Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A C.I.E. group of five awarded to Major-General A. Hooton, Indian Medical Service

The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, C.I.E., Companion’s 3rd type neck badge, gold and enamels, in its Garrard & Co. case of issue; India General Service 1895-1902, 2 clasps, Punjab Frontier 1897-98, Tirah 1897-98 (Sur. Lt. A. Hooton, I.M.S.); British War Medal (Lt. Col. A. Hooton.); General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, S. Persia (Lt. Col. A. Hooton.); Delhi Durbar 1911, unnamed as issued, the last four mounted as worn, nearly extremely fine (5) £1200-1400

Alfred Hooton, son of Jonathan Hooton, of Manchester, was born on 15 March 1870, and received his schooling and medical education in that city, taking the Conjoint diploma in 1893. After holding house appointments for two years he passed into the I.M.S. in 1895, and spent the early years of his career in very active service on the North West Frontier, taking part in the Mohmand and Tirah expeditions and in several minor punitive expeditions. After his transfer to the civil medical department of the Bombay presidency he proved to be a capable, indeed outstanding, civil surgeon in the stations of increasing size and importance to which he was posted. He was eventually given charge of the civil surgeoncy of Poona - one of the most responsible charges in India. Poona was the summer capital of the Bombay presidency and headquarters of the Southern Army, and in those days the civil surgeon of Poona had inevitably to assume the role of leading consultant to both civil and military communities.

In 1909 he obtained the D.T.M. with distinction, and during the First World War he took part in operations in Persia and the Persian Gulf. In 1923 he was appointed C.I.E. He became surgeon-general with the Government of Bombay in 1924 with the rank of Major-General, and for a short time officiated as director-general, I.M.S., in a leave vacancy. In 1924 he was appointed honorary physician to the King. He retired in 1930 and died in Bournemouth on 29 May 1967, at the great age of 97. Sold with obituary notice and copy portrait photograph.