Orders, Decorations and Medals

A remarkable collection of ephemera relating to Mr. John Gibbins, Director of Transport, Serbian Relief Fund. The collection comprises approximately 40 letters, documents and photographs, the greater majority relating to his work in France and Salonika with the Society of Friends Relief Expedition and the Serbian Relief Fund:

(a) Red Cross Brassard (Armlet) No 7352 issued at Salonika on 15 February, 1917, 16 inches x 3.25 inches including buckle; together with his Army Certificate of Identity for civilians wearing the Red Cross Brassard, showing his civil status as Director of Transport with the Serbian Relief Fund. The Brassard is also set with a rare brass shoulder title.
(b) Two British Passports issued on 17 December 1914 and 11 November 1915, each with numerous endorsements
(c) Identity Card issued by the Society of Friends in France, and four further 'Safe Conduct Passes,' each with a photograph and personal details.
(d) Certificate of Exemption from Military Service, dated 30 May 1916, 'Conditional on man remaining in his present occupation i.e. Hut building etc. for the 'Friends' Relief of War Victims Committee abroad.'
(e) Seventeen letters, receipts and safe conduct passes including two letters from the S.R.F. concerning a fire which destroyed Gibbins's own car along with another belonging to the Scottish Women's Hospital, both signed by Sir Edward Boyle, Chairman S.R.F.
(f) Six photographs including two showing Gibbins and his brother with the Society of Friends' car in France, 1915. (g) A small quantiry of letters and documents relating to his pre- and post-war employment.
(h) A short 9 page biography of John Gibbins 1888-1973, compiled by Richard Holding shortly after his death.

John Gibbins was born on 9 May 1888 into an old-time Quaker family and served his apprenticeship in his father's own company, The Coalbrookdale Co. Ltd. at Ironbridge. He, together with his sister, were pioneer motorists in the pre-war years and John held AA membership No. 40. With the outbreak of the First World War John and his brother Francis, joined the Friends' War Victims Relief Committee, and left for France just before Christmas of that year, taking with him his own Wolseley car. In 1916 the F.W.V.R.C. were approached for help by the Serbian Relief Fund with the result that John left France for Salonika as Director of Transport for the S. R.F. In due course he arrived in Corsica with Serbian refugees who were to be housed in centres throughout the island, to be tended by S.R.F. personel, together with a Scottish Women's Hospital Unit. Early in 1917 he went to Macedonia, once more under the auspices of the S.R.F. As John Gibbins was serving throughout this period as a civilian he was not entitled to any service medals and the above items are all that remain to commemorate his remarkable war time service.