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Auction: 25113 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 588

The 1918 D.S.O. group of three awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel R. Hemphill, Royal Army Medical Corps, an Irish international rugby player who commanded a Field Ambulance during the Great War only to die tragically in an accident in 1935

Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., silver-gilt and enamel, British War and Victory Medals (Lt. Col. R. Hemphill.), with M.I.D. oak leaves, slight crack to reverse enamel on the first, overall very fine (3)

D.S.O. London Gazette 3 June 1918.

M.I.D. London Gazette 1 January 1916, 25 May 1918.

Robert Hemphill was born 28 August 1888 in Dublin, the son of Flora and the Reverend Samuel Hemphill. He was educated at Armagh Royal School and Trinity College Dublin finding work as a doctor. Notably Hemphill was also a rugby player, who participated in four international games for Ireland in 1912.

Commissioned Lieutenant with the Royal Army Medical Corps on 24 January 1913 he was advanced Captain on 30 March 1915. Hemphill was posted to command a Field Ambulance on 23 April 1916 with the rank of Major, further advance Lieutenant-Colonel on 22 August 1916.

Returning to his civilian career Hemphill died tragically on holiday in Trebetherick, Cornwall on 21 April 1935. The terrible circumstances surrounding his death were reported in his obituary by the British Medical Journal, which states:

'Major Robert Hemphill, D.S.O., R.A.M.C., was accidentally killed by a fall from a cliff at Kellan Head, Cornwall, on April 21st, aged 46. His wife was killed at the same time. Major Hemphill, who was medical officer of the Royal Military Academy. Woolwich, went down to Portuqueen, North Cornwall, with his wife and family, for a short holiday, on April 21st. They went out on the cliffs, where Major Hemphill tried to photograph a buzzard's nest; in doing so he slipped and fell. His wife, in an attempt to help him, also slipped and fell. Their son Peter, aged 15. broke the window of a coastguard look-out hut and telephoned for help to the coastguard. sending a younger sister to a farm at some distance to ask for help there. He then climbed down the cliffs, and found the bodies of his father and mother at the foot. The coastguards on arrival also went down the cliff: they found Major Hemphill dead. His wife was seriously injured, and was taken to hospital, where she died next day. Major Hemphill was born on August 26th, 1888, the son of the late Canon Hemphill of Belfast, and was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, where he graduated B.A., M.B., B.Ch., and B.A.O. in 1912. While at Trinity he played for four years in the University Rugby team, and in 1912 played for Ireland in all four international matches. Entering the R.A.M.C. as Lieutenant on January 24th, 1913, he became Captain in the long war promotion list of March 1st, 1915, and Major on January 24th, 1925, and was just on the period of promotion to Lieutenant-Colonel. He served in France throughout the war of 1914-18, was mentioned in dispatches in the London Gazette of January 1st, 1916, and May 25th, 1918, and received the D.S.O. in 1918. He married Kathleen, daughter of the late Mr. Augustus Smith of Bitterne, Hampshire, and had three children.'

Despite the terrible circumstances of his parent's demise their son Peter went on to become a doctor himself, having an extremely distinguished career.

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Estimate

Starting price
£550