Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

General Service 1962-2007, 1 clasp, Borneo (Lt. C. E. Bowly. QRIH.) edge bruise, lacquered, very fine £300-£400

Christopher Edward Bowly was born in Stratford-upon-Avon on 2 September 1941, and was educated at Headfort School, Kells, co. Meath; and Winchester. He was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars on 6 May 1961, and served with them in Sharjah, Trucial Oman States, for seven months in 1961, undertaking desert operations and patrols. The following year he served as a Troop Leader in Aden for five months, before proceeding to Brunei. Promoted Lieutenant on 3 February 1963, he served with the Regiment in Borneo during the emergency there. In a letter home to his mother he describes the situation thus:
‘... Had a bit of a thrill on Tuesday- fired our big guns, and some of the Gunners had a bang too at a couple of camps this side of the border. The Gurkhas follow up party collecting two more terrorists without any loss. The Naval helicopters fired some of their French Guided Weapons at the position too- first time I think that guided weapons have been used by British Forces offensively - history being made before my eyes- very spectacular they were too. We watched from the gun position, five miles away - a great way to fight a war!’

Bowly’s final posting was to Germany in 1965, where he led a very large three power convoy through Brunswick practising for a possible relief of Berlin. He resigned his commission on 3 April 1965, and was subsequently employed as a Bloodstock agent on both sides of the Irish Sea.

Sold together with a Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars miniature lapel pin; a letter written by the recipient to his mother, dated 2 April 1964, in Air Mail envelope, with Sarawak 30 cents stamp, and post marks for ‘Field Post Office 3 Ap 64’; ‘Kuching, Sarawak 5 Ap 64’; and ‘Mala [Mallow, co. Cork, Ireland] 10-IV 1964’; a photograph of the recipient taken in Sharjah; and a copy of Irish Hussar, the Regimental History of the Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars.