Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Great War M.C. group of five awarded to Lieutenant D. D. Warren, Bedfordshire Regiment, who was wounded during the course of winning his decoration during the German Spring Offensive and afterwards taken P.O.W. - entering the Indian Civil Service in the 1920s, he added the C.S.I. and C.I.E. to his accolades

Military Cross, G.V.R., unnamed as issued; British War and Victory Medals (Lieut. D. D. Warren); Jubilee 1935; Coronation 1937, mounted as worn, together with a Bedfordshire Regiment cap badge, generally good very fine (6) £1000-1200

M.C. London Gazette 26 July 1918:

‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in attempting to reach an isolated company under heavy machine-gun fire. After being wounded and attended to, he rejoined, and did excellent work in reorganising the men and controlling their fire.’

Douglas Daintry Warren was born at Royston, Hertfordshire, in January 1897, and was studying at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, on the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914.

Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, direct from the O.T.C. in June 1915, he went out to France as a reinforcement to the 2nd Battalion in the following year, and won his M.C. for the above cited deeds during an enemy attack on 22 March 1918.

He was taken P.O.W. on 6 August 1918, when, according to his unit’s war diary, ‘the Bosche attacked our line and penetrated into several positions’, a local newspaper report adding that ‘he was with an outpost of his battalion when it was surrounded and all were taken prisoners.’

Entering the Indian Civil Service after the War, Warren served variously as a Magistrate and Collector in Madras in the 1920s and 1930s, and was afterwards appointed Joint Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of War Transport, in which latter capacity he was awarded the C.I.E. and C.S.I. (London Gazettes 1 January 1945 and 1 January 1948, refer). He also served as a Divisional Officer with charge of assorted fire brigade stations during the War, his H.Q. being based at Triplicane Fire Station.
Warren died at Royston in August 1972, aged 75 years; sold with a file of research.

Sold with original Central Chancery letter in respect of a Buckingham Palace investiture to be held on 10 February 1948, and congratulatory letter from Wavell on the award of his C.I.E., dated 31 December 1944.

For the recipient’s miniature dress medals, see lot 649.