A Great War O.B.E. group of four to Major G. J. Read, Royal Air Force, late Honourable Artillery Company Infantry and North Staffordshire Regiment

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Military) Officer’s 1st type breast badge, in Garrard, London case of issue; 1914 Star (1165 Pte., H.A.C.) British War and Victory Medals (1165 A. Cpl., H.A.C.-Inf.); together with France, War Commemorative Medal 1914-18, in damaged card box of issue, extremely fine (5) £160-200

Before the Great War Geoffrey Jervis Read was employed in an engineering capacity in Buenos Aires. He entered the France/Flanders theatre of war with the H.A.C. in 1914. On 3 September 1915 he was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the 4th Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment and on 16 December the same year was commissioned a Flying Officer with the Royal Flying Corps. Further promotions followed: Temporary Lieutenant, 1 January 1916; Temporary Captain, 11 December 1916; Temporary Major, 15 October 1917; Captain, 1 April 1918. Employed as an Instructor at the R.F.C. Flying School of Instruction, Reading; at the war’s end he held the rank of Major. For his wartime services he was Mentioned in Despatches (London Gazette 16 March 1918) and awarded the O.B.E. (London Gazette 3 June 1919.). Sold with copied m.i.c., service papers and other research.