Orders, Decorations and Medals

Major A. E. Thompson, Royal Leicestershire Regiment, later Royal Anglian Regiment, who was awarded a Military Cross for gallantry in the Borneo Campaign and an M.B.E. and M.I.D. for subsequent service in Northern Ireland

General Service 1962, 1 clasp, Borneo (Lt. A. E. Thompson, M.C., R. Leicesters) single edge bruise, otherwise nearly extremely fine £600-800

M.B.E. London Gazette 1 May 1973 (Royal Anglian Regiment, Northern Ireland).

M.C. London Gazette 21 April 1964 (Royal Leicestershire Regiment, Borneo). The original recommendation states: ‘This young officer has been deployed with his platoon in an outpost near the Indonesian border, for the period between 5 September 1963 and 8 January 1964. During this time, the enemy made several attempts to attack his position with small parties. By his relentless determination to remain master of his area of responsibility and his example of personal leadership, he frustrated all these attacks before they could develop fully. Displaying outstanding zeal and intelligence, he has produced an exceptional flow of intelligence from the area and his platoon remains as alert and confident as when it was first deployed.

On 1 January 1964, as a result of a period of continuous patrolling, he located an enemy medium machine gun which had been reported to be in his area and was suspected of having fired at our aircraft on several occasions. He took a small patrol as near as he could to the position and then went forward with one man until he completely surprised the enemy gun crew of four. He endeavoured to capture them but as they attempted to use their arms, he was compelled to shoot and kill two of them and severely wounded the other two. He was in the process of destroying the enemy gun when he came under light machine gun fire and was forced to withdraw. Throughout the incident, he displayed leadership and courage of a high order and a calmness and maturity beyond his years and experience.’

M.I.D. London Gazette 18 June 1974 (Royal Anglian Regiment, Northern Ireland)

Major Alan Elliott Thompson was born in June 1942, being commissioned into the Royal Leicestershire Regiment in August 1962, which regiment was disbanded in 1964, becoming part of the Royal Anglian Regiment. He received his Majority in June 1974 and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1981.

Major Thompson was issued with his General Service Medal, 1 clasp, Borneo in October 1965, with a replacement General Service Medal, with additional clasp South Arabia being issued in February 1967 and a Northern Ireland clasp issued in October 1972. The medal sold in this lot is therefore Thompson’s original medal as issued in 1964.