Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A C.B., M.V.O. group of seven to Colonel The Hon. C. Harbord, Scots Guards, later 6th Baron Suffield

The Most Honourable Order of The Bath, C.B. (Military) Companion’s neck badge conversion from a breast badge, silver-gilt and enamel; The Royal Victorian Order, M.V.O., Member’s 4th Class breast badge, silver-gilt and enamel, reverse officially numbered, ‘104’; Queen’s South Africa, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, Transvaal, Wittebergen (Lt. Col. Hon., C.B., Scots Gds.); King’s South Africa, 2 clasps (Lt. Col. The Hon., C.B., Scots Gds.); Jubilee 1897, silver; Delhi Darbar 1903, silver; Coronation 1911, silver, last six mounted for wear, in Spink, London leather case with modern metal plate on lid inscribed, ‘Lt. Col. Hon. C. Harbord, C.B., M.V.O., Royal Scots’, good very fine and better (7) £700-900

Charles Harbord was born on 14 June 1855, the eldest son of Charles, the 5th Baron Suffield. Educated at Eton, he entered the Scots Fusilier Guards as an Ensign on 30 April 1873 and was promoted Lieutenant in April 1875. He was A.D.C. to the Governor-General of Canada (Lord Lorne), November 1878 - December 1880 and A.D.C. to three successive Viceroys of India - Lord Dufferin, February 1882 - December 1884; Lord Ripon, December 1884 - March 1886 and Lord Landsdowne, December 1888 - January 1894. He was promoted Captain in 1887. Harbord was appointed Groom-in-Waiting in Ordinary to Queen Victoria in 1895 and promoted Major in 1896. Appointed second in command of the 2nd Scots Guards in December 1899, he then served in the Boer War, arriving with his regiment in May 1900. He took command of the 1st Scots Guards in July 1901 and was to bring them home at the war’s end in September 1902. During the war he served in operations in the Orange River Colony, May - November 1900, including the actions at Biddulphsberg and Wittebergen; operations in Transvaal, February 1901 and operations in the Orange River Colony, July 1901 - May 1902. For his various services he was awarded the C.B. on 23 November 1900 and mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 10 September 1901). He was created a M.V.O. on 9 November 1902 and retired from the Army on 10 April 1904. He succeeded his father as the 6th Baron Suffield in April 1914 and served as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard, 1915-18. Baron Suffield died on 10 February 1924. Sold with a file of copied research.