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Lot 540
Star Wars/The Empire Strikes Back/Return of The Jedi: sixteen Kenner toys including Sy Snootles and The Rebo Band, Turret and Probot Set, A-Wing Fighter, Snow Speeder, Tauntaun, Desert Sail Skiff, Int-4, Slave 1, Jabba The Hut, Scout Walker, Land Speeder (late edition), Imperial Attack Base, Sand Skimmer, Millennium Falcon, Death Star Station and Tie Fighter in original boxes, two card shop stand-ups of Yoda and C-3PO, varying condition, brown tape applied to some end flaps (18)
Lot 541
Star Wars/The Empire Strikes Back/Return of The Jedi: Kenner toys including Twin-Pod Cloud Car, Ewok Village, Rebel Transport, Interceptor Vehicle, X-Wing Fighter, Land Speeder, Dagobah, selection of figures in black Darth Vader Collector’s Case (some with cards), five large scale figures including C-3PO and Princess Leia, two Marvel comics and a t-shirt, varying condition
Lot 505
Thirteen Star Wars action figures - R2-D2, Warok and Romba both with Power of the Force coins, Luke in Imperial Stormtrooper outfit, Imperial gunner, Amanaman, 8D8, Imperial Commander, Admiral Ackbar, Han Solo, Prune Face, Tie Fighter pilot and Lando Calrissian. Mostly excellent and complete.
Lot 585
The outstanding post-war C.B., Second World War D.S.O., D.S.C. and Bar group of nine awarded to to Rear-Admiral C. T. Jellicoe, a kinsman of Jellicoe of Jutland: the epitome of the gallant destroyer captain, who survived the loss of two commands in the Mediterranean, he added a third decoration to his accolades for his role as Senior Officer Operations in the Duke of York at the destruction of the Scharnhorst in December 1943 The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, C.B. (Military) Companions neck badge, silver-gilt and enamels; Distinguished Service Order, G.VI.R., 1st issue, the reverse of the suspension bar officially dated 1942; Distinguished Service Cross, G.VI.R., with Second Award Bar, hallmarks for London 1939, the reverse of the Cross privately inscribed, Comdr. C. T. Jellicoe, D.S.O., D.S.C., R.N. and officially dated 1939, the reverse of the Bar similarly dated 1944; 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; Italy Star; War Medal 1939-45, M.I.D.oakleaf, these last five privately inscribed, Capt. C. T. Jellicoe, D.S.O., D.S.C., R.N.; Coronation 1953, good very fine and better (9) £8000-10000 C.B. London Gazette 9 June 1955. D.S.O. London Gazette 8 September 1942: For gallantry, skill and seamanship 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. D.S.C. London Gazette 23 December 1939: For successful actions against enemy submarines. Bar to D.S.C. London Gazette 7 March 1944: For gallantry, devotion to duty and distinguished service on the Staff of the Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet during the action in which the Scharnhorst was engaged and sunk. The original recommendation states: He showed a quick and accurate appreciation of events throughout the action which, combined with his sound judgement and careful planning of earlier movements, was of very great assistance to me in bringing the enemy to action in an advantageous position. Mention in despatches London Gazette 17 November 1942: For bravery and devotion to duty while serving in the Mediterranean. The original recommendation states: His coolness and leadership when his ship H.M.S. Jackal was badly damaged by aircraft bombs at about 2000 hours on 11 May 1942. Badly shaken and slightly wounded as he was, with his boiler rooms and one engine room flooded, and a fire spreading from another, he made every effort to save his ship. She was taken in tow at about 0100 hours on 12 May and it was not until 0300 hours that he was reluctantly compelled to report that the situation was hopeless. The good control he maintained throughout was most marked. Christopher Theodore Jellicoe was born at Chailey, near Lewes, Sussex in June 1903, the son of a clergyman, and entered the Royal Navy as Cadet at the R.N.C. Osborne in March 1917, but had not completed his training before the end of hostilities, when he was attending the R.N.C. Dartmouth. D.S.C.: anti-submarine patrols in home waters 1939 Gaining steady advancement between the Wars, Jellicoe was serving in the rank of Commander on the renewal of hostilities in September 1939, when he held command of the destroyer H.M.S. Winchelsea. Deployed at Portland as part of the 11th Destroyer Flotilla, the Winchelsea escorted convoys O.B. 2 and O.B. 3 in September, prior to removing to Western Approaches Command for similar duties. And for his command in these opening months of the War in successful anti-submarine operations, Jellicoe was awarded his first D.S.C., which distinction he received at a Buckingham Palace investiture held on 6 February 1940. D.S.O. and ômentionö: Malta convoys and the Mediterranean 1941-42 A brief period of service having ensued at the Admiralty, Jellicoe assumed command of another destroyer, the Southwold, in 1941, a ship of the 5th Destroyer Flotilla which he also commanded. And it was in this capacity that he won his D.S.O. for great gallantry in Malta convoy MW. 10, part of Operation ôM.G. 1ö, one of the most heavily contested convoys of the War, Jellicoe estimating that on one occasion the escorts and merchantmen were under attack from no less than 60 bombers and nine torpedo-aircraft - and reporting early on in the convoy that he had expended 40% of his 4-inch ammunition after nine successive attacks. Nor were the incoming threats limited to enemy aircraft, Admiral Vian famously leading his force against capital Italian ships and compelling their hasty retreat in what became known as the 2nd Battle of the Sirte. But it was while offering assistance to a crippled merchantman outside Malta harbour on the 25th, that the Southwold met her end, striking a recently laid mine - official Admiralty sources take up the story: Southwold was aiding Breconshire in the Mediterranean when a mine exploded under the engine room. The hull was severely damaged, engine and gearing rooms wrecked, and the upper deck was split over the engine room. Slow flooding of the engine room from the gearing room through bulkhead shaft glands, spread to the after boiler room through a fracture in the bulkhead. Both boiler rooms were shut down and the ship listed slightly to starboard. All lighting was temporarily lost but it was later restored with diesel generators. Whilst in tow, the side plating port and starboard in the vicinity of the engine room split to the upper deck. During the tow an enemy aircraft attacked Southwold and near miss bombs possibly caused further damage and flooding. Southwold settled slowly with considerable sag and an increased list to starboard and was finally abandoned, afterwards sinking. For his own part, at the end of the same month, Jellicoe submitted no less than 16 recommendations for decorations or a mention in despatches for his crew. His own ômentionö followed for like services in the destroyer Jackal in Operation ôM.G. 2ö (London Gazette 17 November 1942 refers), when his ship was again lost to enemy action on 11 May, the Evening Standard reporting: Twice within a month has Commander Jellicoe, nephew of the famous Admiral, had his ship sunk under him. On 26 April it was announced that the Southwold had been lost. Temporarily placed in command of the Jackal, Jellicoe, after a gallant stand against one of the hottest attacks by Nazis in the Mediterranean, had to abandon his ship which was ablaze from stem to stern. Although wounded, the Commander was the last man to leave the destroyer. This was, in fact, the famous occasion on which Jackals consorts Lively and Kipling were also sunk, a episode captured in some spectacular footage (sse Destroyers at War, by Geoffrey Haines). Jackal lost nine crew. Bar to D.S.C.: sinking of the Scharnhorst 1943 Returning home shortly afterwards, Jellicoe was appointed Staff Officer Operations (S.O.O.) to the C.-in-C. Home Fleet in the battleship Duke of York - and was invested with his D.S.O. at a Buckingham Palace investiture held on 15 December 1942. As it transpired, however, his new appointment in the Duke of York would result in yet another encounter with the King, for, famously, in December 1943, as the flagship of Admiral Bruce Fraser, she orchestrated the destruction of the mighty Scharnhorst on 26 December 1943: Meanwhile, the Duke of York with the rest of Admiral Frasers force had been working up from the S.W. and the flagship made contact with the Scharnhorst at 4.15 p.m., by which time darkness had closed in. Shortly afterwards the 14-inch guns of the Duke of York obtained a hit below the water-line and the Scharnhorst turned away to the northward and then eastward with a slight diminution in speed. Admiral Fraser ordered a torpedo attack by the destroyers Savage, Saumarez, Scorpion and Stor. These ships steamed ahead of the raider beyond a point where they could expect any assistance from their heavy consorts, and then turned in and discharged their torpedoes, securing at least three hits. There was an immediate drop in the German battleships speed and the
Lot 587
An extremely rare Second World War O.B.E. group of seven awarded to Captain H. H. Golding, Merchant Navy, one of a handful of recipients of the Southern Railway Companys M.S.M - for his gallant deeds as Master of the S.S. Isle of Sark in St. Peter Port, Guernsey in June 1940, when his ship came under attack while embarking evacuees The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire O.B.E. (Civil) Officers 2nd type breast badge, silver-gilt, in its Royal Mint case of issue; British War Medal 1914-20 (Hervy H. Golding); Mercantile Marine War Medal 1914-18 (Hervy H. Golding); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star, clasp, France and Germany; War Medal 1939-45; Southern Railway Companys Meritorious Service Medal, silver-gilt, the reverse officially engraved, H. H. Golding, in its fitted Royal Mint case of issue, the Great War awards slightly polished, otherwise generally good very fine and better (7) £4000-5000 O.B.E. London Gazette 3 January 1945. Southern Railway Companys M.S.M.: Delayed the departure of the S.S. Isle of Sark from Guernsey, during intense bombardment of the Island on 28 June 1940, in order that as many passengers as possible might be embarked. The Southern Railway Companys M.S.M. was instituted by the Companys directors soon after the outbreak of hostilities, 18 awards being presented at a ceremony held on 16 August 1940 and thereafter just six further awards. Hervy Hardinge Golding was born in Tongham, near Farnham, Surrey in October 1887, and sailed out of Greenock as an apprentice aboard the Samoena, a threeðmasted ship, and for four years survived the life, sailing and the dreaded Southern Ocean, learning the skills that would one day enable him to join that exclusive society of men ð the Cape Horners (The Evening Echo, Bournemouth, 22 June 1974 refers). Having passed his 2nd Mates examination in London in November 1908 and his 1st Mates examination in Hong Kong in November 1910, Golding was next employed in vessels of the British Steam Navigation Company and Seang Line, trading routes from Rangoon to China. In April 1914, he entered the service of the London & South Western Railway fleet as a 2nd Officer in the Bertha (afterwards merged with the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway, and the South Eastern & Chatham Railway companies to form the Southern Railway Company). Actively employed in the Mercantile Marine in the Great War, he was employed on the Southampton-Le Havre run, latterly in the Normannia and Hantonia. And he stayed in the Companys employ for the remainder of his career, his otherwise peaceful voyages to France and the Channel Islands coming to an abrupt end on the renewal of hostilities. Evacuation of Guernsey ð June 1940 On the renewal of hostilities, Golding was in command of the Isle of Jersey, shortly to be refitted as a hospital carrier, but in early 1940 he was given command of the Isle of Sark, which appointment led to his part in the evacuation of the Channel Islands. The ships matter of fact official log entry for 28 June 1940 states: 6.55 p.m., St. Peter Port, Guernsey: At time and place stated, while passengers were beginning to embark, enemy planes appeared and commenced a bombing and machine-gun action on harbour and shipping. A wireless transmission message was transmitted and acknowledged. The attack was maintained for an hour, during which no damage was done to the ship. Vessel sailed for Southampton at 10.15 p.m. according to schedule. A more extensive account of events that evening at St. Peter Port was later published in the Great Western Railway Magazine: On 28 June 1940 enemy bombers attacked in earnest. About 7 oclock in the evening a number came over, flying at about 3,000 feet. Diving lower, they then machine-gunned the jetty and its vicinity, and bombed the harbour very intensely. As it was low tide, the area under the jetty provided reasonably good shelter for those who were able to get there, but casualties were nevertheless considerable. Three of the Companys staff were among the wounded who were taken to a hospital in the Island. The jetty itself was soon ablaze with burning lorries, and at the end of the raid the scene was an inferno, and passage from any one point to another was not an easy matter. It is now clear to the Companys staff that it was high time to leave. There were three vessels in the harbour, which had been kept in steam in readiness for just such an emergency. They each had some guns for defensive action, and had succeeded in keeping hostile aircraft far enough away to prevent any direct hits. The vessels sailed for England at 9.30 p.m. the same evening, the Companys staff, as had already been stated, being on the last boat to leave. Of the 49 Great Western and Southern Railway joint staff at Guernsey, 38 sailed to England, three are known to have been left behind wounded, and eight remain unaccounted for. Most of the wives and families of the men had sailed for England at an earlier date. It is understood that the island of Guernsey was occupied by German troops on Sunday 30 June. And a glowing portrait of Goldings calmness under fire was later published in the Bournemouth Daily Echo, from which the following extract has been taken: The ship had some near misses and there were very heavy casualties among the people on the quay. A large number of lorries caught fire. The bombing and machine-gunning went on for about an hour. The quay was a shambles with 50 killed, 200 wounded and over 100 lorries burning. Many of the women and children passengers were unaccompanied by men, and with the large number of people on the ship and on the quay a panic with grave consequences might easily have commenced. Captain Golding issued orders from the bridge and then walked along the decks keeping everybody as calm as possible. His presence was felt immediately wherever he went, and in my judgment he was largely responsible for the steadiness of the crew, the passengers and the people on the quayside. As soon as he felt the people aboard were steady, he walked across the quayside to telephone to the Naval Authorities, then returned calmly to his bridge, although concentrated machine-gunning and bombing were going on. When the bombing had finished, he had to make important decisions. How many people he would take aboard from the number who were clamouring to come; the best time to leave in view of the fact that he would be unescorted and so on. It must also be remembered that he had a very tired crew. They had been working at top pressure for many weeks. Captain Golding remained on duty the whole of the day as he had on every other day when in Guernsey. During the bombing and afterwards, he was absolutely calm and imperturbable, and tireless in stimulating and encouraging his crew. The Isle of Sark was in fact the final ship to depart St. Peter Port before the German occupation, with 647 passengers embarked, and but for the light A.A. and Lewis gun fire she put up at the attacking Heinkel IIIs, casualties may well have been higher ð on Goldings recommendation, Able Seaman G. Mace, also received the Companys M.S.M. for manning the ships gun on the same occasion. Having been actively employed elsewhere, Golding was not able to attend the first investiture of the Companys M.S.M. in August 1940, but shortly afterwards, he received his award at Southampton from the Docks and Port Manager, in the presence of many officials and staff ð the gathering also included the Flag Officer i./c. Naval Operations, Southampton, the Garrison Commander and the Principal Sea Transport Officer (Southern Railways Journal refers). Golding returned to his old command, the Isle of Jersey, in December 1940, by now a fully fitted-out hospital carrier attached to the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow, and in which capacity he remained in command until the Wars end. During the Normandy landings, the Isle of Jersey steamed south and served off Gold and Juno Beaches, bringing home nearly 2000 patients in a matter of weeks. He was awarded the O.B.E. and returned in triumph to St. Peter Port in October 1945. He finally retired in late 1947, after 33 years with the Southern Railway Fleet, latterly having served as Commodore of the companys Southampton Section ð and having completed 4,800 Channel crossings. He died in December 1982, aged 94 years. SOLD WITH THE FOLLOWING RELATED MEMORABILIA DOCUMENTATION Ordinary Apprentices Certificate of Indenture, dated 9 September 1904, for 4 years to the John Clink Line at Greenock. A privately compiled ships log covering the recipients time in the Samoena circa 1906-08, large cloth bound volume with leather spine. A quantity of competency reports (or ôFlimsiesö) in respect of the recipients pre-Great War service out in the Far East in ships of the British Steam Navigation Company and Seang Line, circa 1910-13, together with a run of related discharge certificates. Certificate of Competency as Master of a Foreign Going Ship, Board of Trade, dated 18 July 1913. Board of Trade correspondence relating to the award of the recipients British War and Mercantile Marine Medals 1914-18, including forwarding letter dated 4 May 1921; together with Ministry of Transport forwarding certificate for his 1939-45 campaign awards. A series of privately compiled ship log books (15), with details of individual voyages, many with Southern Railway label to front cover bearing the recipients name and relevant dates, and covering the periods January 1918 to December 1922; January 1923 to December 1928; 22 June 1927 to 31 August 1929; 2 September 1929 to 23 October 1930; 23 October 1930 to 2 July 1932; 4 July 1932 to 29 May 1934; 29 May 1934 to 3 August 1935; 3 August 1935 to 22 July 1936; 23 July 1936 to 9 August 1937; 10 August 1937 to 11 June 1939 (re. Isle of Jersey); January 1939 to December 1936; 3 November 1937 to 15 April 1939; 12 June 1939 to July 1946; a separate folder entitled Isle of Jersey ð Account of All Movements 24 August 1939 to 11 July 1945; 20 July 1946 to 11 September 1947; and another up to September 1947, but with earlier entries from January 1937; together with Goldings Guernsey and Jersey Pilots log books and notes. Goldings official Dock Permit (No. 21067), for permission to enter Southern Railway Companys docks at Southampton, dated 8 May 1940; and three letters of appreciation from passengers he brought out of St. Peter Port a few weeks later, citing his calmness under fire and the steady conduct of his crew. A fascinating scrap album, with numerous newspaper reports, many dealing with events at St. Peters Port in June 1940, together with some official reports and correspondence, the latter including a letter from the Manager of Southern Railway congratulating Golding on his courage and resource, and Ministry of War Transport letter of notification regarding the award of his O.B.E. The recipients original O.B.E. warrant, dated 1 January 1945, framed and glazed. The recipients Imperial Merchant Service Guild membership certificate, brown leather folder with gilt title His Minister of Shipping Continuous Certificate of Discharge (R218098). A hand-illuminated retirement certificate, the upper inscription reading, We the undersigned Ships Officers of the Marine Department of the Southern Railway at Southampton hereby place on record our esteem and good wishes to Captain H. H. Golding, O.B.E., on his retirement from the service after 43 years at sea and wish him a long and happy enjoyment of his well earned rest, with 50 signatures (some faded), 30cm. by 26cm., framed; together with an assortment of related retirement telegrams and letters. A box containing as large quantity of ôCape Hornersö documentation, membership and otherwise. A file containing assorted letters of condolence and cards (approximately 25); and much further documentation, including pocket diaries, marriage certificate, wills, insurance policies and further family-related papers. PHOTOGRAPHS An image of the Officers and Apprentices of the Samoena, circa 1907, 37cm. by 32cm., framed and glazed; another from same period, or slightly later, by local photographer Chueng Kulan, Amoy, 43cm. by 36cm., framed and glazed; and a pair of smaller group images from his days in the Glengogle in the Far East, both framed; an image of the Isle of Jersey, the mount captioned, H.M. Hospital Ship ôIsle of Jerseyö. Refitted by The Grangemouth Dockyard Co. Ltd, October 1941, 30.5cm. by 25cm., framed and glazed; a display of 14 wartime images, mainly of Isle of Jersey interest, framed and glazed, and two further images of Golding, his ships officers and matrons from the same period, framed and glazed. Photograph albums (8), with several hundred images in total, covering his time in the Far East, 1911-13, with excellent ship views and captioned crew images; inter-war service and various ôfamilyö travel and holiday scenes in the U.K. and abroad, together with a postcard album. A large selection of other photographs, dating from the late Victorian era through to the 1950s (approximately 400 images), quite a few on card mounts, many of nautical interest but others of family subject matter, the former including numerous scenes from the Isle of Jersey in the 1939-45 War. PICTURES A water colour of H.M.H.C. ôIsle of Jerseyö at sea, initialled J. D. A. and dated 1945, 30.5cm. by 20cm., framed and glazed. A water colour depicting a ship in distress approaching rocks, unsigned, 19cm. by 13.5cm., framed and glazed. NAUTICAL MEMORABILIA Captain Goldings sea chest, the exterior green painted, the plain wooden interior with two large and one smaller raised compartments, and the inside of the lid with hand-painted signal flags, rope handles, 87cm. by 43cm. by 39cm. A portable ships compass, by Mahier, Le Havre, in wooden, part-glazed carrying case. A telescope, by Ross, London (No. 47449), retailed by Murray, Calcutta, leather grip. Captain Fields improved parallel rule, antique boxwood, brass hinges; together with a whistle, pocket compass and stop-watch. A selection of ships pennants and flags (5), including large yellow flag emblazoned with an Imperial Chinese dragon, this latter, as described in an accompanying newspaper article, flown from the foremast of his last deep sea command, plying the China Seas and visiting ports all over the Far East. A portable signal kit, by Woolf, Southampton, with individual pockets containing 20 pennants, and lower pockets for burgee, signal book and ensign, the whole contained in a folding brown canvas case, with ties; together with a smaller kit of nine pennants in a white linen container. A selection of items relevant to the ôCape Hornersö, including brass and enamelled car bumper badge, a glass ashtray, two blazer patches and two lapel badges; Merchant Navy ôMNö lapel badge and two similar tie-pins; the recipients silver identity bracelet, inscribed ENN221818 H. H. Golding, Ewshott, Brockenhurst, together with his bullion embroidered cap badge, three similar company badges, and a large quantity of Merchant Navy uniform buttons. A bag containing several expended .303 shell cases and a piece of shrapnel, these latter souvenirs of events at St. Peter Port in 1940. A bullion and embroidered uniform epaulette of Queen Alexandras Royal Naval Nursing Service, mounted on card, with ôH.M.H.C. Isle of Jerseyö inscribed above, and accompanied by five signatures of nursing staff who served in her, dated 1944-45, framed and glazed. A presentation silver salver, hallmarks for Birmingham 1940, with central inscription, To the Captain, September 1947, with ten engraved autographs around, 24.5cm. See lots 219 and 220 for brothers medals.
Lot 596
A Great War D.S.O., M.C. group of nine awarded to Major T. B. J. Mahar, Kings Royal Rifle Corps, whose military service encompassed three wars; he later joined the Canadian Army and commanded Lord Strathconas Horse for five years Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., silver-gilt and enamel, suspension bar inscribed, T. B. J. Mahar, 60th Rifles 1918, complete with top bar; Military Cross, G.V.R., reverse inscribed, Lieut. T. B. J. Mahar, 60th Rifles, 1915; Queens South Africa 1899-1902, 2 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State (2282 3rd Cl. Tpr., S.A.C.); Kings South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps (2282 3rd Cl. Tpr., S.A.C.) renamed; 1914-15 Star (R-5748 Pte., K.R. Rif. C.); British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf (Capt.); Canadian Volunteer Service Medal, no clasp; War Medal 1939-45, Canadian issue in silver, unnamed, mounted together for display, minor contact marks, very fine and better (9) £2200-2600 D.S.O. London Gazette 3 June 1919. M.C. London Gazette 23 June 1915. M.I.D. London Gazette 22 June 1915; 5 July 1919. Thomas Bertram Joseph Mahar was born in Nova Scotia in 1882. During the Boer War he volunteered for service in the South African Constabulary. On the outbreak of the Great War in 1914 he travelled to Britain and joined the Army as a Private in the Kings Royal Rifle Corps. Entering France, he was appointed a Temporary 2nd Lieutenant on 27 January 1915, being advanced to Temporary Lieutenant in August 1916, Temporary Captain in October 1916 and Temporary Major in April 1918. He served in France and Flanders, November 1914-February 1916; October 1916-May 1917, and August 1917-November 1918. During the war he was wounded in action. For his services during the war he was twice mentioned in despatches and awarded the D.S.O and M.C. Major Mahar was demobilised in September 1919. Post war he conducted a geological survey and performed other work for the Imperial Government in Central Africa and was later employed in East Africa. Mahar returned to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1926. There he owned and operated the Halifax Tyre and Rubber Goods Company for a number of years. During the inter-war years he commanded the Strathcona Horse in Calgary for five years and held several staff appointments. In July 1940, then living at 9 College Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Major Mahar of the Royal Army Reserve, rejoined the Army, becoming a Captain in the Royal Canadian Army. He was employed as Officer in Charge, Detention Buildings, Halifax, and was later District Intelligence Officer. In October 1943 he was promoted to Major and appointed Security Officer, Atlantic Command H.Q. Later he was appointed Administration and Training Officer to the No. 6 Reserve Fortress Signals. By 1947 he had become Staff Officer, No. 36 Brigade Group, Halifax. Post-W.W.2 he served as Security Officer attached to H.M.C.S. Dockyard, Halifax, under naval authorities from 1947 until his retirement in 1951. Major Mahar, D.S.O., M.C., whose military service encompassed three wars, died in 1964 and was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia. With copied research.
Lot 615
A Great War D.C.M. group of five awarded to Colour-Sergeant W. E. Large, Cheshire Regiment, late Grenadier Guards Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R. (11330 C.Q.M. Sjt. W. E. Large, 9/Ches. R.); Queens South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, Transvaal, South Africa 1902 (2477 Corpl. W. Large, Gren. Gds.); 1914-15 Star (11330 Pte. (A. Sjt.) W. E. Large, Ches. R.); British War and Victory Medals (11330 C. Sjt. W. E. Large, Ches. R.), generally good very fine (5) £1200-1400 D.C.M. London Gazette 1 January 1918: For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to for over two years. He has always rendered invaluable services during many active operations in personally supervising the taking up of rations, often under very adverse conditions, and has set a fine example to all ranks. William Edward Large was born at Davenham, Northwich and enlisted in the Grenadier Guards direct from the 2nd (Volunteer) Battalion, Cheshire Regiment in June 1890, aged 18 years. Gaining steady advancement to Lance-Sergeant in July 1895, he was convicted of drunkenness in at a District Court Marshal in the following year and reduced to Private, but had regained a Lance-Corporals stripe by the time of being transferred to the Army Reserve in June 1897. Recalled on the outbreak of the Boer War, he served in the 3rd Battalion in that theatre of war from April until July 1902, gaining entitlement to the above described Medal & clasps (accompanying roll verification refers), and was discharged on his return to the U.K. But with the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, he re-enlisted, and was posted to the Cheshire Regiment and, having been advanced to Acting Sergeant that October, went out to France in 9th (Butterfly) Battalion in mid-July 1915. Confirmed in his rank at the end of the year, he would have been present with the Battalion on the Somme in July 1916, when it was engaged in heavy fighting around La Boiselle on the 2nd-4th, actions that resulted in casualties in excess of 300 men. This then one of the chapters of his wartime career reflected in his D.C.M. citation, although regimental records state that he was decorated for a specific act of bravery on 10 July 1917. Be that as it may, Large, by now a Company Quarter-Master Sergeant, remained on active service until the Wars end, a period encompassing the award of the V.C. to 2nd Lieutenant Hugh Colvin for gallant deeds with the ôButterfliesö on 20 September 1917. Large was demobilised in March 1919 and in later life a resided in Northwich, Cheshire and and was the recipient of a Chelsea Pension. He died in October 1938; sold with research.
Lot 655
A very rare Second World War Chindit operations M.M. group of six awarded to Sergeant C. McCluskey, Black Watch, a veteran of Crete and Tobruk who was twice wounded in the act of winning his M.M. in Burma in June 1944 Military Medal, G.VI.R. (2752845 Sjt. C. McCluskey, Black Watch); 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Burma Star; Defence and War Medals, minor double-stamping to unit on first, some contact wear but generally good very fine or better (6). £2500-3000 M.M. London Gazette 4 January 1945. The original recommendation states: On 10 June 1944, Sergeant McCluskey was ordered to take two infantry sections from his platoon and carry out an offensive patrol in the valley east of the Kysenlei Pass. The patrol encountered enemy in the position in an unnamed village near Kontha and came under heavy and accurate fire, which wounded Sergeant McCluskey and caused other casualties in the patrol. In spite of his wound, however, Sergeant McCluskey retained full control of his small force and hotly engaged the enemy, and only when it became apparent that the enemy was present in considerably superior force did he start to organise a withdrawal. This he did with inspiring coolness and disregard for his personal safety going from one section to another and organising the evacuation of our wounded. While engaged on this task, Sergeant McCluskey was again severely wounded, and although in considerable pain, continued to retain full control of his force. Sergeant McCluskey had for some weeks been in command of a platoon and has on many occasions shown himself to be an outstanding leader, while his conduct on 10 June was beyond all praise. He has previously served with distinction in the Carrier Platoon in Crete and Tobruk. Charles McCluskey was born in Cumbernauld, Dumbarton in January 1914 and enlisted in the Black Watch in June 1932, direct from the Territorials. Originally posted to the 1st Battalion, he transferred to the 2nd sometime before the outbreak of hostilities, and saw action in the Carrier Platoon in Crete and Tobruk, prior to joining Order Wingates Chindits in Burma in March 1944. The following extracts, taken from The Black Watch, by Philip Howard (part of the Famous Regiments series), neatly summarise the actions and experiences shared by McCluskey and his comrades in the 2nd Battalion: Crete In May 1941, after a tremendous battering by dive-bombers, the sky suddenly filled with puffs of thistle-down. There was a gasp of amazement, and a moments hush along the whole Black Watch position. It was the first big parachute invasion in history. The Black Watch picked off the German paratroops as they fell, like plump pigeons. But for the next ten days more and more were dropped, prudently behind the mountains now, and out of range of Heraklion. The Battalion hung on grimly by its finger-nails, in isolated pockets unable to move by daylight, except for the piper who always played Reveille around the airfield after the dawn air raid. At last London decided to evacuate the island. At midnight the Highlanders crept down to the beach to the cruisers waiting to ferry them away. They had a terrible journey to Alexandria, dive-bombed and torpedoed all the way through the narrows at the eastern end of Crete. More than 200 of the Black Watch were killed on the voyage. A year later the Commanding Officer of the first German parachute battalion dropped at Heraklion was captured in Libya. He told his interrogators: My first surprise was when I found the position held. The second was when I discovered who the infantry were. The battle continued with great ferocity for two days. The Black Watch never surrendered. Had it been any other regiment, any other, all would have been well. I had but 80 men left of my 800, no food, little ammunition; our food was being eaten by the Jocks. Tobruk Next the Battalion was put into Tobruk to relieve the Australians, who had been besieged in that bull-dogged citadel for six months. The short dusty perimeter was defended by wire, mine-fields, and subterranean galleries. Dismembered vehicles and litter lay everywhere. The big German gun called ôBardia Billö barked and boomed over the fortress. In November the Battalion broke out of Tobruk on a sortie to link up with the Eighth Army advancing from Egypt. The plan was far more complex than the things which the Black Watch had been asked to do in old-style battles of far-off forgotten wars. But for once the Highlanders had been given a generous ration of infantry tanks. In fact the tanks lost themselves in the flat, featureless desert, in which the only landmarks were tangles of wire. And there was plenty of wire around to confuse the issue. So the Black Watch had to go in alone with the bayonet, as they had been doing ever since Fontenoy. The pipers played the Battalion in with ôHighland Laddieö, the regimental march, and ôThe Black Bearö. This last tune has a pause for a yell at intervals, and is traditionally played when a final effort is needed from tired men. Two hours later 8 officers and 60 men were left to take the final objective out of 32 officers and 600 men who set off from the Start Line. A Gunner Major wrote after the battle: I class this attack of the Black Watch as one of the most outstanding examples of gallantry combined with high-class training that I have seen. Not one of us who was there will forget such supreme gallantry. Burma and the Chindits Over on the other side of the world, the 2nd Battalion had become guerillas themselves - Chindits dropped for long range penetration beyond the Chindwin. The Battalion was split into two columns, numbered, inevitably, 73 and 42. They were flown into blind green jungle in March 1944, and for the next six months skirmished, and marched, and survived the monsoon, the steaming heat, and accidents by flood and field. It was probably the most unpleasant terrain for fighting into which the Black Watch had ever been plunged, worse even than the fever-swamps of the West Indies in the eighteenth century, or the dense jungles of Kandy. They were gnawed by starvation and disease. In one month alone 70 men died of typhus. It was a dripping world where clothes were never dry, and leeches had to be stripped from bodies at night. Tracks were often waist-deep in water and mud. Leather girths rotted on mules. A 10-mile march took four days. And once it took two days to haul their tottering half-dead bodies to the top of a four-mile pass. Most of the actions were small and untidy - the general strategy of the Chindit campaign lost direction after the death of Wingate. In May, at an ambush to cover the evacuation of ôWhite Cityö, 200 Black Watch scattered 1,200 Japanese. In August the last emaciated remnants charged and captured the village of Labu with the bayonet, played in on pipes specially dropped by parachute for the occasion. They were then flown back to India to recuperate. And of McCluskeys individual heroism near Kontha in June 1944, The Black Watch & The Kings Enemies states: There were reports, however, that the Japs were in various villages below the pass; and it was in one of these, Kontha, that the second patrol was sent. It consisted of a weak platoon under Sergeant McLuskey. Leaving at 8 a.m. on 10 June, he approached Kontha and was engaged by fire. The paddy round the village was three feet under water, but he took up his position in elephant grass and returned the fire with Bren guns and grenades from a cup discharger. As the enemy began to work round them, the patrol withdrew, having had one man killed and several wounded, but having got their information. They returned with their wounded at 6 p.m. The difficulty of keeping weapons in a working condition in circumstances such as these may be imagined.
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