Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Great War D.S.O. and Bar group of eight awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel C. E. P. Sankey, Royal Engineers

Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., with Second Award Bar, silver-gilt and enamel; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg, Driefontein (Lt. C. E. P. Sankey. R.E.); 1914 Star, with clasp (Capt: C. E. P. Sankey. R.E.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaf (Lt. Col. C. E. P. Sankey.); Defence and War Medals 1939-45; French Croix de Guerre, 1914 1916, with bronze palm, mounted as worn, the first with slightly depressed obverse centre and a few chips to wreaths, otherwise nearly extremely fine (8) £2600-3000

D.S.O. London Gazette 23 June 1915.

Bar to D.S.O. London Gazette 8 March 1919; citation 4 October 1919:

‘For great gallantry in making personal reconnaissances of the Sambre-Oise canal, south of Catillon, during the period 28 October - 3 November, 1918. Owing to the able way in which he carried out his work the crossings over the canal were negotiated with comparatively few casualties in the face of a large number of machine-guns and heavy shell fire. The success of the operations may be very largely credited to the skill and personal gallantry of Lieut.-Colonel Sankey.’

M.I.D. London Gazette 22 June 1915, 15 May 1917, and 20 December 1918.

Crofton Edward Pym Sankey was born on 17 May 1877, son of Captain M. H. P. R. Sankey, C.B., Director and Consulting Engineer to Marconi’s Wireless Telegraph Co. Ltd. and other companies, and E. M. Sankey, daughter of General E. L. Pym, R.M.L.I. He was educated at Wellington College and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and entered the Royal Engineers on 26 December 1899. He served in the South African War from 1899 to 1900 and was present at the Relief of Kimberley; was present during the operations in the Orange Free State, February to May 1900, including operations at Paardeberg; actions at Poplar Grove and Driefontein; also in Cape Colony, south of the Orange River, 1900 (Queen’s Medal with 3 clasps).

He was promoted Captain, 26 December 1905, and was employed as First Assistant Instructor, School of Military Engineering, from 1908 to 1912, becoming Instructor in 1914. He served in the European War; became Major, 30 October 1914; was Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel, 14 January 1916 to 2 June 1917, and Assistant to the Engineer-in-Chief, B.E.F.; Acting Lieutenant-Colonel, 21 February 1918. He was mentioned in despatches; given the Brevet of Lieutenant-Colonel, 3 June 1917; was awarded the Croix de Guerre avec Palme. He was created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order in June 1915 and awarded a Bar for gallantry in March 1919.

Sold with copied research including a lengthy lecture on ‘Assault Engineering’ delivered at the S.M.E., Chatham, on 20 January 1921, by Lieutenant-Colonel Sankey, published in the Royal Engineers Journal in 1922. This describes in the greatest detail the events leading up to the crossing of the Sambre-Oise canal and the subsequent award of the Bar to his D.S.O.