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

An Interesting Second World War C.B.E., O. St. J. group of eleven awarded to Acting Surgeon Captain W. I. Gerrard, Royal Navy, late Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, who was awarded the Russian Order of St. Anne for his services in H.M.S. Jupiter in 1915 and sometime thereafter the Chinese Order of the Brilliant Jade

The Order of the British Empire, C.B.E. (Military) 2nd type, Commander’s neck badge, silver-gilt and enamels; The Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Officer’s (Brother) breast badge, silver, in its case of issue; 1914-15 Star (Surg., R.N.V.R.); British War and Victory Medals (Surg. Lt., R.N.V.R.); Defence and War Medals; Jubilee 1935; Coronation 1937; Chinese Order of the Brilliant Jade, 4th class neck badge, gilt and enamels, with central blue stone, the reverse officially numbered ‘121’, in its lacquer box of issue; Russian Order of St. Anne, 3rd class breast badge, Civil Division, gold and enamels the Victory Medal officially re-impressed and the Chinese Order lacking reverse rivet, otherwise generally good very fine (11) £600-800

C.B.E. London Gazette 14.6.1945.

Russian Order of St. Anne London Gazette 19 November 1915.

William Innes Gerrard entered the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in August 1914 and subsequently served in H.M.S. Jupiter at the time of her epic ice-breaking voyage to Archangel in early 1915. As the only port through which Great Britain could supply Russia with munitions and equipment, until the Dardanelles could be opened, it was vital to force a channel through the icefields. In his Official History of Naval Operations in the Great War, Sir Julian Corbett records that, ‘the regular ice-breaker had broken down and the old battleship Jupiter established as one of many records of the War, so far as was known, by being the first vessel that had reached Archangel during February.’ She remained there until the first week of May and later saw service in the Mediterranean. Among those Officers and ratings subsequently decorated by the Czar was Surgeon Gerrard.

Remaining in the “Wavy Navy” until the late 1920s, he retired in the rank of Surgeon Lieutenant-Commander but was recalled for service with the R.N. in the 1939-45 War and was awarded the C.B.E. for his services at the Royal Naval Hospital at Kingseat. Gerrard attained the rank of Acting Captain during this latter period.