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Lot

№ 592

.

18 May 2011

Hammer Price:
£1,400

Six: Major-General Wulff Henry Grey, C.B., C.M.G., Royal Engineers

1914-15 Star (Capt., R.E.); British War and Victory Medals (Maj. Gen.); Serbia, Order of the White Eagle, 2nd type, 5th Class breast badge with swords, silver, silver-gilt and enamel; Italy, Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus, 4th Class breast badge, gold and enamel; Netherlands, Order of Orange Nassau, 4th Class breast badge, silver-gilt and enamel, rosette on ribbon, mounted court style for wear, minor enamel damage, good very fine and better (6) £1400-1800

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Bill and Angela Strong Medal Collection.

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C.B. London Gazette 17 March 1917.

C.M.G.
London Gazette 3 June 1918.

M.I.D. London Gazette 15 August 1917 (Maude); 30 May 1918 (Plumer).

Serbia, Order of the White Eagle, 5th Class
London Gazette 9 March 1917, corrected 21 April 1917.

Italy, Order of St. Maurice & St. Lazarus, 4th Class
London Gazette 21 August 1917.

Netherlands, Order of Orange Nassau, 4th Class
London Gazette 30 January 1948.

Wulff Henry Grey was born in Alnwick, Northumberland on 12 November 1876. Prior to the war he was employed by the firm of F. & A. Swanzy and was based in Nigeria and the Gold Coast. Returning to the U.K. upon the outbreak of war, he accepted a commission as Captain in the Royal Engineers. Sent back to West Africa, he took part in the campaign in Togoland. Having been advanced to Lieutenant-Colonel, he then returned to England and was then posted to Serbia and Italy. For his services he was awarded the Serbian Order of the White Eagle and the Italian Order of St. Maurice & St. Lazarus.

In the Summer of 1916 he was appointed by the War Office as an advisor to the Inspector-General of Communications and was sent with a staff to Mesopotamia as Director of Inland Water Transport with the rank of Brigadier-General. Under his command the river transport system improved considerably and in 1917 he was awarded the C.B. for his work there. Promoted to Major-General in September 1918, he returned to England where he was placed in charge of the National Shipyards at Chepstow. For his wartime services he was twice mentioned in despatches and in 1918 was awarded the C.M.G.

After the war he resumed a business career in London and West Africa. Served as Director of Africa and Eastern Trade Corp. Ltd., United African Co. Ltd. and Crombe Steadman & Co. Ltd. He later became Managing Director of William Muller Shipping Co., a post he held during the Second World War. For his services to the Netherlands during the war he was awarded the Order of Orange Nassau. After the war he was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Radio Luxembourg. Major-General Grey died on 24 November 1961. With copied gazette extracts and other research.