Family Group:

Pair: Sergeant A. J. Taber, 13th Hussars
British War and Victory Medals (26039 Sjt. A. Taber. 13-Hrs.) VM officially renamed, lacquered, good very fine

A Second War 1940 ‘Western Desert’ M.M. group of six awarded to Sergeant A. J. A. J. Taber, 11th Hussars, who won the Regiment’s first gallantry award of the Second World War, and was subsequently killed in action when his armoured car was hit by an anti-tank gun at Sidi Barrani, 9 December 1940
Military Medal, G.VI.R. (552802 A.Sjt. A. J. A. J. Taber. 11-Hrs.); General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Palestine (552802 Tpr. A. J. A. J. Taber. 11-H.); 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, nearly extremely fine (8) £1800-2200

Arthur Taber was born in Stilton, Somerset, in 1870, and served with the 13th Hussars during the Great War. He transferred to Class ‘Z’ Reserve on 15 December 1919. Taber married Miss Catherine ‘Minnie’ Foord, and they had one son, Arthur.


M.M. London Gazette 30 July 1940.
The Recommendation states: ‘On the 16th June, 1940, Corporal (acting Sergeant) Taber was in command on one of the two cars forming 2nd lt. W. V. H. Gape’s troop on patrol on the Libyan frontier. In an attack on an enemy column of 30 lorries protected in front and rear by a screen of light tanks, the troop knocked out two enemy tanks but were forced to retire, as they were heavily outnumbered and 2nd Lt. Gape’s car had a puncture.
Whilst the wheel was being changed Sergeant Taber, on his own initiative, drew his car across the line of attack and fire from the oncoming tanks, to cover the dismounted drivers. By his initiative and presence of mind protection was given to the men exposed to the enemy attack, and valuable time was gained, enabling the rest of the squadron to come up, with the result that the whole of the enemy column was captured or destroyed.’

Arthur James Alfred John Taber was born on 4 July 1917 at Frome, Somerset, the son of Arthur James Taber and his wife Minnie, and was educated at St. John’s School, Frome, before attesting for the 11th Hussars as a Boy Soldier in 1932. He served with the Regiment in Palestine, and was promoted Lance-Corporal in January 1939.
In the first year of the Second World War, the 11th Hussars were stationed in the Western Desert, and were into action as soon as Italy joined the War on 11 June 1940. In the early hours of that morning patrols of the 11th Hussars cut through the wire, and armoured cars of “B” Squadron in the Fort Capuzzo area are reported as having fired the first shots of the War in the Western Desert.
Just five days later, on 16 June 1940, Taber was awarded his Military Medal for gallantry in action on the Libyan frontier, the first gallantry award to the Regiment in the Second World War. The Regimental History, The Eleventh at War, adds further insight:
‘At 7:50 a.m. Second Lieutenant W. H. V. Gape came up on the wireless to report that he was in sight of a column of twelve light tanks and thirty lorries moving north towards Fort Capuzzo, and Geoffrey Miller boldly instructed him to try to cut them off. Soon afterwards Second Lieutenant G.E. C. Dier, with another Troop, reported he had seen three hundred infantry and forty lorries moving west under the protection of seventeen light tanks. A glance at the map-board was sufficient to tell the squadron leader that the enemy columns were converging and already were very close together. Realising now that his two isolated Troops were about to find themselves heavily outnumbered, Miller gave immediate orders for withdrawal, and at the same time asked Combe for some anti-tank guns of the 4th Armoured Brigade to reinforce them.
In the short time that had elapsed, however, Vyvyan Gape, true to character, had already waded straight in to the attack- quite undismayed by the fact that his whole strength consisted of no more than two solitary armoured cars - and began to pour machine-gun fire into the lorries. It brought them abruptly to a halt, and consternation reigned among the hapless infantry, until their escorting tanks - there were six in front and six behind - swung inwards to attack the armoured cars. After that a running fight ensued, in the course of which the Eleventh managed to destroy two of them, but soon had one Rolls-Royce limping on a punctured wheel with the remaining ten tanks trying to outflank it. Gape hung back to protect the lame duck with his own car [sic- it was Gape’s car that was punctured, and Sergeant Taber held back], while the enemy raced ahead to close the Troop’s only line of retreat. For a few minutes the situation looked very ugly. Then, suddenly, from over the horizon came help in the shape of Dier’s No. 1 Troop, driving to the sound of firing.’

Advanced to acting-Sergeant, it was whilst commanding No. 1 Troop, ‘B’ Squadron, at Sidi Barrani, that his Armoured Car received a direct hit from an Italian anti-tank gun on 9 December 1940, and he was killed. The Battalion War Diary records:
‘”B” Squadron moved at 6:15 a.m. No. 1 Troop under Sergeant Taber moved to the north from Alam el Greish and No. 2 Troop also moved north, No. 1 Troop had been delayed by shellfire from Nibeiwa, but joined up with No. 2 Troop and continued north-east. At about 9:10 a.m. they saw some men walking about on the high ground and decided to make an attack. However, on arriving at the hills they were met by anti-tank fire. Sergeant Taber and Trooper Ralstein (in different cars) were killed and a Rolls Royce Armoured Car containing Corporal Horton, Lance-Corporal Holdsworth, and Trooper Hamilton was set on fire and the above men reported missing. The two Troops then retired to Squadron Headquarters where they were reorganised.’

Taber has no known grave, and is commemorated on the Alamein Memorial, Egypt.

Sold together with copied research and a photographic image of the recipient.