Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Pair: Corporal E. J. Parkes, Royal Military Police

Korea 1950-53, 1st issue (22124985 Cpl. E. J. Parkes. R.M.) ‘P’ at end of unit erased; U.N. Korea 1950-54, unnamed as issued, good very fine (2) £120-160

Eric James Parkes was born at Swinton on 25 November 1930 and attested for the Royal Military Police at Catterick on 3 May 1951. He served with the R.M.P. in Korea from 6 January 1952 to 9 January 1953, and transferred to the Army Reserve with the rank of Corporal on 17 May 1954, having spent the past year employed as a driving instructor. He was finally discharged on 2 May 1967, after 16 years’ service. He died in Tokoroa, New Zealand, on 15 December 1998.

The recipient’s Certificate of Service has, in places, been ‘enhanced’, and shows additional service in Palestine and Malaya, as well as the erasure of the ‘P’ from ‘R.M.P.’ (as on his Korea Medal) to imply service in the Royal Marines. When previously offered for sale the recipient’s issued medals were accompanied by a General Service Medal with clasps for Palestine 1945-48 and Malaya, unofficially renamed to the recipient with the unit ‘S.A.S.’ However, there is no evidence to suggest that the recipient served with any unit other than the Royal Military Police.

Sold with the recipient’s Regular Army Certificate of Service ‘Red Book’, with various unofficial amendments carried out by the recipient; the recipient’s Third Class and Second Class Certificates of Education; the recipient’s driving licence; a quantity of photographs, the majority taken whilst serving overseas (one captioned ‘First Assault on Imjin River’); and a copy of the Order of Service from the recipient’s funeral.