Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Second World War O.B.E. group of seven awarded to Chief Engineer L. H. Benson, Merchant Navy

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Civil) Officer’s 2nd type badge, with its Royal Mint case of issue and registered forwarding envelope; British War and Mercantile Marine War Medals (Leofric H. Benson), with their original card boxes of issue and registered forwarding envelope; 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; War Medal 1939-45, good very fine or better (7) £300-350

O.B.E. London Gazette 15 June 1945.

Leofric Henry Benson, who was born in Sunderland in 1878, but later settled in Harrogate, Yorkshire, was a long-served Mercantile Marine and Merchant Navy engineer, gaining the award of his O.B.E. for services in the M.V. Rugeley of Stephens Sutton Ltd. when aged 68 years. As verified by accompanying documentation, one of his early 1939-45 War appointments was aboard the M.V. Ridley, which ship was abandoned off the Cape Verde Islands as a result of fire on 9 November 1940.

And it was following the loss of the Ridley that her crew were invited to bring home the Indochinois from Freetown, a vessel of the Canadian Pacific Railway with her instructions and markings in French - hence a letter of thanks to Benson, crediting him with making himself ‘master of the main and auxiliary machinery’ in most difficult circumstances. Benson, who also served in the M.V. Empire Day during the second half of 1941, died in March 1946.

Sold with the recipient’s original O.B.E. warrant, dated 14 June 1945, together with related Ministry of War Transport letter of notification, dated 12 June 1945, Buckingham Palace forwarding letter, dated 20 September 1946, and a letter from the British Ship Adoption Society offering advice for his investiture day, dated 14 November 1945; together with old typescripts of letters from the Elder Dempster Lines and other companies, in particular regarding the recipient’s part in bringing the Indochinois home from Freetown in May 1941, following the loss of his own ship, the M.V. Ridley.