Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria to coincide with the OMRS Convention

Pair: Detective Inspector Frank Hansford, Metropolitan Police, Special Branch, onetime bodyguard to Crown Prince Hirohito

Coronation 1911, Metropolitan Police (P.C.); Japan, Order of the Sacred Treasure, 6th Class breast badge, silver and enamels, in its black lacquer case of issue; together with silver cigarette case, the lid with applied gold chrysanthemum, in its Hunt & Roskell Ltd presentation case, extremely fine (3) £250-300

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals from the Collection of R.W. Gould, MBE.

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Frank Hansford was born at Ottery St Mary, Devon, on 15 December 1887. He joined the Metropolitan Police on 25 May 1908, and after six months in uniform was transferred to Special Branch. During the Great War he was engaged in counter-espionage, mainly based at Dover, and was actively involved at one stage in the trial for high treason of Sir Roger Casement at the Old Bailey. In 1921 he acted as body guard to Crown Prince Hirohito of Japan on his state visit to England and was presented with the Order of the Sacred Treasure and a fine silver cigarette case. He also acted as body guard at various times to the King of Norway, the Prince of Wales, and to Winston Churchill when First Lord of the Admiralty. He retired on pension in May 1933 as a Detective Inspector and became the landlord of the ‘Three Cups’ public house near Heathfield in Sussex. During the Second World War he became a Foreign Office courier and travelled extensively in Russia, Persia and Portugal. After the war he returned to the ‘Three Cups’ and died at Gravesend, Kent, on 19 February 1967. Sold with various documents, letters and photographs, including two Passports showing extensive overseas travel, Buckingham Palace permission to wear the Japanese Order, and the original Japanese award certificate.