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Auction: 12002 - Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals & Militaria
Lot: 1

The Superb G.B.E., K.C.B., Great War K.C.M.G. Campaign Combination Group of Fifteen to General Sir J.F.N. Birch, Who Commanded the VII Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery, and the Royal Artillery 7th Division and Royal Artillery 4th Army Successively During the Great War; Artillery Adviser to the Commander-in-Chief, France, Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, 1916-1919; A.D.C. to the King; 11 Times Mentioned in Despatches During the Great War; Director-General of the Territorial Army, and Colonel Commandant of Both the Royal Artillery and the Royal Horse Artillery a) The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, 1st type, Military Division, Knight Grand Cross (G.B.E.) sash Badge, silver-gilt and enamel; Star, 2nd type, silver-gilt and enamel b) The Most Honourable Order of The Bath, Military Division, Knight Commander´s (K.C.B.) set of insignia, neck Badge, silver, silver-gilt, and enamel, minor blue enamel damage; Star, silver, silver-gilt, and enamel, with gold retaining pin c) The Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, Knight Commander´s (K.C.M.G.) set of insignia, neck Badge, silver-gilt and enamel; Star, silver, gold and enamel, with gold retaining pin d) Ashanti Star 1896 e) Queen´s South Africa 1899-1902, six clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Johannesburg, Diamond Hill, Belfast, South Africa 1902 (Major J.F.N. Birch. R.F.A.) f) 1914 Star, with Bar (Lt: Col: J.F.N. Birch, R.H.A.) g) British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. Oak Leaves (Maj. Gen. Sir J.F.N. Birch.) h) Jubilee 1935 i) Coronation 1937 j) France, Third Republic, Legion of Honour, Commander´s neck Badge, gold and enamel k) Belgium, Kingdom, Order of Leopold, Military Division, Commander´s neck Badge, gilt and enamel, French motto, minor white enamel damage l) United States of America, Distinguished Service Medal, officially numbered ´231´ m) France, Croix de Guerre, 1914-16, with two Palms n) Belgium, Kingdom, Croix de Guerre, A.I.R, generally very fine or better, unless otherwise stated, with the front section of a Royal Artillery Officer´s Victorian full dress sabretache with gold lace trim, richly embroidered coat of arms and Artillery devices (lot) Estimate £ 7,000-9,000 G.B.E. London Gazette 9.12.1927 General Sir James Frederick Noel Birch, K.C.B., K.C.M.G., Colonel Commandant, Royal Artillery K.C.B. London Gazette 3.6.1922 Lieutenant-General Sir James Frederick Noel Birch, K.C.M.G., C.B. (Colonel Commandant, Royal Artillery), Director-General of the Territorial Army C.B. London Gazette 3.6.1916 Lt.-Col. and Bt. Col. (temp. Maj.-Gen.) James Frederick Noel Birch, A.D.C., R.A. ´For services rendered in connection with Military Operations in the Field.´ K.C.M.G. London Gazette 1.1.1918 Maj-Gen. James Frederick Noel Birch, C.B. General Sir James Frederick Noel Birch, G.B.E., K.C.B., K.C.M.G. (1865-1939), son of R.F. Birch of Maes Elwy, St. Asaph, Wales; educated at Marlborough and R.M.A. Woolwich; commissioned Lieutenant, Royal Artillery, 1885; Captain 1895; served with 87th Battery, Royal Field Artillery during the Ashanti campaign, 1896; Major 1900; service during the Boer War included in the advance on Kimberley, operations in the Orange Free State, February -May 1900, operations in the Transvaal, in May and June 1900, including actions near Johannesburg, Pretoria and Diamond Hill (11th and 12th June); actions at Reit Vlei and Belfast (Mentioned in Lord Roberts´ Despatch London Gazette 10.9.1901); commanded an Imperial Yeomanry Battalion from 8.2.1902; commanded Riding Establishment, Royal Artillery, 1905-07; Lieutenant-Colonel 1912; served during the Great War on the Western Front from 1914, where he commanded the VII Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery, the Royal Artillery 7th Division and Royal Artillery 4th Army successively; appointed A.D.C. to the King, 1915 (Brevet-Colonel and Temporary Brigadier-General); Temporary Major-General 1916; served as Artillery Adviser to the Commander-in-Chief, France, 1916-1919 (K.C.M.G. 1918; C.B. 1916; 11 times M.I.D.; France, Legion of Honour, Commander, London Gazette 1.5.1917; Belgium, Order of Leopold, Commander, London Gazette 26.7.1917); Major-General 1917; Lieutenant-General 1919; Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig in his final Despatch relating to the Great War, dated 21.3.1919, stated ´The steady increase of our strength in Artillery and the development of the use of that important arm upon sound and successful lines has been due in great measure to the efforts of my Artillery Adviser, Lieut. General Sir J.F.N. Birch´; Director of Remounts, 1920-21; Director-General of the Territorial Army, 1921-23 (K.C.B.); Master-General of the Ordnance and Member of the Army Council, 1923-27; General 1926; Colonel Commandant, Royal Artillery, 1926; retired 1927; Colonel Commandant, Royal Horse Artillery, 1928; he wrote two publications Modern Riding and Modern Riding and Horse Education. Provenance: Christie´s, November 1992

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£9,000