Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Rhodesia, General Service Medal (PR99260 L Cpl Moriarty L. J.) good very fine £100-150

Leonard Moriarty was educated at Umtali Boy’s High School, and served with 1 Squadron Rhodesian Engineers during the Rhodesian Bush War. He was 1 of 7 sappers killed on active service, 5 January 1979, when they ‘were KIA as a result of sappers being critically injured in the south east over the previous two days when handling the Rhodesian-made Carrot anti-personnel mines. An order was sent out to backload all these mines to the rear HQ for forwarding to Army Ordnance for vetting. An underground magazine at the Victoria Falls (Op Tangent) rifle range held stocks of these mines which were used in the minefields stretching from Victoria Falls to Deka. A truck driven by Sgt Adams had been sent to this locality to upload the faulty AP mines. The majority of the Engineers based at the Falls were sent there to assist, including the outgoing OC Lt John Carlisle, with some forming a chain to load the boxes of mines, whilst 7 or 8 others were employed a distance away to recover empty plough-shear boxes. At this time there was an enormous explosion. The findings of a Board of Enquiry were inconclusive, estimating that 4-5 boxes of these mines had detonated.’

Moriarty is listed on his school’s Roll of Honour.

The medal is named Moriarty (with two ‘r’s), not Moriaty