Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Pair: J. Caro, Honorary Vice-Consul of Estonia 1919-39

Estonian Order of the Eagle Cross, 4th class breast badge, silver-gilt and enamel, in its case of issue; Estonian Order of the White Star, 4th class breast badge, silver-gilt and enamel, good very fine (2) £250-300

James Caro’s business interests took him to ‘Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Turkey. During the 1914-18 War he had charge of all aliens employed in the British Isles on timber work under the Board of Trade. For twenty years he was the Vice-Consul in Manchester of the Estonian Republic, and was twice decorated by the Estonian Government. He has been Principal of the Oldham Municipal School of Commerce for the last seventeen years ...’ (Rotary Club of Oldham newsletter, October 1948, refers).

Sold with a large quantity of related paperwork, including congratulatory letter from the Finnish Consul-General in London on the ‘receipt of your decoration ... for the services you have rendered to my countrymen’, dated 10 November 1919, and a related Foreign Office letter dated 17 May 1920; a letter from the Estonian Minister in London notifying the recipient of the award of his Order of the Eagle Cross (‘the Estonian Eagle Cross IV Class ... for the work that you have done on behalf of Estonia during the period of your most useful activity as Vice-Consul for Estonia at Manchester’), dated 3 May 1932, and original statutes of the Order; a letter from the Estonian Minister in London notifying the recipient of the award of his Order of the White Star, dated 17 June 1939, together with related forwarding letter and original “Permission to Wear” warrant, dated 17 July 1939; and much besides, including an interesting album of newspaper cuttings and other features pertinent to the recipient’s career, in addition to typescripts of his poetry and other written works.