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Auction: 9004 - Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals and Militaria
Lot: 935

The 1906 ´Garter Mission´ M.V.O., ´Boer War´ D.S.O. Group of Ten to Colonel C.V. Hume, Royal Artillery, Aide-de-Camp to Lord Roberts, Thrice Mentioned in Despatches in Burma and South Africa, Later Military Attaché to Tokyo and Attached to the Japanese Army in Manchuria During the Russo-Japanese War 1905 a) The Royal Victorian Order, Member Fourth Class (M.V.O.) breast Badge, silver-gilt and enamel, the reverse officially numbered ´467´ b) Distinguished Service Order, V.R., silver-gilt and enamel, with integral top riband bar c) Jubilee 1897 (Lt Colonel C.V. Hume. D.S.O. R.A.), privately engraved d) India General Service 1854-95, one clasp, Burma 1885-7 (Lt. C.V. Hume Royal Artly.) e) Queen´s South Africa 1899-1902, five clasps, Cape Colony, Paardeberg, Driefontein, Johannesburg, Belfast (Lt. Colonel C.V. Hume. D.S.O., R.A.) f) Japan, Empire, Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class neck Badge, 52mm, silver-gilt and enamel, with red sacred beads g) Japan, Empire, Order of the Rising Sun, Third Class neck Badge, 81mm including paulownia flowers x 55mm, silver-gilt, enamel, and red carbochon in centre h) Thailand, Kingdom, Order of the White Elephant, Commander´s neck Badge, 95mm including suspension x 46mm, silver-gilt and enamel i) Japan, Kingdom, Russo-Japanese War Medal 1904-05, with clasp, bronze j) Thailand, Kingdom, Coronation Medal 1910, silver, generally nearly extremely fine, mounted in this order by Spink, London, as originally worn, together with the related miniature awards for medals a, b, c, d, e, f, i mounted and housed in a Spink, London, leather case; and the following official documentation &c.: - Bestowal Document for the Royal Victorian Order, Member Fourth Class, named to Colonel Charles Vernon Hume, D.S.O., and dated 15.3.1906, together with copy of the Statutes of the Order, and Buckingham Palace enclosures for the Insignia and Bestowal Document - Bestowal Document for the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, in card scroll holder - Bestowal Document for the Russo-Japanese War Medal 1904-05, with copied translation - Copy translation of the Bestowal Document for the Thai Order of the White Elephant, together with envelope of issue - Miniature awards for the Order of the Rising Sun and the Russo-Japanese War Medal, these loose (10) Estimate £ 3,800-4,200 M.V.O. Fourth Class London Gazette 15.5.1906 Colonel Charles Vernon Hume, D.S.O., Military Attaché, Tokio (Dated 15th March, 1906) ´´On the occasion of the special Mission of His Royal Highness Prince Arthur of Connaught to Japan, to invest His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Japan with the Most Noble Order of the Garter.´´ D.S.O. London Gazette 19.4.1901 Major Charles Vernon Hume, Royal Artillery ´´In recognition of services in connection with the Campaign in South Africa 1899-1900.´´ Colonel Charles Vernon Hume, M.V.O., D.S.O., (1860-1915), the second son of Sir Gustavus Hume and Ellen Hume, was educated at Marlborough, and Commissioned Lieutenant, Royal Field Artillery, 1879. He served in India as A.D.C. to the Commander-in-Chief, the then General Sir Frederick Roberts, V.C., G.C.B., G.C.I.E., November 1885 to September 1892, and was present during the operations in Burma 1885-87, where he was Mentioned in Despatches (London Gazette 2.9.1887). From November 1896 to December 1899 he was Military Governor to the Crown Prince of Siam (later King Rama VI), overseeing his education at Sandhurst and Christ Church, Oxford, a position that Lord Roberts was instrumental in securing for him. Served during the Boer War on Lord Roberts´´ staff as Assistant Adjutant General, 1899-1901, and was present at the actions at Paardeberg, 17-26.2.1900, Driefontein, 10.3.1900, Johannesburg, 31.5.1900, and Belfast, 26-27.8.1900. Mentioned in Despatches for ´´good service rendered in the Intelligence Branch´´ (London Gazette 8.2.1901), he took over the duties of the Director of Military Intelligence when Major C. Mackenzie was appointed Military Governor of Johannesburg, and was again Mentioned in Despatches having ´´worked hard and carried out all his duties in a thoroughly conscientious manner´´ (London Gazette 16.4.1901), and was awarded the D.S.O. In July 1903 Hume was appointed Military Attaché to Tokyo and Korea, and served during the Russo-Japanese War on attachment to the Japanese Army in Manchuria, May 1905, receiving the War Medal, the Order of the Sacred Treasure (3rd Class), and the brevet of Colonel ´´as a mark of His Majesty´´s recognition of the special services rendered by him when acting as Military Attaché with the Japanese Forces operating in Manchuria´´ (London Gazette 16.3.1906). He played an important role during Prince Arthur of Connaught´´s 1906 Garter Mission to Japan, for which he was appointed a Member Fourth Class of the Royal Victorian Order. In 1907 he returned to England, being awarded the Order of the Rising Sun (3rd Class) on retirement. He retired from army in 1911, and entered the employ of the Siamese Government, as Superintendent of Siamese government students studying in England. Colonel Hume married Miss Ursula Wilhelmina Marshall, September 1897, and they had one son, Brigadier Reginald Vernon Hume, and two daughters. Colonel Hume and Lord Roberts ´´Colonel C.V. Hume, who died at Ford Place, in Sussex, last week, was one of Bobs´´ young men. He was a member of probably the most popular staff from a social point of view that a Commander-in-Chief had ever gathered round him. This was when Sir Frederick Roberts, as he then was, was in Madras. There was Sir Ian Hamilton, the General of today; Neville Chamberlain, Inspector-General of the Royal Irish Constabulary; Charlie Hume, who once distinguished himself at a gymkhana by slicing of the ear of his horse in a lemon-cutting competition; and Pole-Carew, then Military Secretary. All except Hume in the course of time won the K.C.B., besides seeing in one way or another a great deal of active service with Lord Roberts.´´ (the recipient´´s obituary in World, 9.2.1915 refers) Colonel Hume´´s lifelong association with Lord Roberts began in 1877 when, according to family tradition, he was accused of cheating in the final exam at Sandhurst because he had achieved a mark of 100%. Lord Roberts was involved in the subsequent investigation and became totally convinced of Hume´´s innocence. A supervised resit was arranged, and Hume again scored 100%. So began the lifelong association, first as protégé, then as junior colleague and friend between Hume and the great man. During Colonel Hume´´s lifetime the M.V.O. Fourth Class took precedence over the D.S.O., and Coronation and Jubilee Medals were worn before Campaign Medals.

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£8,500