Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A rare Great War period D.C.M. group of twelve attributed to Warrant Officer A. Stepan, a Czech Legionnaire

Czechoslovakia, War Cross 1918; Revolution Medal 1918; Victory Medal, official type 2; Volunteers Cross 1918-19; F.I.D.A.C. Medal 1918-19; Zborov Commemorative Medal 1917-47; Bachmac Commemorative Medal 1918-48; Volunteers of 1918-19 Commemorative Medal, 1938; Volunteers Meeting in Brno Commemorative Medal 1938; Great Britain, Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R., unnamed as issued to foreign nationals; Russia, St. George Cross for Bravery, old Czech copy by Hojtas, Prague; Serbia, War Commemorative Medal 1914-18, together with some old tunic ribands, very fine and better (12) £1200-1500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, An Old Collection of Medals Relating to The Great War.

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Ex D.N.W. 26 March 2009.

As is nearly always the case, no verification has been found for this particular award of the D.C.M., but it is worth noting that Abbott & Tamplin state 290 such decorations were issued to Czech Legionnaires.

Antonin Stepan, who was born in Prague in November 1888, was sent to the Eastern Front in the autumn of 1916, where he deserted to the Russian lines in March 1917. Entering the Czech Legions on 23 July of the latter year, he joined the 3rd Regiment after the battle of Zborov - but nonetheless, as was common to those who had served in regiments present in the Battle, received the Zborov Commemorative Medal in 1948. He was, however, present at the Battle of Bachmac in mid-March 1918, when his unit reinforced the hard-pressed 1st, 6th and 7th Regiments, and it was most likely as a result of his deeds in these operations that he was awarded his Russian St. George Cross for Bravery.

In July 1918, he joined the newly formed 10th Shooters’ Regiment at Samara, in which capacity he was present in several engagements of the Volga Front, among them Simbirsk and Bulgama, and the defence of the Trans-Siberian Railway in the Atchinsk, Kansk and Krasnojarsk sectors. His unit was also charged with guarding Russian gold at Irkutsk. Returning to Czechoslovakia as a Warrant Officer in April 1920 - via Japan, Ceylon, Egypt and Italy - Stepan was demobilised in August of the same year, but remained an active member of the Army Reserve and Czech Legionnaire Veterans’ Association.

Sold with the recipient’s original Ministry of Defence, Czech Legion’s Office statement of services, bearing an official stamp, signatures and the date 2 June 1923, together with a contemporary portrait photograph of him wearing his British and Russian decorations, and several other period photographs.