Orders, Decorations and Medals

The King’s Medal for Service in the Cause of Freedom attributed to Professor P. C. Putnam

King’s Medal for Service in the Cause of Freedom, unnamed as issued, in Royal Mint case of issue, extremely fine £250-300

Palmer Cosslett Putnam was born in Canandaigua, New York State, on 13 July 1900, the son of Major George Haven and Emily James Putnam. In Labrador, 1916-17, he served in the Royal Flying Corps, 1917-18, being discharged in December 1918 with the honorary rank of 2nd Lieutenant. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he gained a B.Sc. in 1923 and M.Sc. in 1924, and was a student at Yale, 1927-28. He explored the volcanoes of Central America, 1922, and was Geologist to the Belgian Congo, 1926-27. He was the President and Chairman of the Board of G. P. Putnam’s & Sons, 1930-32. Putnam did research work on wind turbines, 1935-41 and was technical aide to the National Defense Research Committee, 1941. During 1941-43 he helped develope the ‘Duck’, the ‘Weasel’ and other weapons, and developed tactics of amphibious assault. During 1943 he was on a mission for the joint chiefs of staff and sent to various theatre of war. He was then on loan to and on missions for Admiral Mountbatten, Supreme Alled Commander, S.E.A.C., 1943-44. Towards the end of the war he was Special Assistant to the Director of the Office of Scientific Research, 1944-45. Postwar, Putnam was Director and Chief Consultant of Windpower Inc., 1946 and Chief Consultant, American Railway Car Inst., 1946.

Sold with a medal forwarding letter addressed to ‘Professor Putnam’, from the British Embassy in Washington, dated 4 December 1948, signed by ‘H. R. F. Brett, Honours and Awards Section’. Also with a letter from the British Embassy dated 21 January 1970, stating that they were strongly of the opinion that the the ‘Professor Putnam’ in the previous letter was in fact ‘Palmer Cosslett Putnam.’ Sold with additional copied research.