Auction Catalogue

25 March 1997

Starting at 11:30 AM

.

The Collection of Medals formed by Dr A W Stott

The Westbury Hotel  37 Conduit Street  London  W1S 2YF

Lot

№ 271

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25 March 1997

Hammer Price:
£1,100

A fine Western Desert Immediate D.C.M. group of five awarded to Battery Sergeant Major E. Redpath, 74th (Northumbrian) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, later killed in action
Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.VI.R. (721558 W.O.Cl.II., R.A.); 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; War Medal; Efficiency Medal, Territorial, G.V.R. (721558 Bmbr., R.A.) nearly extremely fine (5)

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Medals Formed By Dr A W Stott.

View The Collection of Medals Formed By Dr A W Stott

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Collection

D.C.M. London Gazette 24 September 1942. The following recommendation was extracted from official records: ‘At MRASSAS on 15 June 1942 when his Troop was engaging tanks BSM Redpath showed great coolness under fire, and by his efforts prevented much valuable equipment from falling into enemy hands. He not only directed the fire of one gun for some time but also helped to man another with his Tp Cmdr till it was knocked out and the Tp Cmdr wounded. After carrying the latter back under heavy fire from tanks he collected and saw to the evacuation of other wounded, mobilised men and vehicles to withdraw the guns out of action and saw them safely across a shell-swept wadi. He recrossed the wadi to help in saving equipment from a damaged truck and from a gun whose tractor had been set on fire. He finally saw that all abandoned vehicles were destroyed before he left the position.’

The Troop Commander mentioned in the above citation was Captain N. R. Grimstone who was awarded the D.S.O. for the same action in which the Troop engaged seven enemy tanks, destroying six of them. Battery Sergeant Major Ernest Redpath was killed in action two weeks later, on 29 June, and is buried in the El Alamein War Cemetery.