July 2006 Medal Newsletter

AUCTION NEWS

Our second auction of Orders, Decorations, and Medals in 2006 will take place on 20th July. Cataloguing has now finished, and the proofs with the printers; we expect that the finished catalogue will be sent out this week. Regular users of the Spink website will already have spotted the catalogue up online.

Highlights of the sale include an Exceptional Group to the Leigh Aman Family; Captain Dudley Leigh Aman, later the First Baron Marley, won a D.S.O. for the Ypres Salient; his wife Octable Turquet served with the French Red Cross in France, whilst their son’s uncle-in-law, Second Lieutenant Arnold Beal, was killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
Another Gallantry group of interest is the Extremely Rare Dunkirk Evacuation D.S.C. and Carnegie Medal Group of Thirteen to George Ragaert, a Belgian National who made four trips in his ship the Lydie Suzanne delivering over 1000 Allied troops to safety- he later joined the Section Belge of the Royal Navy as a leading seaman.
Also of note is an unusual O.B.E., A.F.C. Group of Seven to Spitfire Pilot Wing Commander Christopher McCarthy-Jones, who was shot down and held Prisoner in the infamous Stalag Luft III at Sagan, where as an ‘X’ Organisation Member he was involved in map making and tunnelling in preparation for the ‘Great Escape’- however, he was unsuccessful in the ballot and so was not one of the 76 Allied Air Force Officers who attempted to escape.

By Contrast, Squadron Leader John Stephens made no fewer than twelve attempts to escape from Stalag Luft III, all of which were unsuccessful. Like McCarthy-Jones, he was an ‘X’ Organisation Member. His D.F.C. and Bar group of Four is offered together with log book, and the diaries that he kept whilst a prisoner.

•The D,F,C, and Bar Group of Four to Squadron Leader John Stephens

Amongst the Campaign Groups and Pairs is the Highly Emotive and Well Documented Crimea Group of Three to Sergeant Edward Hindley, 13th Light Dragoons, who charged with the Light Brigade at Balaklava on the 25th October 1854, before going onto serve in India, helping to suppress the Mutiny three years later.

Among the Single Campaign Medals is a pair of Military General Service Medals to Officers in the 32nd Foot- Lieutenant General William Johnson, later MP for Oldham, and Major Robert Dillon, both with clasps for Roleia, Vimiera, and Corunna, and a fine and rare Army of India Medal to Lieutenant Colonel John Pester, with three clasps, for Allighur, Battle of Delhi, and Capture of Deig.

Lot 197 Major W.A. Johnson, 32nd Foot.

Lot 198 Lieutenant R. Dillon, 32nd Foot

Lot 199 Lieutenant J. Paster, 2nd Native Infantry

Our final auction of the year will take place on the 23rd November, and we are currently taking consignments for that. More details of some of the lots consigned will appear in our next newsletter.

EVENTS

Orders and Medals Research Society, London Branch

Now in its second year and firmly established, the London Branch of OMRS meets on the second Tuesday of odd numbered months here at Spink. A core of around 15 active members emerged last year, and it is hoped that attendance will continue to grow this year. The next meeting is a visit to the Coldstream Guards Regimental HQ and medal collection on Tuesday 4th July.

The last meeting was a hugely enjoyable ‘Blitz Walk’ of the surrounding area, where Clive Harris spent a couple of hours pointing out places of note from both the Blitz, and also the Zeppelin raids of the Great War. Of Particular Interest was the fact that the first casualty occurred just two doors up from Spink, at the Bedford Hotel, and is commemorated today by a fine plaque.

Members and their guests are asked to arrive before 6:15pm, as after this time the doors are closed. Newcomers are always welcome. For more information please contact Stan Bates on 01226 79072.

BOOK REVIEWS

British Battles and Medals, Seventh Edition

Spink is pleased to announce that the Seventh Edition of British Battles and Medals is due out later on in 2006. Much re-written, which has gone a long way to correct errors of omission and commission, and incorporating a lot of new information on modern campaign medals, which is being published for the first time, it promises to be the essential guide to medal collecting. The Editors would like to thank the many collectors who have supplied corrections, addenda and suggestions which will add significantly to the comprehensiveness and accuracy of this book.
Further information, including details of how one can reserve a copy, will follow in due course.

The Spink Book Department will be pleased to assist you with any enquiries about their stock of books on orders, medals and decorations, a selection of which is available online. If you prefer to contact them directly with your enquiry, you can do so on +44 (0)20 7563 4056, or by email.

Auction and Private Treaty Services

Prices Realised
Click here to view the prices realised for the 20th of April auction.

Auction Bidding Service
For those who prefer to engage an agent to bid on their behalf at the major auctions in London of Orders, Decorations and Medals, Spink now offer this as a free service. A representative from the Medal Department attends all major auctions and will be pleased to act on your behalf. The procedure for retaining Spink in this capacity is very straightforward, just contact John Hayward on 020 7563 4049

Selling Medals by Private Treaty
Although sale at auction of orders, medals and decorations is very successful, some clients still lean towards sale by private treaty. We at Spink are most interested in the straight purchase of both collections and individual items and will be pleased to discuss such arrangements.

Buying Medals on the Spink Website
For those who have expressed an interest in receiving updates by email from Spink, we can contact you when new items are added to our online stocklists. If you are unsure whether we hold an email address for you, please email your details to enquiry@spink.com, stating that you wish to receive medal stock updates from Spink.

Please note that items cannot be reserved and will remain on the site available for purchase until a firm sale has been completed.

•Click here to browse a selection of medals online