loss in Four Weeks in May, which was turned into a B.B.C. documentary, titled Sea of Fire. Of the moment the bombs hit, he recalled: ‘There was a vicious shockwave, a blinding flash and searing heat … the force and the shock of the impact shook my whole body to the core. All power and communication were lost, the ship stopped, burning furiously and beginning to role.’ The surviving crew were rescued by H.M.S. Broadsword. Devine, who sustained concussion, went on to serve in the Gulf operations in H.M.S. Charybdis.
The unique inter-war and Second War ‘Triple D.S.M.’ group of eight awarded to Chief Petty Officer T. A. Topley, Royal Navy; first decorated for his gallant deeds in the gunboat Sandpiper on the Yangtse River during the Sino-Japanese conflict in 1938-39, he added a Bar to his decoration for like services as a member of a beach party at Dunkirk in 1940, and a second Bar for his ‘fighting spirit’ in command of “A” turret in the cruiser H.M.S. Dido at the Second Battle of the Sirte in 1942 Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R., with Second and Third Award Bars (T. Topley, P.O. R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; Pacific Star; Defence Medal and War Medals 1939-45; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.VI.R., 1st issue (J.112800 T. A. Topley, C.P.O. H.M.S. Dido) mounted court-style for display, good very fine (8) £30,000-£40,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Just five ‘Triple D.S.M.s’ have ever been awarded, two of the 2nd Bars being awarded in the Great War and three of them in the Second World War; uniquely, one man added a 3rd Bar to his award in the latter conflict. D.S.M. London Gazette 1 January 1940: ‘For services during the Sino-Japanese Conflict.’ D.S.M. Second Award Bar London Gazette 7 June 1940: ‘For good services in the withdrawal of the Allied Armies from the beaches of Dunkirk.’ The original recommendation states: ‘For distinguished service as members of the beach parties employed on the beaches and breakwater at Dunkirk during the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force and part of the French Army. The initiative, resource, and power of endurance displayed by these ratings, under the most arduous and hazardous conditions was worthy of the highest praise, and contributed largely towards the rapid and successful embarkation of the Troops.’ D.S.M. Third Award Bar London Gazette 8 September 1942: ‘For gallantry, skill and seamanship in H.M.S. Dido, in a brilliant action against strong enemy forces, which were driven off and severely damaged. This action resulted in the safe passage to Malta of an important convoy.’ The original recommendation states: ‘For courage, coolness and devotion to duty in the face of greatly superior enemy forces. Throughout the commission this C.P.O. has by his resolute character, fighting spirit and fine seamanship shown a grand example to all junior ratings. During the action for which I now recommend him for a decoration as senior rating in charge of “A” Turret he carried out his duties in exemplary fashion, and his turret did not miss firing a single round.’ Thomas Alan Topley was born in Lewisham, London, on 24 June 1909, and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in January 1925. Advanced to Petty Officer in October 1935, he joined the gunboat H.M.S. Sandpiper on the China station in April 1937 and remained likewise employed until returning to the U.K. in January 1940. Here, then, the period of active service in which he was awarded his first D.S.M. In the summer of 1938, the Sandpiper was based at Changsha, capital of Hunan province, which lay on the Xiang River, a tributary of the Yangtse. The Sino-Japanese War was raging at that time and the Japanese were attempting to capture the nearby city of Wuhan, which was defended with great tenacity. In consequence, endless columns of refugees passed through Changsha and many inhabitants left the city. Amidst this chaos, Sandpiper stood alone in protecting British interests in the Changsha area, and her captain, Lieutenant-Commander W. E. J. Eames, doubled up as British consul. Japanese air-raids increased in intensity and on 6 September 1938 bombs straddled Sandpiper which, because of her shallow draught, swayed at her anchors ‘like a novice water-skier’ but luckily there were no direct hits and no injuries other than minor cuts and bruises. Commander Eames subsequently reported to his Admiral: ‘Six Japanese bombers dropped a number of bombs around Sandpiper. Two cabins and sickbay wrecked. Considerable damage to superstructure but no underwater damage. No casualties. Consider attack deliberate.’ During the same attack, a ferry-boat loaded with refugees which had anchored only 30 yards away received a direct hit and sank, and several junks were also sunk, and Sandpiper sent away her boats to rescue survivors. Commander Eames also recorded in his report, ‘I would like to comment on the cool and excellent conduct of my officers and ship’s company, who did splendid work in saving the lives of a large number of people. Surgeon Lieutenant Sheridan is particularly deserving of high commendation.’ It is equally apparent that Topley likewise distinguished himself on the same occasion, subsequently receiving one of two D.S.M.s for the action. Shortly before Christmas 1939, the ship’s company was notified that Sandpiper was to be laid up and her personnel evacuated. Their subsequent journey from the interior of China was not a straightforward matter, as the Sino-Japanese war raged across much of the country. The overland route to Ningpo was selected following publication of a missionary’s account of a successful journey using this route. Many preparations had to be made, including the destruction of all the ammunition and the packing of nearly seven tons of stores which had to be brought out. The sailors were dressed in civilian clothes and all had grown beards to disguise their identity as naval personnel. They departed Changsha at 6 a.m. on 15 January 1940, in junks and sampans, and the journey to Shanghai took 15 days, requiring many modes of transport - boats, lorries, train, buses, and at one time rickshaws. On five or six nights they found accommodation in local hotels, but the other nights were spent on lorries or trains in bitterly old conditions. Their eventual arrival in Shanghai was followed by a celebration. The ship’s company then travelled to Hong Kong from where they took passage in the P. & O. liner Viceroy of India to England, where they disembarked at the end of March 1940. Following his return to the U.K., Topley was borne on the books of Pembroke I, from which employ he was seconded for service in Operation ‘Dynamo’ in May-June 1940. As cited above, he came ashore as a member of a beach party at Dunkirk, where his initiative, resource, and power of endurance, under the most arduous and hazardous conditions, was worthy of the highest praise. He was awarded a Bar to his D.S.M., which he received at a Buckingham Palace investiture in March 1941. Having been advanced to Chief Petty Officer in September 1940, in which month he joined the cruiser Dido, Topley was awarded his L.S. and G.C. medal in March 1942, the same month in which he distinguished himself for his ‘fighting spirit’ in command of Dido’s “A” turret at the 2nd Battle of Sirte on the 22nd. Earlier, in May-June 1941, Topley saw much action in the evacuation of Crete, when Dido went through some of the heaviest fighting and joined in the ‘midnight massacre’ of an enemy convoy north of Canea. But she was herself badly damaged, taking a bomb hit on a forward turret with resultant casualties. Topley likely shared in further honours in Dido and received his 3rd Bar at a Buckingham Palace investiture on 13 May 1943. He was finally pensioned ashore in July 1949 and died in Herne Bay, Kent, in August 1990. Sold with his original Admiralty admittance ticket for the latter investiture, together with copied research.
The rare post-war bomb and mine clearance B.E.M. pair awarded to Leading Seaman (Diver) A. J. B. Whitton, Royal Navy British Empire Medal (Military) E.II.R. (L.S. Arnold J. B. Whitton, D/JX.878990); Naval General Service 1915-62, 2 clasps, B. & M. Clearance, Mediterranean, Near East (D/JX.878990 A. J. B. Whitton, L.Smn. R.N.) mounted as worn, toned, nearly extremely fine (2) £2,400-£2,800 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Provenance: Alan Hall Collection, June 2000. Approximately 65 Naval General Service Medals, or clasps, were issued for six months’ consecutive work in bomb and mine disposal duties in the Mediterranean in the qualifying period 1953-60; British Battles & Medals, refers. B.E.M. London Gazette 12 June 1958. Seedies roll confirms award for services at H.M.S. Phoenicia, shore base on Manoel Island, Malta. Arthur James Burden Whitton served with the Fleet Clearance Diving Team as a diver in the Mediterranean in 1956-57, when the team was involved in clearing old UXBs and mines from Valetta harbour, Malta, and ports in North Africa. Although his B.E.M. was announced in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in June 1958, it was clearly an award for these clearance operations. In that respect, the following letter from Admiral Sir Charles E. Lambe, G.C.B., C.V.O., C.-in-C. Mediterranean, dated 17 January 1958, is not without interest: ‘Mediterranean Fleet Clearance Diving Team I wish to draw the attention of the Fleet to the work carried out during the past year by the Mediterranean Fleet Clearance Diving Team, which has involved some 50 separate operations to render safe, often underwater, and dispose of, over 900 missiles of various kinds. These have included the disposal of a live magnetic-acoustic mine containing 1,536 lbs. of high explosive, and a bomb containing 2,120 lbs. of high explosive. 18 bombs have been found to contain a particularly sensitive trembler type anti-disturbance fuze. 2. The operation concerning the mine mentioned above was probably the highlight of the year’s endeavours. The mine, a German type C, which was found lodged against a jetty in Benghazi harbour, was rendered safe after 2 1/2 hours’ work underwater and subsequently lifted and ditched in deep water. Examination of parts removed from this mine showed that, despite 16 years’ immersion, it was still in working and lethal condition. Expressions of gratitude for this operation have been received from consular and local government authorities in Benghazi. 3. Throughout all the operations undertaken by the Team there has run a spirit of cheerful endeavour, which, combined with courage, skill and careful planning, has enabled its officers and men to maintain the very high standard of efficiency which we have come to expect of the Fleet Clearance Diving Team. Their work has been in keeping with the highest traditions of the Service.’ Sold with the recipient’s original Admiralty named letter of notification for the award of his B.E.M., cut-down and sealed in protective covering, together with some bullion uniform insignia, including 3 ‘Diver’ trade badges, and copied group photograph of the Fleet Clearance Diving Team, including Whitton.
The rare Second War Landing-Craft Operations Clearance Unit (L.C.O.C.U.) D.S.M. group of five awarded to Petty Officer H. C. Gore, Royal Navy, who was decorated for his gallantry as a frogman and demolition expert on D-Day and in the contested landings in the South of France Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (P.O., H. C. Gore. R/JX.209374) officially engraved naming; 1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, mounted as worn, extremely fine (5) £2,400-£2,800 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Seedies Roll lists a total of just 10 D.S.M.s, 3 D.S.C.s, and one D.S.C. and Bar to L.C.O.C. Units during the Second World War, mainly for the landings in Normandy and the South of France. D.S.M. London Gazette 6 November 1945: ‘For bravery, skill and great devotion to duty in the reconnaissance and destruction of unknown obstacles and mines, and in the rescuing of survivors whose craft had been destroyed in a minefield during the Allied landings in the Baie de Cavalaire in the South of France, June-August 1944. And for similar good services in the landings in Normandy.’ The recommendations for this batch of awards are to be found in the National Archives under reference ADM1/30497 which reads: ‘The Honours and Awards Committee has considered the good services of certain ratings in the destruction of underwater obstacles and mines during the invasion of the South of France, and submits that the King may be asked to approve the Awards set forth below. During the landings in the Baie de Cavallaire in the South of France these ratings successfully carried out under fire the initial reconnaissance of unknown obstacles and mines and achieved their destruction. They also did good work in helping to save the lives of wounded soldiers of the United States Army when the craft in which they were embarked struck mines and was sunk.’ Henry Charles Gore was a frogman in a Landing-Craft Obstruction Clearance Unit, one of 120 such men engaged on D-Day, two of whom were killed and ten wounded; six of them were awarded the D.S.M. Just two L.C.O.C.U. units subsequently participated in the landings in the South of France, making Gore’s award of the D.S.M. most unusual. Lieutenant H. Hargreaves, a L.C.O.C.U. commander, later described what he and his fellow frogmen, such as Gore, faced on D-Day: ‘The invasion of Normandy to the average person was the greatest combined operation that had ever taken place, and that in fact was the truth. However, few people know of the work carried out by small, special units, both before the operation, and during the initial assaults. We were one of the small units which had this particular role to play. A role which was not easy, and from which many of us did not expect to return, but one which we were determined to carry out until our work was completed. For the invasion of Normandy the Force Commanders used approximately a hundred and twenty officers and men of the ‘Locku’ units divided into ten parties, or units. Each unit had an officer and eleven men, and each was allotted to its own beach and had its own particular job to do. In my case, and that of a brother officer, we found ourselves detailed to deal with the obstacles on a beach near the village of La Riviere. We were supposed to go in at H hour, which was the very beginning of the assault. We were dropped into our craft from an L.S.I. at seven o’clock in the morning and went hell-for-leather for the beach, and arrived hoping to find the front row of obstacles on the water’s edge, and not in the water, but discovered some two or three feet of water over them. We left our craft and got to work at once on posts with mines secured to the tops of them, specially constructed wooden ramps which were mined, and steel hedgehogs with mines and anti-aircraft shells on top of them, and we were subjected the whole time to quite a hot fire from rockets, shells and bombs. We must have been about four hundred yards from the beach when the firing first started, and they didn’t forget to inform us that they knew we were coming. When we finally got on the beach we discovered that we were being systematically sniped, not only with rifles but also by odd bursts of machine-gun fire - a most unpleasant experience - but one that we soon got used to. As time went on we almost forgot about it until we realised that opposition was dying down because in the meantime the Army had landed and was dealing with machine-gun posts, mortar posts, and all the other unpleasant places Jerry had prepared for us. The weather was very much worse than anyone would have expected in June, and we had the greatest difficulty working in a very heavy surf. It was hard going and we soon got pretty tired, but in the meantime the obstacles were being slowly but systematically destroyed. As we made an initial gap for the landing craft to come through, so we increased the size of the gap as time went on. We succeeded in clearing the whole of the beach some thousand yards in length, with obstacles going out to over four hundred yards by the end of D Day. That didn’t end our work, of course, although the worst was over. Landing craft of all shapes and sizes were simply pouring on to the beach, and in the meantime, having cleared that beach, we had to proceed to another beach and get rid of the obstacles there. In all, we successfully disposed of over two thousand five hundred obstacles, practically every one mined, in addition to this, as a sort of savoury, we cleared the explosives out of half a dozen beetle tanks. Not long before D Day a special jacket had been invented to protect us against that terrible blast which can be experienced when a mine or shell explodes underwater. This jacket was known as a ‘Kapok Jacket’ and was worn underneath our swim suits. It proved to be a most wonderful thing, and saved the lives of no less than three of my men. One of my Petty Officers, who was working in about six feet of water, had a shell or mortar bomb explode in the water quite close to him, and although he was completely knocked out, and in fact paralysed for several hours, he had no injuries whatever, and no after effects. A Royal Engineer who was swimming towards the beach from one of the landing craft, and was some distance farther away from the explosion than the Petty Officer, was killed outright, and I have no doubt that many men suffered the same fate on that day. I would like to make it quite clear that we don’t in any way look upon ourselves as supermen, or heroes, or anything like that at all, and we did not by any means clear all the obstacles off the beaches in time for the landing craft to get in. There were nowhere near enough of us to have hoped to do it. What we could, and did do, was to clear an initial gap for the landing craft to beach safely, and to increase that gap as quickly as possible until the beach was entirely free from obstacles. Consequently many of the landing craft who didn’t use the gap, because of the simple fact that there just wasn’t room for them, struck obstacles, or had holes blown in them or their bottoms torn out, with the result that many men had to swim ashore with full equipment. When our original job had been completed we had to keep our reputation as ‘Jack the Handyman’ by doing many jobs to assist on the beaches, such as winching drowned vehicles out of the water. We did this by taking a wire with a hook on the end, right out to sea in our swim suits and breathing sets, hook up the vehicle, come to the surface and signal to the operator ashore to...
The notable Second War Immediate D.F.M. group of five awarded to Flying Officer A. H. Horry, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, a Bomb Aimer in No. 9 Squadron in the decisive attack on the Tirpitz on 12 November 1944 Distinguished Flying Medal, G.VI.R. (1332586 F/Sgt. A. H. Horry. R.A.F.); 1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, mounted as worn, good very fine (5) £7,000-£9,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- D.F.M. London Gazette 30 January 1945. The original recommendation states: ‘As Air Bomber, this N.C.O. has taken part in many sorties including the last two attacks on the German battleship Tirpitz. On the first attack which was undertaken from a Russian base, he gave great assistance to his captain, by successfully map reading in very bad visibility, but was prevented from taking part in the attack by the unserviceability of his aircraft. On the last two attacks, which necessitated very long journeys, Flight Sergeant Horry again assisted his pilot and navigator by the accuracy of his map reading. In the actual bombing of his targets he has shown the greatest coolness and steady determination to drop his bombs upon the target. He has at all times shown the greatest keenness to operate and has proved a most valuable member of a very good crew.’ Remarks by Base Commander: ‘A key member of a very good bombing team. For his share in the successful attack on Tirpitz I recommend the award of the Distinguished Flying Medal.’ Arthur Henry Horry was born at Bungay, Norfolk, on 10 September 1923, and enlisted in the Royal Air Force in January 1941. Having undertaken training in Canada, he returned to the U.K. in March 1943 and was advanced to Flight Sergeant at the end of the year. In June 1944, he commenced his first operational tour as a Bomb Aimer in No. 106 Squadron, a Lancaster unit based at R.A.F. Metheringham. Over the coming weeks, he completed 19 sorties, mainly to France, including strikes against the V.1 weapon sites at Saint-Leu-d’Esserent in early July and at Trossy St. Maxim on successive nights in early August. Transferring to No. 9 Squadron in September 1944, he undertook specialist training at R.A.F. Bardney in readiness for the Tirpitz operations, and participated in a successful ‘Tallboy’ strike on the Sorpe Dam on 15 October 1944. His first Tirpitz mission was curtailed by poor weather but, on 29 October 1944, he and his crew reached their designated target, as confirmed by the squadron’s operational record book: ‘Primary attacked at 0855 hours … centre of ship in [Horry’s] bomb sight. Light and heavy flak moderate to light from shore batteries and Tirpitz, which was also firing heavy guns from aft. Rear Gunner saw a direct hit on the bows of the Tirpitz, followed by a big explosion and column of brown smoke.’ But it took another strike to finish the job, namely Operation ‘Catechism’ flown on the 12 November 1944, a task delegated to 9 and 617 Squadrons under the overall command of Wing Commander J. B. ‘Willy’’ Tait, D.S.O., and undertaken from a base in Russia. The attack was a resounding success, three direct hits in quick succession causing Tirpitz to capsize. Horry’s role as Bomb Aimer was patently a crucial one and it’s not without interest that No. 9 Squadron claimed it was their aircraft that obtained the vital hits. And it was to the Wireless Operator in Horry’s Lancaster that fell the duty of signalling H.Q. in the event of Tirpitz’s demise, a duty duly fulfilled and the news rapidly passed to the B.B.C. for a broadcast was made as the Lancaster crews were still over Norway. Horry was subsequently among ten aircrew to be recommended for a decoration on the same occasion, the rest of them being awarded the D.F.C., thereby making his D.F.M. a unique squadron award. The covering notes for the recommendations state: ‘These members of aircraft crew have each completed many operational missions and have displayed the highest standard of keenness and determination throughout. On 12 November 1944, they participated in the decisive attack on the German warship Tirpitz, a target against which all of them had previously been in action. On this last occasion the big battleship was sunk. The success achieved reflects the greatest credit on the efforts of these members of aircraft crew who, in their various capacities as pilots, navigators and air bombers displayed skill, courage and resolution of a high order.’ Horry went on to complete his operational tour, attacking specialist targets such as U-boat pens, viaducts and flying-bomb sites. Commissioned in February 1945, he was finally discharged as a Flying Officer in February 1946. Sold with two original letters from the recipient, which outline his wartime career, an aircrew reunion photograph, and copied research.
INDIE/ ALT - LP PACK (INC MANY ORIGINAL PRESSINGS). A quality pack of 18 indie/ alt LPs. Artists/ titles include Cornershop inc When I Was Born For The 7th Time (WIJLP 1065), Handcream For A Generation (WIJLP 1115). Hefner - The Fidelity Wars (PURE92LP), The Flying Saucer Attack - Keep Vinyl Alive (FSA 62), The Sundays - Reading Writing And Arithmetic (Rough 148). Hood - Rustic Houses Forlorn Valleys, Sahara Hotnights - Jennie Bomb, Yo La Tengo - Electropura, Drugstore - S/T (No 7"), Belly - Star, Throwing Muses - Red Heaven, Kristin Hersh inc Hips And Makers, Your Ghost. Sun Dial, Bill Callahan, Codeine, Presence. Condition is generally VG+ to Ex+, odd one may drop below.
**Collection of "The Falklands War" Publications** A bound compilation of "The Falklands War," a 14-part weekly series published by Marshall Cavendish in the early-to-mid 1980s, documenting the events of the 1982 Falklands War. Each issue features vivid photography, illustrations, and accompanying text chronicling the conflict from the invasion to victory. Highlights from visible issues include: - **Issue 1 (2–9 April 1982)**: "INVASION!" with a soldier's face in camouflage. - **Issue 2 (10–30 April 1982)**: Action imagery with "SOUTH GEORGIA RETAKEN." - **Issue 3 (2 May 1982)**: The sinking of the "Belgrano." - **Issue 4 (4 May 1982)**: Graphic depiction of a naval vessel attack, marked "EXOCET!" - **Issue 5 (14 May 1982)**: SAS operations on "Pebble Island." - **Issue 6 (21 May 1982)**: "D-DAY" operations involving amphibious landings. - **Issue 7 (25 May 1982)**: "BOMB ALLEY" naval conflict imagery. - **Issue 8 (27–28 May 1982)**: The "GOOSE GREEN" battle. - **Issue 9 (1 June 1982)**: Gurkha troop involvement with "GURKHAS GO IN." Each issue includes pricing details for multiple regions: UK £1, Australia $2.50, New Zealand $3.00, and others. Articles describe major events, military operations, and personnel with illustrations by artists such as R. Gajda. The collection is housed in a leather or faux-leather hardcover folder, appearing to preserve the series in excellent condition. Approximate dimensions are standard A4 size (21 x 29.7 cm). A compelling historical resource for military history enthusiasts.
12-Inch Vinyl Record Collection This collection consists of various 12-inch vinyl record albums spanning different genres and decades. Below is a detailed account of notable albums identified by their covers and spines: 1. **"Black & White"** - Cover Design: Black-and-white theme with matching text and image layout, protected in a clear plastic sleeve. - Spine Information: “AN EVENING WITH THE LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA,” with catalogue number 6999001. 2. **"Cheap Thrills" by Big Brother and the Holding Company** - Distinctive comic-book style cover illustrated by Robert Crumb, featuring Janis Joplin prominently. 3. **Rod Stewart - "Atlantic Crossing"** - Space-themed illustration with a bold title showcasing Rod Stewart. 4. **Donovan - "Catch The Wind"** - Donovan is seated, holding a guitar on the cover; spine reads “CATCH THE WIND DONOVAN, REB 421.” 5. **Groundhogs - "Thank Christ for the Bomb"** - Spine Details: “THANK CHRIST FOR THE BOMB THE GROUNDHOGS." Published by Liberty Records. 6. **Tchaikovsky - "Symphony No. 5 in E Minor"** - Cover reflects classical design, featuring "Everest" and conductor Sir Malcolm Sargent with the London Symphony Orchestra. 7. **"The Planets – Holst" (London Philharmonic Orchestra)** - Classic album featuring swirling, multicoloured abstract art on its black cover. 8. **Esther & Abi Ofarim – Israeli Ballads** - Spine Text: "ESTHER & ABI OFARIM SIN Z ISRAELI BALLADS." 9. **"The Best of The Lovin’ Spoonful Vol. 1 and 2"** - Matching whimsical art styles on both volumes with songs listed on each cover. 10. **Big Brother and the Holding Company – "Cheap Thrills"** - Classic Columbia Records release noted for R. Crumb’s artwork and Janis Joplin's powerful vocals. **Genres and Era:** The collection spans the 1960s to 1970s, including rock, classical, and jazz records. With iconic releases from Janis Joplin, Donovan, Rod Stewart, and the Groundhogs, this varied assortment appeals to collectors and enthusiasts across music genres.
A Record British Military issue stainless steel cased gentleman's wristwatch with signed and jewelled 022K caliber movement, the signed black dial with white Arabic hour numerals, MoD arrow and subsidiary seconds, the case back detailed 'W.W.W.' above MoD arrow 'L22852' and '540699', case diameter 3.6cm, on a black NATO-type strap. Provenance: it is believed this watch may have been acquired from Sir Barnes Wallis, who was a neighbour of the current vendor's family. Barnes Wallis was an English engineer and inventor, best known for inventing the bouncing bomb used by the RAF in Operation Chastise (the 'Dambusters' raid).
Sheppard, T. (ed.), Transactions of the Hull Scientific and Field Naturalists’ Club, Hull, 1911, including ‘A List of the Seventeenth Century Tokens of Lincolnshire in the Hull Museum’, Hull, 1911 (Manville 706); Sheppard, T., Hull Museum Publications (8), nos. 68, 100, 102, 119, 126, 127, 141, 208 (A List of Yorkshire Medals in the Municipal Museum at Hull; Yorkshire Tramway Tokens and Counters and Yorkshire Seventeenth Century Tokens; Saxon Relics from Barton and Elloughton; Catalogue of Love Tokens and other engraved pieces in the Hull Museum; Quarterly Record of Additions (4), Hull, 1909-40; Smith, S.H. (ed.), Yorkshire Philosophical Society, Annual Report, 1910, including Wakefield, C., ‘Description of the Coins of Edward the Confessor in the Collection of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society’, 12pp, 1 plate; Pickersgill, T., Hull Museum Publications, no. 80 (Roman Coins from South Ferriby), 1911; Sheppard, T., and Musham, J.F., Money Scales and Weights, London, 1923, vi + 221pp, engraved illustrations in text (Manville 840); Whitting, P.D., Coins, Tokens and Medals of the East Riding of Yorkshire, York, 1969, iv + 80pp, 16 plates (Manville 1206); Anon, The Origin and Adventures of a Hull Eighteen-Penny Silver Token, Hull, 1981 reprint, 36pp; Schadla-Hall, R.T., Tom Sheppard, Hull’s Great Collector, Beverley, 1989, 38pp, illustrations in text [15]. Publishers’ bindings, a good group £100-£150 --- Provenance: Burgess Williamson Library. Thomas Sheppard (1876-1945), the indefatigable curator of Hull’s Municipal Museum for 40 years (1901-41), was the eldest of a family of 10 from South Ferriby, Lincolnshire. As a youth he was a railway clerk at Hull docks, but his interests already lay elsewhere, particularly in geology. Taking over a run-down museum, he spent 18 months entirely redisplaying the collection and cataloguing it, before the museum was reopened on 2 June 1902. A prime believer in local museums displaying local material, Sheppard’s ability to coax that material into the collections that he curated by whatever means was legendary, particularly during the period 1910-1925; indeed, one of his contemporaries commented that he had ‘filled his museums and store rooms by the laudable exercise of the same traits as Viking raiders, having, like William the Conqueror, an ingrained habit of annexing objects first and asking, or not asking, permission as seemed expedient afterwards’. His retirement in September 1941 came shortly after the Hull blitzes in May and July of that year, when the city suffered the worst bomb damage outside London and much of what Sheppard had collected and curated was destroyed
A collection of RAF-related militaria and ephemera belonging to Harold Gordon Allen, Royal Canadian Air Force, No. J 87339, including a scrap album containing a large collection of photographs, newspaper cutting and other ephemera relating to his time in service, Service Pay Book, RAF side cap, post-war dress jacket and other items. Note: Harold Allen served with No. 617 Squadron (Dambusters) and took part in Operation Catechism as a bomb-aimer on board modified Lancaster bomber ME562 (KC-K). Operation Catechism resulted in the sinking of the German battleship Tirpitz on 12th November 1944.
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