Orders, Decorations and Medals

An interesting post-war M.B.E. and Great War M.C. group of four to Lieutenant G. Harley, Royal Engineers

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, M.B.E. (Civil) Member’s 2nd type breast badge, silver, in Royal Mint case of issue; Military Cross, G.V.R., unnamed, in case of issue; British War and Victory Medals (Lieut,) good very fine and better (lot) £800-1000

M.B.E. London Gazette 1 January 1954 (Training Service Officer II, Ministry of Labour and National Service).

M.C. London Gazette 18 October 1917 ‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when in charge of a party carrying stores forward. The party was caught in a very heavy enemy’s barrage, which caused several casualties. He reorganised his party, detailed men to remain with the wounded, and got all the stores to th efront line. He then with his party, under heavy fire, dug an assembly trench, which was essential to the next days operations. He carried out a difficult and important task with great coolness and judgement.’

Gordon Harley was born on 19 January 1892. He lived in Redlands Road, Penarth, W. Cardiff and was employed as an Assistant Civil Engineer before the war. He enlisted into the 13th (Kensington Rifles) County of London Regiment in August 1914 and served with them until February the following year, after which he served with the 7th Battalion Welsh Regiment, February-December 1915, the 1st Monmouthshire Regiment, December 1915-December 1916 and thence the Royal Engineers. Harley received his commission in the Monmouthshire Regiment in December 1915 and was promoted to Lieutenant in August 1918. Awarded the Military Cross in October 1917, he was later wounded (gun shot wound right foot at Albert on 4 June 1918) and was admitted to the 72nd General Hospital during June/July 1918. A very fragmentary newspaper clipping states that he was awarded the M.B.E. in later life for his work as a Training Service Officer Class II in the Ministry of Labour and National Service.

Sold with original ‘Officers Record of Services; R.E. Officer Field Course Notebooks (2), named to ‘2nd Lt. G. Harley, 3/1 Monmouth Regt.’, dated March and April 1916; a mounted set of five miniature dress medals (as above plus 1914-15 Star); riband bar (M.C., British War and Victory Medals); American Bulldog Revolver, in leather holster - deactivated, with deactivation certificate; pewter flask as carried during W.W.1; whistle, inscribed, ‘1915’; photograph album containing wartime photographs; other photographs (7) - mostly aerial battlefield photographs; map of the area near Ypres, with the note, ‘Zillebeke is where Gordon won his M.C., Battle of Ypres’ and the key to a personal handwritten code to his fiancee, Miss Freeham-Smith of 88 Church Road, Hanwell - the code based on the spelling of her name and marks on the envelope was designed to circumvent the censor and provide information on where in France he was writing from.