Auction Catalogue

30 March 2011

Starting at 10:00 AM

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Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Washington Mayfair Hotel  London  W1J 5HE

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Lot

№ 956

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30 March 2011

Hammer Price:
£1,600

An outstanding Fire Service group of four awarded to Sir Kenneth Holland, C.B.E., O.St.J., Q.F.S.M., Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Fire Services, former Chief Fire Officer of West Riding of Yorkshire and Bristol Fire Services

The Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Officer’s breast badge, silver and enamel; Queen’s Fire Service Medal, E.II.R., for Distinguished Service (Kenneth Lawrence Holland, C.B.E., Her Majesty’s Ch/Insp. Fire Services); Defence Medal; Fire Brigade Long Service Medal, E.II.R. (Kenneth L. Holland, Asst. Chief Officer) mounted as worn, together with eight Fire Brigade Association awards, including B.F.S.A. Meritorious Service Medal (K. L. Holland 20.9.68), and examples from Belgium, France and Luxembourg, these mounted on two separate bars with ribbon for one further award, contact marks, otherwise very fine or better (12) £600-800

Kenneth Lawrence Holland was born in Dudley in 1918, both his father and his grandfather being fire fighters. In 1937 he joined his father’s command at Radcliffe Fire Brigade and in the years following he served at Bury and at Oldham with the Police Fire Brigade. After the outbreak of war, Holland took charge of Oldham Central Fire Station. Then, under the National Fire Service scheme to provide fire protection preparatory to operation Overlord, he was sent in charge of a draft to Devon, to help with the construction of fire stations and workshops. For a period he was seconded to the Americans, working with a U.S. fire marshal protecting the areas from Teignmouth south to beyond Dartmouth. He was next posted to the divisional headquarters of Number 29 Fire Force at Torquay. During this time he was one of only 20 people selected for the first fire prevention long courses, and spent several months at Saltdean College, where he later spent a short time as an instructor.

Following the war he took a post as divisional officer in Suffolk, in charge of the Lowestoft Division, and from then on his career began to take shape. Appointments followed in Worcester (Third Officer) based at HQ, and Lancashire (Third Officer and Senior Staff Officer). His next step was as Deputy Chief Fire Officer of Lancashire in 1955. Then, in 1960, came a move to Bristol as Chief Fire Officer and finally, as far as the active Fire Service was concerned, in 1966 he took over as Chief Fire Officer of West Riding.

In 1972 Holland reached the pinnacle of his career, being appointed Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Fire Services in England and Wales. He retired from the Home Office in 1981, having been rewarded with the C.B.E. and a knighthood. Sir Kenneth Holland died 3 June 2005, aged 86.