Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria, to include the Brian Ritchie Collection (Part III)

Family group:

A Second World War ‘Greek Campaign’ O.B.E. group of eleven to Colonel C. Popham, Royal Army Medical Corps

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Military) Officer’s 2nd type breast badge; 1914 Star (Lieut., R.A.M.C.); British War and Victory Medals (Capt.); India General Service 1908-35, 1 clasp, Waziristan 1919-21, M.I.D. oak leaf (Capt., R.A.M.C.); 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Defence and War Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf; Jubilee 1935; Coronation 1937, mounted for display

Pair: Nurse M. E. Hayter, French Red Cross

British War and Victory Medals (M. E. Hayter), mounted as worn, nearly very fine and better (13) £700-900

O.B.E. London Gazette 30 December 1941. Recommendation reads, ‘During the active phase of the Greek Campaign, 26 General Hospital was the only British Hospital established. That it was able to expand with rapidity to more than double its normal capacity, and so deal with the large number of casualties which it did, was due to the untiring efforts of the Commanding Officer, Colonel C. Popham, who thus played an important part in making possible the evacuation of a large number of wounded who might otherwise have been left as P.O.W.’

M.I.D. London Gazette 1 June 1923 (Waziristan), 30 December 1941 and 6 April 1944.

Cyril Popham, born in Bantry, Co. Cork on 13 August 1890. L.R.C.P.& S. Edinburgh, L.R.F.P.& S. Glasgow, 1914. Commissioned a Lieutenant in the R.A.M.C. serving in France and Flanders between 21 October 1914 - 11 November1918. Promoted Captain on 1 June1918, with the rank of Acting Major, 13 September 1920 - 14 April 1921 and Acting Lieutenant-Colonel, 12 January 1923 - 28 October 1925. Promoted Major on 16 September 1926 and Lieutenant-Colonel on 1 March 1938. With the rank of Acting Colonel, 1 October 1940 - 31 March 1941, Temporary Colonel, 1 April 1941 - 10 March 1944, he was promoted Colonel on 11 March 1944. During the war he served as Senior Medical Officer at Sandhurst, 1939-40, was in Palestine, June-November 1940, in Egypt and Greece, 1940-42. For his services in the Second World War he was awarded the O.B.E. and was twice mentioned in despatches. He retired on 3 December 1947 and was still shown as on the Retired Pay List in 1956. Sold with copied research.

Nurse Mary E. Hayter (later Popham) entered the France/Flanders theatre of war in October 1916.