Orders, Decorations and Medals

A K.B.E., C.M.G. group of nine awarded to Colonel Sir Charles Clifford, Royal Field Artillery

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, K.B.E. (Civil) Knight Commander’s 1st type set of insignia, neck badge, silver-gilt and enamel; breast star, silver, silver-gilt and enamel; The Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, C.M.G., Companion’s neck badge, silver-gilt and enamel; 1914-15 Star (Lt. Col., R.F.A.); British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf (Lt. Col.); Coronation 1911, silver (Lieut. Colonel Charles Clifford, V.D., 3rd West Rid. Bde. R.F.A. Sheffield); Jubilee 1935, unnamed; Volunteer Decoration, V.R., unnamed, hallmarks for London 1902, complete with top bar; Territorial Decoration, G.V.R., unnamed, hallmarks for London 1919, complete with top bar, with Royal Artillery badge in glazed wooden case, good very fine and better (11) £1200-1600

K.B.E. London Gazette 3 June 1925. ‘Colonel Charles Clifford, C.M.G., V.D., T.D., J.P. For political and public services in Sheffield’.

C.M.G. London Gazette 1 January 1918

M.I.D. London Gazette 15 June 1916; 1 January 1916; 4 January 1917; 14 December 1917.

Charles Clifford was the 4th son of Frederick Clifford, Q.C., Middle Temple. He commanded the Sheffield Territorial Artillery in France from April 1915 and afterwards commanded the 126th Brigade Royal Field Artillery. For his wartime services he was four times mentioned in despatches and awarded the C.M.G. He was later an Honorary Colonel of the 71st Field Brigade R.A. (T.F.). He was the proprietor of the Sheffield Telegraph group of papers, a J.P. for the City of Sheffield, and was sometime Chairman of the Executive of the Sheffield Conservative Federation and Chairman of the Sheffield Brightside Parliamentary Division. Awarded the K.B.E. in 1925 for his political and civic services, he also received an LL.D. from the university. In the 1930’s he gave some land to the University of Sheffield to build a dental school; the Charles Clifford Dental School being finally opened in 1952. Colonel Clifford died at Whirlow, Sheffield, on 5 March 1936.

Sold with four M.I.D. Certificates mounted in two frames and a group photograph depicting the recipient and his son, Lieutenant Eric Clifford. Also with a quantity of copied gazette entries, copied newspaper cuttings and other copied research. For his son’s medals, see lot 928.