Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Six: Gunner J. T. Rudd, Maritime Royal Artillery, late York and Lancaster Regiment

1939-45 Star, this privately engraved, ‘4755146 Gnr. J. T. Rudd The Maritime Royal Artillery’; Burma Star; Italy Star; France and Germany Star, 1 clasp, Atlantic; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, these unnamed, good very fine and better (6) £80-£120

James Thomas Rudd was born in 20 April 1920 and enlisted in the York and Lancaster Regiment, most likely serving with the 1st Battalion in Norway in April 1940, and then joining the Royal Artillery locally at Brownhill, Lancashire in June 1940. Judging by entries contained in his Soldier’s Service and Pay Book, he would appear to have commenced training as a D.E.M.S. Gunner in August 1943, and to have been a member of 3rd Regiment, Maritime R.A. thereafter. Other accompanying documentation reveals that he was serving aboard the S.S. Empire Tristram from 1943-44, and was possibly therefore present when she was damaged by a flying bomb in Commercial Docks, London in late June 1944. On 19 October 1944 he transferred to the American Liberty Ship S.S. Samtredy and was serving in the Indian Ocean. In died in Kingsbridge, Devon in 1998.

Sold with a quantity of original documentation and photographs, including the recipient’s Soldier’s Service and Pay Book, with several entries for D.E.M.S.-related training courses 1943-45; Soldier’s Release Book, dated at Inkermann Barracks, 13 June 1946; Maritime R.A. 1939-45 War certificate of service; a copy of Instructions for Seagoing Other Ranks of the Maritime Royal Artillery; several shore passes, among them a Tyne Dock Police pass, dated 17 September 1943, giving the recipient’s ship as the S.S. Empire Tristram and an Alexandria Port Police shore leave pass, with portrait photograph, dated March 1944, and also stating the recipient’s ship as the S.S. Empire Tristram; British Legion and R.A. Association membership cards, the former for the Kingsbridge, Devon branch, with entries for the period 1946-52; together with cloth Maritime R.A. uniform insignia, tunic medal ribands, showing entitlement to the ‘Atlantic’ clasp to his France and Germany Star and three identity discs.