Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Pair: Captain R. G. Garvin, South Lancashire Regiment

British War and Victory Medals (Capt.) nearly extremely fine (2) £120-150

Roland Gerard Garvin was born in 1896, the son of Mr and Mrs J. L. Garvin, the former being the editor of The Observer newspaper. He was educated at Westminster School and Christchurch College, Oxford, where he gained a scholarship in history and won the Public School Fencing Championship (foils) in 1913. In September 1914. he was posted as Second Lieutenant to the South Lancashire Regiment, subsequently being killed in action in France and Flanders on 22 July 1916, whilst serving with the 7th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment. His name is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.

The following eyewitness account of Captain Garvin’s death is extracted from The Times, 29 July 1916: ‘We had a terrible time of it before we went over the top. The company was terribly depleted in numbers, the enemy was subjecting us to an intense bombardment of gas shells and shrapnel. Yet during the whole time your son kept wonderfully cool and kept his officers and men cool. Although his orders came at the last minute and there were a thousand things to distract him, he concentrated all his energy in working out the plans of the attack. There were just three officers left in the company. Your son had arranged to be with the reserve platoon, but during the advance he decided to come up to the front line. We were inclined to lose direction, and he walked from one end to the other straightening out the line. He was engaged in doing so when he was hit by a German bullet. Death was very quick. His one message was to his second-in-command “carry on with the company”.’ Sold with further research including extracts from J. L. Garvin, A Memoir, by Katharine Garvin, and two copied photographs including recipient. Captain Garvin was additionally entitled to a 1914-15 Star.