Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A rare Second World War evacuation of Burma C.I.E. group of eleven awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel E. T. N. Taylor, Indian Medical Service, late Royal Engineers

The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, C.I.E., Companion’s 3rd type neck badge, gold and enamels, in its Garrard, London case of issue; 1914-15 Star (10684 Cpl., R.E.), initials ‘E. T.’; British War and Victory Medals (Capt.); General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Iraq (Capt.); 1939-45 Star; Burma Star; War Medal 1939-45; India Service 1939-45; Jubilee 1935, Coronation 1937, together with a related ‘For General Proficiency’ Medal, silver, the reverse engraved, ‘E. T. N. Taylor’, mounted as worn where applicable, the earlier awards with minor edge bruising and contact marks, very fine and better (12) £1600-1800

C.I.E. London Gazette 29 January 1943:

‘For services in the Burma evacuation.’

The original recommendation states:

‘Lieutenant-Colonel Taylor was posted in February 1942 to Kalewa on the Refugee Organisation where, by untiring efforts, he succeeded in checking a cholera epidemic among the refugees which might have brought work on the India-Burma road to a standstill and resulted in great loss of life. On the advanced refugee camps being withdrawn he became responsible for the medical arrangements in the Manipur area, at a time when reductions of staff and the state of exhaustion and disease in which the refugees were arriving, made his task particularly difficult. Before leaving he had re-established the civil medical administration in Manipur. Throughout he displayed tireless energy, complete disregard of hardship and outstanding organising ability.’

Eustace Trevor Neave Taylor, who was born in Madras in November 1894, commenced his medical training at Edinburgh University in October 1911, but his studies were interrupted by the outbreak of hostilities in October 1914, when he enlisted in the 2nd Scottish Horse Yeomanry.

Afterwards joining the Special Brigade, R.E., he served in France from July 1915 to July 1916, when he returned home to continue his studies, and, on qualifying as a MB. ChB. in December 1917, he was commissioned into the Indian Medical Service. Taylor subsequently returned to France, where he served at the Lahore Indian General Hospital at Rouen, from February 1918 until August 1919, attaining the rank of Temporary Captain.

In July 1920, he was transferred to India, where, early in the following year, he joined No. 61 Indian Station Hospital, an appointment that led to his employment in the Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force in late 1921, and, in the following year, in the Iraq operations, latterly as Registrar and in the rank of substantive Captain.

In February 1930, following a succession of other military hospital appointments, Taylor was advanced to Major, and shortly thereafter became second in command of the Military Hospital Poona, where he onetime acted as Officiating Staff Surgeon. Indeed Taylor occupied a number of other prestigious and senior posts within the Indian Medical Establishment over the coming decade, being advanced to Lieutenant-Colonel in October 1937. Nor do his subsequent C.I.E.-winning exploits in the evacuation of Burma appear to have ended after his departure from Manipur, a signal received from 4 Corps H.Q. at Imphal ordering him to Ledo in May 1942, where there were ‘still a large number of refugees expected’.

Taylor retired from the Indian Medical Service in November 1949 and settled in South Africa, where he died in April 1971; sold with a file of research and an original photograph.