Auction Catalogue

16 & 17 September 2010

Starting at 1:00 PM

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Orders, Decorations and Medals

Washington Mayfair Hotel  London  W1J 5HE

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Lot

№ 1523

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17 September 2010

Hammer Price:
£4,300

An extremely well-documented Imjin River group of five awarded to Warrant Officer Class 2 J. Vaughan, Gloucestershire Regiment

Korea 1950-53 (14186568 Cpl. J. Vaughan, Glosters); U.N. Korea 1950-54; Africa General Service 1902-56, 1 clasp, Kenya (14186568 Sgt. J. Vaugham, Glosters); General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Cyprus (14146568 Sgt. J. Vaughan, Glosters); Army L.S. & G.C., E.II.R., Regular Army (W.O. Cl. 2 J. Vaughan, Glosters), mounted as worn, together with a set of related miniature dress medals and U.S.A. unit citation, blue riband in gilt frame (2), minor contact wear, generally good very fine (12) £3000-3500

John Vaughan was born in Gloucester in January 1928 and, after attending local school, joined the L.M.S. Railway. Called up at the end of the War, he joined the Gloucestershire Regiment in January 1946, and served in Ireland and the West Indies prior to being embarked for Korea in H.M.T. Empire Windrush.

Subsequently present at the epic battle fought at Imjin River in April 1951, when his Battalion was outnumbered by ten to one, faced constant attacks of the most determined and savage kind, by day and by night, yet held back the Chinese for a vital period of 72 hours, he was among the the final party of 350 men who rallied on what became known as “Gloster Hill” - following the order “every man for himself”, barely 40 of these men made it back to our lines, the remainder being killed, wounded or taken prisoner of war, Vaughan being among the latter. He had been wounded in the shoulder, while serving in an M.M.G. team, but nonetheless did his best to help others, ‘until the Chinese ordered that the stretchers be left at the side of the road. His best friend was given a pistol and one bullet, and John had to walk on and leave him. Fortunately, he was picked up by a local family of peasants and carried to a M.A.S.H. hospital’ (accompanying biographical note written by the recipient’s wife refers). She continues:

‘Life in the prisoner of war camp took on a monotony of indoctrination lectures, films of Chinese glorious deeds, and hardly any food. The camp was a village that had been cleared of its original inhabitants and the Chinese were convinced that no-one would try to escape as their facial features would give them away. The Red Cross tried vainly to get food parcels and mail through and this was delayed for some time. When the agreement was finally reached, the prisoners were assembled and told by a Chinese officer (who had studied at Harvard) that release and repatriation would soon happen. This is recorded in a small red notebook which the Red Cross gave our prisoners for Christmas [see below]. When the Americans liberated the camp everyone was lined up and deloused with D.D.T. powder, loaded onto trucks and on arrival at a rendezvous point, given fresh uniforms, a meal and a medical examination. John weighed six and a half stones.’

On returning to the U.K., Vaughan took a year out and worked as a postman, but rejoined his old regiment shortly thereafter, seeing further active service in Kenya in the period June 1955-April 1956, again as a machine-gunner, in addition to service in Cyprus from January 1957 to February 1958, and December 1960 to February 1965. So, too, in Germany, where he found himself on duty at Spandau Prison, home to Rudolph Hess, Hitler’s ex-deputy. Vaughan’s wife continues:

‘It fell to John to oversee his treatment and conditions. Hess took a shine to John and said that if he stood on a stool in his cell, he could see across to the parade ground and watch John taking his men for drill. I think John’s loud voice and strict treatment of his “boys” impressed Hess. He gave him a large Austrian coin [in fact a Maria Theresa Thaler - see below]’

Vaughan was finally discharged as a Company Sergeant-Major at York in May 1968, when he returned to employment as a postman and, though ‘bitten by dogs, mugged for benefit cheques and generally abused by the public’, he kept a level head. He died in 2010.

Sold with a large quantity of original documentation and other artefacts, the Korean War memorabilia including a postcard of H.M.T.
Empire Windrush, and group photograph of Glosters aboard her en route to Korea; P.O.W’s alloy spoon, the initials ‘J.V.’ scratched on the base; a P.O.W’s Red Cross “Merry Christmas 1952” notebook, containing several poems and a diary of events for the recipient’s eventual hand over and release April-July 1953; a photograph taken inside his P.O.W. camp; Chinese People’s Volunteers Immunization Card, with several entries including ‘Plague, 25/7’; a registration form for P.O.W’s personal effects; five letters to him from family and friends, dating from the Korea War period, including examples received at No. 1 P.O.W. camp; and an admission card for Southampton Docks for the arrival of the H.T. Dunera, 16 October 1953; and telegram (Have good leave ... ‘), dated 31 October 1953.

Together with First and Second Class Army Certificates of Education, dated 19 May 1950 and 16 November 1962; S.J.A.B. First Aid Course Certificate, dated 19 December 1959, with forwarding letter; Army School of Civil Defence, Millom, Rescue Instructor’s Certificate, dated 13 January 1960; Royal Tournament Certificate, dated 1961; Air Portability Certificate, dated 31 October 1961; Certificate for Appointment to Warrant Officer, dated 16 March 1964; Identity Certificate, issued by H.Q. 1st Glosters, Cyprus, 27 March 1967, together with an annotated map of “Nicosia Within the Walls”; his Regular Army Certificate of Service, confirming all of the above described Medals & clasps; and Army Board Certificate of Retirement; assorted pamphlets and journals, etc., including Presentation of Colours to the 1st Battalion on 26 April 1952 by H.R.H. The Duke of Gloucestershire and Tercentenary Lunch at Gloucester, 19 March 1994, together with issues of
The Back Badge; a fine array of career photographs (approximately 65 images), including scenes from his time in Korea and Kenya; enamelled H.M. Armed Forces Veteran’s badge, in case, with Houses of Parliament forwarding letter; regimental cap, with bullion embroidered “Back Badge”, regimental belts (2), several cap badges, and his C.S.M’s red sash, and Sergeant’s, Corporal’s and Lance-Corporal’s stripes; wooden desk title ‘C.S.M. J. Vaughan’; and a large quantity of bank note and coin souvenirs from Canada, Ceylon, Cyprus, East Africa, Germany, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Libya and elsewhere, the coins including the Maria Theresa Thaler of 1780 given to Vaughan by Hess.