Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Six: Captain J. H. Bryant, Devonshire Regiment

1939-45 Star; Africa Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Efficiency Medal, G.VI.R., 1st issue, Territorial (Lieut. J. H. Bryant. Devon.) mounted as worn, good very fine (6) £100-£140

John Henry Bryant was born in Islington, London, in 1910 and was educated at Christ’s College. he served during the Second War initially in the ranks, before being commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Devonshire Regiment on 19 October 1940, and was posted to the Machine Gun Training Centre. He transferred into the Essex and Northamptonshire Regiments as Machine Gun Training Officer before landing in Egypt in January 1943, and was then posted to the 1st Battalion Cheshire Regiment, a Divisional Machine Gun Battalion, serving under Malta Command, in Malta.

The Battalion remained in Malta until December 1943 when they returned to the U.K. and were stationed in the Grimsby area. It was allocated to prepare for operations in NW Europe but the 21st Army Group had no requirement for an additional MG Battalion so it was converted to an Infantry Battalion and joined the British Liberation Army as a regular Infantry Battalion as part of the 115th Independent Infantry Brigade. Bryant embarked with the Battalion for operations in Holland in February 1945 and took part in the crossing of the Rhine in March 1945, subsequently joining 159th Infantry Brigade (11th Armoured Division) in April 1945. He was demobilised in Germany on 31 December 1945.

Briant re-joined the territorial army after the War, serving as a Captain in 455 H.A.A. Regiment, and later the Movement Control section of the Royal Engineers, and was awarded the Efficiency Medal on 20 March 1947. I civilian life he was the managing director of a shipyard company based at Whitewell Shipyard, Rochester, Kent.

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