Noonans under Orders
The next Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria auction at Noonans is due to take place on 27 July, which is just in time if you bought the digital edition of The Armourer, as it goes on sale a week before the print version. In this case, 26 July.
So, let’s take a look at what is up for grabs. One of the most interesting lots will undoubtedly be the Most Illustrious Order of
St. Patrick, K.P., a superb and most attractive early 19th century Knight’s breast star by William Gray, London. It measures 88mm x 81mm, with silver, gold and enamels, c. 181520. The reverse is inscribed ‘Willm. Gray 13 New Bond Street’, with gold retaining pin. The estimate is £4,000-£5,000.
If you have deeper pockets than that, then take a look at the highly emotive and unique WWII DSO, DSC and posthumous Albert Medal group of eight awarded to Commander WR Marshall-A’Deane, Royal Navy, whose distinguished command of the destroyer HMS Greyhound came to a sudden end when she was bombed and sunk by German aircraft during the battle of Crete in May 1941. He was amongst the survivors picked up by HMS Kandahar when, later in the day, HMS Fiji was sunk and Kandahar again went to the rescue. The estimate is £20,000-£30,000.
Only three medals in the next lot, but still attracting an estimate of £1,600-£2,000. It’s a Great War ‘London Ridge, Passchendaele 1917’ MC group of three awarded to Lieutenant JCF Wilkinson, 2/6th The London Regiment (City of London Rifles) who later joined the Royal Flying Corps and was attached to No. 4 Squadron Australian Flying Corps. While flying with them in a Sopwith
Camel he shot down a Fokker triplane in a dogfight over France.
Also with WWI, an extremely rare Great War Somme DCM, 1918 ‘Capture of Meteren’ Second Award bar, and ‘Battle of Courtrai’ Third Award bar group of four awarded to Company Sergeant Major TE Woodward, 2nd Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers. Regimentally unique, and one of only 11 DCM with two bars ever awarded. Bidding is expected to hit £14,000-£18,000.
The next estimate seems pretty low at £4,000-£5,000. It’s a Crimean campaign group of six to Lieutenant-Colonel George, Lord Bingham, Coldstream Guards, Aide-de-Camp to his father,
Field Marshal George Charles Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan, in command of the Light and Heavy Cavalry Brigades at Balaklava. He succeeded his father to become the 4th Earl of Lucan. The Crimean Medal 1854-56 has clasps for ‘Alma’, ‘Balaklava’ and ‘Sebastapol’.
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