Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Great War D.S.O. group of six awarded to Colonel H. Hewetson, Royal Army Medical Corps, who was three times Mentioned in Despatches, and was awarded the Russian Order of St. Anne Second Class, and the Italian Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus Fourth Class

Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., silver-gilt and enamel, with integral top riband bar; 1914 Star (Major. H. Hewetson. R.A.M.C.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves (Col H. Hewetson.); Russia, Empire, Order of St. Anne, breast badge, with crossed swords, silver-gilt and enamel, of non-Russian manufacture, unmarked with ball suspension; Italy, Kingdom, Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus, Fourth Class breast badge, gold and enamel, with crown suspension, mounted court-style as worn, enamel damage to one reverse arm of the Anne, otherwise generally very fine (6) £1,800-£2,200

D.S.O. London Gazette 1 January 1917.

Russian Order of St. Anne, Second Class London Gazette 14 January 1918.

Italian Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus, Fourth Class London Gazette 29 November 1918; corrected 19 August 1921.

Henry Hewetson was born on 21 July 1869, the son of the Rev. J. Hewetson, and was educated at Repton and Guy’s Hospital. He was commissioned into the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1896, and was promoted Captain in 1899, and Major in 1908. He served during the Great War on the Western Front from 27 August 1914, initially as Officer Commanding, No. 6 Stationary Hospital, and subsequently with the Indian Expeditionary Forces, and was advanced Lieutenant-Colonel and Acting Colonel. For his services during the Great War he was created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order, and was three times Mentioned in Despatches (London Gazettes 15 June 1916, 4 January 1917, and 30 December 1918). He was also honoured by both the Russian and Italian Governments.

Owing to the political situation in Russia at the end of the War, and in common with similar extant medal groups from the same period, it would appear that Hewetson never received the insignia of the Order of St. Anne, Second Class, with Swords, and instead acquired and wore the non-Russian manufactured badge contained in his group; the fact that it is of a size that corresponds with the Fourth Class breast badge, rather than a Second Class neck badge, is presumably an oversight and a reflection of the recipient’s unfamiliarity with the Order.

Likewise, Hewetson was initially Gazetted with having received the Italian Order of the Crown, Fourth Class, with the correction stating that it was n fact the Italian Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus not appearing in the London Gazette until nearly three years later; consequently, many official reference works, including the Army Lists, incorrectly state that he was awarded the Order of the Crown, and such mistakes continued to appear even after the clarification had been published in 1921.

Hewetson relinquished his commission with the rank of Colonel in 1921, and died in 1953.

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