Orders, Decorations and Medals

Pair: Major-General J. T. Johnston, C.B., Royal Artillery
Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 6 clasps, Relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg, Driefontein, Johannesburg, Diamond Hill, Belfast (Lt. Col., R.A.); King’s South Africa, 2 clasps (Lt. Col., R.G.A.) good very fine (2) £250-300

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Medals formed by the late Robert Lamb.

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James Thomason Johnston was born at Dumfries in June 1860, and was educated at Uppingham before passing into the Royal Military Academy. In April 1887, he was appointed A.D.C. to the Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab, Sir James Broadwood Lyall, and got his captaincy a month afterwards. Returning to regimental duty in May 1890, he became an Instructor at the School of Gunnery in July 1892. In 1896 he entered the Staff College, and was promoted to Major in January 1897. He graduated in 1898 and, after commanding a company of the Royal Garrison Artillery at Quetta and Weymouth, was appointed in November, Deputy Assistant Adjutant General for Royal Artillery at the headquarters of the Irish Command. The South African War saw his selection as a special service officer and later as a D.A.A.G. He was present at the Relief of Kimberley and during the Orange Free State operations from February to May 1900, including the battle of Paardeberg and Karee Siding; the operations round Johannesburg and Pretoria and the battle of Diamond Hill in May and June; and those in the Eastern Transvaal later in the year, notably the actions round Belfast in August. For his services in South Africa he was mentioned in despatches and given the brevet of Lieutenant-Colonel. In April 1902, he was appointed a professor at the Staff College, Camberley, and reached the substantive rank of Colonel in June 1905, going on half-pay four years later. He was created C.B. in 1911 and appointed to command the coast defences of Scotland in March 1912. As Major-General, he went to Gibraltar in August 1913 as G.O.C. Royal Artillery, and remained there until, November 1917, after which he was employed under the Admiralty until he retired from the Service in November 1919. Major-General Johnston died at Cobham on 26 December 1938.