A post-War ‘Malaya’ O.B.E. and Second War ‘Dunkirk’ M.C. in a rare group of ten awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel W. A. ‘Swazi’ Waller, Duke of Wellington's Regiment

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Military) Officer’s 2nd type breast badge; Military Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated ‘1940’; India General Service 1908-35, 1 clasp, North West Frontier 1935, with M.I.D. oak leaf (Lieut. W. A. Waller. D.W.R.); India General Service 1936-39, 2 clasps, North West Frontier 1936-37, North West Frontier 1937-39, with M.I.D. oak leaf (Capt. W. A. Waller. D.W.R.); 1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals; General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Malaya, G.VI.R., with M.I.D. oak leaf (Lt/Col. W. A. Waller, M.C., D.W.R.) minor official corrections to post-nominal letters and unit; Africa General Service 1902-56, 1 clasp, Kenya (Lt. Col. W. A. Waller, O.B.E., M.C., D.W.R.) mounted as worn, very fine and a rare combination (10) £1,800-£2,200

Provenance: Glendining’s, March 1990; Buckland Dix and Wood, September 1994.

O.B.E. London Gazette 24 October 1950.

M.C. London Gazette 11 July 1940.

M.I.D. London Gazette 7 February 1936 (Looe Agra and Mohmand), 18 February 1938 (N.W.F. 1936-37), and 19 May 1950 (Malaya).

Only 3 officers (no other ranks) of the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment were awarded the medal with clasp ‘North West Frontier 1936-37’. The clasps for ‘Malay’ and ‘Kenya’ are also scarce to the regiment.

The following obituary appeared in the Spring 1999 edition of The Iron Duke:

Colonel William Augustine Waller, O.B.E., M.C.

‘Colonel ‘Swazi’ Waller died recently in his 90th year. He was born in India the son of Frederick Waller, who was killed at Gallipoli in 1915, and the grandson of William, both of the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment. In 1920 he started boarding at the Duke of York’s Royal Military School near Dover. In 1926 he joined the Worcestershire Regiment and four years later was recommended for a commission and went to Sandhurst. He was commissioned in January 1931 and gazetted as a Second Lieutenant in the 1st Battalion and then posted to the 2nd Battalion the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment in India. During the seven years there he fought on the North West Frontier against the Pathan tribesmen in the 1935 Loe Agra and Mohmand campaigns. He was commended for meritorious services in the Loe Agra campaign.

On return to England in 1939 he joined the 1st Battalion in command of ‘C’ Company. The Battalion was sent to France in 3 Brigade, 1st Division, as part of the BEF and was the first British Army unit to confront the Germans.

As the regimental history relates, the long fighting withdrawal started in May and for ‘Swazi’ and his company it ended on the west bank of the Bergues-Furnes canal which separated them from the enemy some 20 to 50 yards distant. In a very extended and exposed position the Battalion had to defend its sector of the final bridgehead in front of Dunkirk. On 30 May the German attack came in with the utmost ferocity. ‘Swazi’, who had put up a magnificent defence with ‘C’ Company, was severely wounded and won the Military Cross.

‘Swazi’ next saw action in the D-Day landings as Brigade Major 9 Brigade. He was then posted as Second-in-Command of the 1st Battalion of the South Lancashire Regiment. On 19 October he became Commanding Officer on promotion (no less than four COs had been killed or wounded since the landings). His tenure of command took him through Belgium and Holland into West Germany until, near Bremen, he was wounded when his jeep hit a mine. He was gifted with extreme personal bravery, which proved a great inspiration to all the Battalion. To see him walking about, as he frequently did, amongst the leading troops and forward positions, completely indifferent to the heaviest enemy fire, was a great morale booster to all. He came to be regarded as fire proof.

After retirement from active service, ‘Swazi’ became an RO in York and he and [his wife] Ruth were known for their many acts of kindness to members of the regiment in the area and for their support of regimental events. By his retirement his involvement with the Army had spanned some 55 years.’

Sold with several extracts from The Iron Duke, including one on the Waller family in a series titled ‘Notable Family Records in the Regiment’.

For the recipient’s father’s medals, see Lot 383.