Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Army Meritorious Service Medal, G.V.R., 1st issue (12128 A. Fl: Sjt: J. W. Large. R.F.C.) good very fine, scarce £300-400

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Awards to the Royal Air Force between the Wars (1919-1939) formed by Group Captain JE Barker.

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Provenance: Sotheby’s, October 1982.

M.S.M. London Gazette 17 December 1917 (Egypt).

M.I.D. London Gazette 12 January 1918 (Egypt).

M.I.D. London Gazette 5 June 1919 (Egypt).

Approximately 140 Army Meritorious Service Medals were awarded to Royal Flying Corps personnel.

The Meritorious Service Medal - The Immediate Awards 1916-1928 by I. McInnes records that 23 extant Army Meritorious Service Medals to the Royal Flying Corps were known to the author at the time of publication.

John William Large was born at Westminster, London, in 1882. He joined the Royal Flying Corps as a Rigger (Aero) in October 1915, and advancing to Sergeant (Acting Flight Sergeant) served in the Egyptian theatre of war. Large was promoted Flight Sergeant Rigger in May 1917, and transferred as Chief Mechanic Rigger to the Royal Air Force in April 1918.