A scarce Great War ‘Warrant Officer’s’ M.C. group of eight awarded to Warrant Officer Class I W. H. Tilbury, 5th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, who later served as an Assistant Commissioner of Police in Assam and was a member of the Surma Volunteer Light Horse, Auxiliary Force India

Military Cross, G.V.R., unnamed as issued; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal (5369 Pte. W. Tilbury. Rl: Berks: Regt.); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (5369 Serjt: W. Tilbury. Rl: Berks: Regt.); 1914-15 Star (16689 Sjt. W. Tilbury. R. Berks: R.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves (16689 W.O. Cl.1. W. Tilbury. R. Berks. R.); Volunteer Force Long Service Medal (India & the Colonies), G.V.R. (Pte. W. H. Tilbury. Surma V.L.H. A.F.I.); Belgium, Kingdom, Order of Leopold II, Chevalier’s breast badge, silver and enamel, with bronze A.I.R. palm on riband, contact marks and minor edge bruising, generally nearly very fine and better (8) £1,400-£1,800

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals from the Royal Berkshire Collection.

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M.C. London Gazette 1 January 1919.

M.I.D. London Gazette 4 January 1917.

Belgian Order of Leopold II, Chevalier, with palms London Gazette 5 April 1919.

William Harry Tilbury was born at Burchetts Green, Berkshire, on 5 November 1881 and attested for the Royal Berkshire Regiment aged 15 years and 6 months. He served with them in South Africa during the Boer War, and with the 5th Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front from 28 July 1915. Advanced Warrant Officer Class I, he was awarded the Military Cross; the following account appeared in the Berkshire Chronicle:
‘The Germans were making a rush for the guns which they had almost surrounded when the party I have spoken of together with the other Berkshire men and the Guards thwarted the desperate attempts which the Boches made to capture them... In regard to the saving of the guns I should like to say that splendid work was performed by our signalling officer, whose name I cannot remember, and Regimental Sergeant Major Tilbury.’

Subsequently commissioned Captain, post-War Tilbury served with the Assam Civil Service as an Extra Assistant Commissioner of Police, with the rank of Major, and whilst in India served with the Surma Volunteer Light Horse, Auxiliary Force India. He died of Malaria on 15 December 1932.