Orders, Decorations and Medals

A Great War O.B.E. group of five awarded to Captain V. T. D. Palmer, East Kent Regiment

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Military) Officer’s 1st type breast badge, silver-gilt, hallmarks for London 1919; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 2 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State (Lieut., E. Kent Rgt.); Defence; Jubilee 1935; Coronation 1937, these threee unnamed as issued, mounted for display, good very fine (5) £350-400

O.B.E. London Gazette 7 June 1918.

Vivian Trestrail Dampier Palmer was born on 29 December 1876, the son of Colonel James Dampier Palmer, M.P., of Herondon Hall, Tenterden. He was educated at Marlborough College. He received his commission in the Militia in October 1894 and was promoted to Lieutenant in May 1895. Appointed an Honorary Lieutenant in the Army in 1900, he served in the Boer War, being present in operations in Orange Free State, March-May 1900; operations in Orange River Colony, May-November 1900 and December 1900-January 1901, and in the Cape Colony during December 1900. Palmer was invalided home in January 1901 as unfit for further service. He held the rank of Captain in the 3rd Battalion East Kent Regiment, 1904-07. Palmer was a member of the Kent County Council, 1907-19, as a representative for Tenterten. Appointed a Temporary Captain in the Army, 1914-19, he was employed as a Recruiting Staff Officer at Canterbury in 1914 and was later the Deputy Director of Recruiting for the South Eastern Region. He was in addition the Secretary of the South Eastern Region, Ministry of National Service and Private Secretary to Sir Cecil Beck, M.P. - Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of National Service. For his wartime services he was awarded the O.B.E. Postwar he became a J.P., during 1921-22 was High Sheriff of Kent and was Mayor of Tenterden, 1929-30. Captain Palmer died on 9 August 1946, aged 69 years. Sold with a quantity of copied research.