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Auction: 25112 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 558

(x) Six: Major A. B. Whale, Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry, late Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, Tanganyika Rifles Battalion, King's African Rifles, Leicestershire Regiment, Devonshire Regiment

1939-1945 Star; Burma Star; Defence & War Medals 1939-1945; Africa General Service 1902-56, 1 clasp, Kenya (Capt A. B. Whale KAR.); General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Arabian Peninsula (Maj A B Whale SCLI), very fine and this last very rare (6)

Alec Bruce Whale was born on 2 June 1922. He was a Bard of the Gorseth at the age of 16 and was about to enter Durham University when the Second World War intervened. He initially joined the 10th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment but was soon selected for an Emergency Commission as a 2nd Lieutenant with the Leicestershire Regiment (London Gazette 31 May 1941, refers). Promoted Lieutenant (London Gazette 1 October 1942, refers), he transferred to the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry in December 1944. He saw service in Burma and was attached to the 2nd/6th Tanganyika Rifles Battalion, King's African Rifles who took Madagascar in six weeks and a detachment of the unit broke the record of a forced march by covering eighty miles in just twenty one hours, a record which held for many years. He appeared in the Green Tiger on two separate occasions where he is noted as serving in the East African Engineers in the February 1944 and in the February 1945 issues.

Whale served with the 5th Battalion, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry in Germany after the end of the Second World War and was promoted to Temporary Captain on 29 June 1946 and to full Captain on 2 June 1949.

Thence with the 1st Battalion, he serving in British Somaliland and was attached to the 7th Kenya Rifles Battalion during the Mau Mau conflict and was promoted Major in June 1956.

The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry amalgamated with the Somerset Light Infantry in October 1959 to become the Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry. Whale saw service in the Arabian Peninsula, earning a very scarce General Service Medal with them, before he returned to Osnabruck, Germany serving with the 1st Battalion then returned home and was based at Seaton Barracks, Plymouth. He retired from the Army on 30 November 1961 and was soon employed on the staff of the Life Insurance Company of Canada and he covered the bottom half of Cornwall from Bodmin to the sea. The good Major died on Christmas Day 1987.

Subject to 5% tax on Hammer Price in addition to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium.

Sold for
£480

Starting price
£280