Orders, Decorations and Medals

General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Cyprus (Lt. V. H. Ridley, Wilts.) edge bruise, good very fine £200-300

M.B.E. London Gazette 25 March 1975. ‘Major, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Regiment (Berkshire & Wiltshire)’. ‘ In recognition of distinguished services in Northern Ireland during the period 1 August 1974 to 31 October 1974’.

Q.G.M. London Gazette 10 June 1980. ‘Lieutenant-Colonel Ridley was employed in Rhodesia as the Lieutenant-Colonel Commissioner with the Patriotic Front in the most volatile and tough operational area of the country. He was required to set up an operational Headquarters with a senior Patriotic Front Liaison Officer and to control four rendezvous points and two assembly places.

During the assemply phase from 28th December to 10th January, Lieutenant-Colonel Ridley displayed initiative and courage of a quite exceptional order. The area to the south west of Untali was reported by the Rhodesian Forces to be full of large and active gueriila groups. With his Patriotic Front Liaison Officer he went time and again into the bush, even on one occasion after dusk, to make contact with these groups and persuade them to report to Rendervous and assembly places. Not only were many of the tracks he used mined, but in view of the Rhodesians, he was certain to be shot. Both these facts he knew full well but, with total disregard for his own safety, he saw it as his duty to act as he did in order to ensure that the assembly phase in his area was a success. On one occasion Lieutenant-Colonel Ridley journeyed to his dstination down a track which subsequently turned out to be mined, and made contact with a guerilla commander. Not only did he persuade the commander to bring in his group but he also tended to, and evacuated a wounded guerilla who he drove back down the mined tracks to Umtalli.

In the areas where he operated, and despite transport being blown up on a mine with many resulting casualties, the assembly phase was a major success with one rendervous point taking in over two thousand men and Assembly Point Foxtrot, with six thousand guerillas, being nearly three times the size of any other in the country.

After the assembly phase was complete, Lieutenant-Colonel Ridley was immediately present in the assembly places under his command whenever a tense or threatening situation occured, as it often did. Again it was his personal courage and selfless disregard for his own safety which saved on situation after another. The example of courage he displayed was an inspiration not only to his subordinates but also to the Rhodesian Forces and to the Patriotic Front Forces’.

Vivian Howard Ridley was born on the 3 January 1932 and was commissioned on the 3 January 1953 into the Wiltshire Regiment where he qualified for the General Service medal with clasp Cyprus. He was “Specially Employed” in the Ghana Army from 10 February 1961 until 8 March 1962 and then, between 18 June 1966 until 5 February 1968 was on the British Defence Liaison Staff in Canada. After a tour on the MOD Staff as DAAG M.6 (A) he was posted to Northern Ireland where he was awarded the M.B.E. on the 25 March 1975.  He then served in H.Q. the Prince of Wales Division, 21 March 1975-6 April 1975 and was Commanding Officer of the 3rd Battalion Worcester and Forrester Regiment (v) between 21 April 1975 and 6 April 1977. He was then posted to Rhodesia where, on the 10 June 1980 he was awarded the Q.G.M. for “displaying initiative and courage of a quite exceptional order” as a Lieutenant Colonel Commissioner with the Patriotic Front.

He retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel on the 14th July 1986. 

Sold with copied service details and gazette extracts.

Withdrawn