Orders, Decorations and Medals

A post-war O.B.E. group of six awarded to Chaplain to the Forces 2nd Class R. A. Harpur, Royal Army Chaplains’ Department, who witnessed active service in the 52nd Lowland Division in North-West Europe and afterwards in the South-East Asia operations of 1945-46

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Military) Officer’s 2nd type breast badge; 1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, S.E. Asia 1945-46 (The Rev. R. A. Harpur, C.F. 4, R.A. Ch. D.), mounted as worn, contact marks, thus nearly very fine or better (6) £400-500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The John Chidzey Collection.

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O.B.E. London Gazette 1 January 1963.

Robert Alexander Harpur was born in December 1915, the son of a clergyman, and was educated at St. Edward’s School and Brasenose College, Oxford, where he rowed in the College Eight and was a member of the Rugby XV. Graduating in October 1938, he attended Oxford House Mission in Bethnal Green before going on to Westcott House in Cambridge to train for ministry. Duly ordained, he served as Curate of Lancaster up until September 1943, when he was appointed a Chaplain to the Forces 4th Class.

Subsequently attached to Divisional H.Q., R.E., 52nd Lowland Division, 21 Army Group, Harpur witnessed active service in North-West Europe from October 1944 until March 1945, prior to being embarked for South-East Asia in September of the same year, where he served on attachment to the 2nd Battalion, The Buffs, until early 1947 (Medal & clasp).

Service in Egypt and the Sudan having followed in the period 1950-53, he was advanced to Chaplain 3rd Class in May of the latter year and acted as Senior Chaplain, 1st Commonwealth Division, in Korea from September 1954 until December 1954, and as a Chaplain 2nd Class at S.H.A.P.E. in Paris in 1960-62. And it was in this latter capacity that he was awarded the O.B.E., the original recommendation praising him for bringing together the Church of England community within a wide radius from S.H.A.P.E., for his diplomatic dealings with various religious denominations and other nationalities, and his outstanding social and welfare work (copy included).

Latterly employed as Deputy Assistant Chaplain General in Cyprus 1965-67 - for which surely he was awarded the U.N. Medal - Harpur was placed on the Retired List in December of the latter year. Afterwards the Vicar of Whalley in Blackburn until 1980, he died in Morecombe, Lancaster, in September 1985.