Auction Catalogue

2 July 2003

Starting at 10:00 AM

.

Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Grand Connaught Rooms  61 - 65 Great Queen St  London  WC2B 5DA

Lot

№ 653

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2 July 2003

Hammer Price:
£160

Group to Harold Wallace-Copland, Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire, Lord Mayor of Stafford

The Order of St. John of Jerusalem,
Knight of Grace breast star, 73 x 73mm., silver and enamel, with gold pin, in case; together with a group of six miniature dress medals: Order of St. John, silver and enamel; 1914-15 Star; British War and Victory Medals; Defence; Coronation 1953, mounted as worn, good very fine and better (7) £180-220

Sold with a fine leather bound folder, approx. 27.5 x 34cm., on the cover inscribed in gilt, ‘Presented to Alderman Harold Wallace-Copland, C.C., Mayor of the Borough of Stafford, 1944-45, 1945-46’. With a satin interior and containing four bound pages, beautifully illuminated, inset with photographs and inscribed, ‘Borough of Stafford. At the Annual Meeting of the Council of the Borough of Stafford held at Guild Hall on Saturday the Ninth day of November, 1946, Her Worship the Mayor (Alderman Ruth Turney) in the Chair, It was resolved unanimously that this Council place on record their appreciation of the services rendered to the town of Stafford by Alderman Harold Wallace Copland, C.C., during his tenure of the Office of Mayor for the two Municipal years 1944-45 and 1945-46. He took Office during the later stages of the second World War and had the satisfaction of being Mayor at the time of the Victory of the United Nations and leading the V.E. Day and V.J. Day celebrations in the Borough. By his efforts a sum of £10,934 was raised locally for the Red Cross and other Charities and he inaugurated a “Welcome Home Fund” for returned Service personnel which totalled £4,238. Alderman Wallace-Copland also had the unique distinction whilst Mayor of the Borough of being elected to and occupying the Chair of the Staffordshire County Council. The Council also place on record their admiration of the organisation by the Mayoress of many civic functions and their appreciation of the gracious manner in which she performed the duties of Mayoress’.

Harold Wallace-Copland was born on 30.5.1893 and educated at Coatham, Redcar, Yorkshire. He came to Stafford in 1911 as an articled pupil to a firm of solicitors. In the Great War he served as a Captain and Adjutant with the Royal Field Artillery and was gassed at the Battle of Ypres. After the war in 1918 he married Winifred Hester Sutton, who later became a J.P. for Staffordshire. In 1919 he became a solicitor. He served on the Stafford Borough Council during 1922-34 and 1938-49 and on the Stafford County Council during 1940-50, where he was Chairman during 1946-49. He was Mayor of Stafford during 1944-46. In 1949 he was appointed a Knight of St. John and also appointed Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire, a post he was to hold for 17 years. Soon after his appointment as Lord Lieutenant he was made Honorary Colonel of the 444th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, R.A. He died in 1973. Sold with some copied research.