Orders, Decorations and Medals

“WO2 Oldham had the most difficult and varied E.O.D. tasks of any contemporary operator.”

An exceptional ‘Northern Ireland’ bomb disposal G.M. group of three awarded to Warrant Officer Class II Wilfred David Oldham, 321 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Squadron, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, who at the height of the troubles in 1973 dealt with an incredible variety of incidents achieving the greatest success ratio of any member of the corps, being tasked to 95 incidents, including 61 bombs of which he defused 38, including one particular terrorist outrage in which a 200 lb car bomb was placed outside a Christian Brother’s Orphanage containing 28 sleeping children and on which Oldham had to work throughout the night to make safe – on another occasion he successfully defused a bomb that was just eighteen inches away from a secondary device which had ‘obviously been placed as a booby-trap designed to kill him’

George Medal, E.II.R., 2nd issue (23503123 W/O 2 David Oldham, R.A.O.C.); General Service 1962, 2 clasps, Borneo, Northern Ireland (23503123 Sgt. W. D. Oldham, RAOC); Regular Army L.S. & G.C., E.II.R. (23503123 W.O.Cl.2., GM, RAOC) mounted court style as worn, nearly extremely fine (3) £12000-15000

G.M. London Gazette 17 June 1974. In common with all Northern Ireland awards of the period no citation for Oldham’s G.M. was ever published in the London Gazette, however, unusually he was given an official copy of his citation which is sold with the lot and from which the following is taken:

‘Warrant Officer II Oldham served with No 3 Section, 321 E.O.D. Unit, R.A.O.C. from August to December 1973. He was tasked to 95 incidents, including 61 bombs of which he defused 38. This is the highest success ratio achieved by any Ammunition Technical Officer and he rendered safe over 2000 lbs of explosive during his tour.

On 27 August in an operation lasting 12 hours he successfully neutralised a 400 lb ambush bomb with 200 lbs of metal scrap dug into the roadside and camouflaged with replanted gorse bushes.

On 8 September he was tasked to an Orphan’s Home. A 200 lb car bomb had been placed outside the home housing 28 sleeping orphans. He worked through the night and successfully defused the bomb, attracting much favorable comment from local residents.

On 19 September he successfully disposed of a booby-trapped getaway car left at a notorious ambush location near the border.

He neutralised and recovered valuable evidence from three letter bombs on 26 September.

The following day he neutralised a 40 lb bomb placed in a factory.

On 2 October he neutralised and disposed of a 500 lb ambush bomb on a road, recovering invaluable proof that the bomb was radio controlled.

The following day with an officer he successfully defused an 850 lb bomb rigged as a trip wire booby trap with the wire concealed beneath the surface of the water in a culvert.

The next day he neutralised a 10 lb booby trap placed under a car.

On 17 October six armed men raided a village and placed bombs in a Public House, Post Office and a supermarket. Two bombs exploded. In the supermarket were two packages, one, a cardboard box, contained 20 lbs of explosive which he successfully defused. Eighteen inches away was a Jeyes Fluid can, which the shop manager had described as containing petrol sprinkled on the floor by the terrorists. A line was attached and immediately the can moved an explosion of 5lbs occurred causing extensive damage inside the supermarket. Whilst defusing the first bomb he worked within inches of the second highly sensitive booby trap.

WO2 Oldham had the most difficult and varied E.O.D. tasks of any contemporary operator. His cheerful willingness and competence in situations where he was exposed to great personal danger were an inspiration to everyone with whom he worked.’

The following is extracted from a more detailed account of Oldham’s exploits compiled by Major D.V. Henderson, G.M., R.A.O.C. contained in a letter to the recipient, dated 29 November 1979, the original of which is included with the lot:

‘In the last part of 1973 W.O.II (S.Q.M.S.) D. Oldham, R.A.O.C. formed a one-man detachment working from Omagh, County Tyrone, dealing with ninety-five incidents of which sixty-one were bombs. In a period which saw the increased use of border ambush bombs and booby-traps, on many occasions he worked for five consecutive days from first to last light.

In an operation lasting twelve hours on 27 August, he dealt with an ambush bomb in the roadside bank at Pomeroy, County Tyrone, where four hundred pounds of improvised explosive in a forty gallon drum were topped with two hundred pounds of scrap metal. This device was cleverly concealed and a determined attempt had been made to camouflage it, with good observation being possible from nearby high ground.

On 8 September he was tasked to a home in Kircubbin, Island Magee, County Down where a stolen Ford Cortina car had been left outside a dormitory where 28 orphans were sleeping, a man having been seen running away at 8:45pm. A metal keg holding two hundred pounds of explosive was located in the car boot connected to a timing mechanism in a box inside the car. Working throughout the night he successfully defused the bomb, creating a most favourable image in the area for the security forces.

He successfully disposed of a booby-trap getaway car on 19 September left in a notorious ambush location south of Augher, County Tyrone and, on 27 September, neutralized a forty pound bomb in a jam factory in Newtownbutler, County Fermanagh. In the same area, on 2 October, he neutralized and disposed of a five hundred pound mine in a culvert under the A34 road two miles north of Newtownbutler recovering invaluable proof that it was a radio-controlled bomb. He helped Major Jackson when he dealt with a mine at Rosslea on 3 October, then dealt with a ten pound booby-trap on 4 October which had been placed under the car of a prominent Unionist in Enneskillen, County Fermanagh.

Six armed men raided the village of Derrylin, County Fermanagh on 17 October, placing bombs in the post office, where they shot the postmaster, and, at 11:15am, after robbing the till in Blakes Supermarket, a cardboard box containing twenty pounds of improvised explosive with a timing device and eighteen inches from it a Jeyes Fluid can. The manager of the shop had stated that the terrorists had sprinkled petrol from it onto the floor, so whilst defusing the first bomb, he worked within inches of this can which, on being pulled with a line exploded immediately. Containing about five pounds of explosive, it caused extensive damage inside the supermarket and had obviously been placed as a booby-trap designed to kill him. Refusing to accept a transfer for part of his tour to a less active location, in spite of his heavy work load, he nevertheless found time to lecture local security forces in terrorist techniques.’

The lot is sold with the following archive of original documentation:

i) Recommendation for George Medal on M.O.D. embossed paper.

ii) Copy of the original detailed ‘E.O.D. Incident Report’ (4 pages) in relation to the car-bomb left outside the orphanage at Kircubbin on 8 September 1973.

iii) An impressive array of original congratulatory letters and telegrams from various senior military officers (21 pieces).

iv) Buckingham Palace investiture invitation and program.

v) Photograph of recipient in uniform with his wife and son, taken after the investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

vi) Letter from Major D.V. Henderson, GM, dated 29 November 1979 in which he details his proposed entry for WO2 Oldham in his forthcoming book, Dragons Can be Defeated.