Orders, Decorations and Medals

A Great War D.S.O. group of six awarded to Major G. H. Spittle, Royal Engineers, late Royal Marines commanding the Divisional Signal Company of the R.N.D. in Gallipoli, and City of London Imperial Volunteers

Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R.; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 4 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Johannesburg, Diamond Hill (1429 Cpl., C.I.V.); 1914-15 Star (Major, R.M.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaf (Major); Territorial Force Efficiency Medal, E.VII.R. (40 C.S. Mjr., Lond. A.-L.T. Coy. R.E.) Q.S.A. suspension repaired and with contact marks and polished, otherwise nearly very fine, the remainder generally good very fine (6) £600-800

Major G. H. Spittle was born in 1881, and joined the City of London Imperial Volunteers, from 3/City of London Rifle Volunteers, in January 1900. He served with the C.I.V. in the South African war and received the Queen’s Medal with 4 clasps. He remained in the Territorial Force and received the T.F.E.M. as Company Sergeant-Major in the London Air-Line Telegraph Company, Royal Engineers. He was commissioned Temporary Lieutenant in the Royal Marines in September 1914, promoted to Temp. Captain in October 1914, and Temp. Major in November 1914. His expertise in signals was obviously highly valued by the Royal Marines, and he was placed in command of the newly established Divisional Signal Company of the Divisional Engineers, in the Royal Naval Division. He accompanied this unit to Gallipoli on 1st March 1915 and was mentioned in General Sir Ian Hamilton’s despatch of 22 September 1915 (London Gazette 5 November 1915). He was invalided to England in September 1915, suffering from pleurisy, and rejoined his unit at Hallencourt, France, in May 1916. In March 1917 the War Office transferred the Divisional Engineers to the Royal Engineers, and with this unit he was mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 18 May 1917) and awarded the D.S.O. (London Gazette 4 June 1917). He died in January 1936.