Orders, Decorations and Medals

A rare collection of autographs of V.C. winners and members of the royal family

Autographs, a fine quality leather bound album, 18.5cm. by 14.5cm., 50pp., the opening 8pp. containing the autographs of approximately 50 V.C. recipients (see below), several “Royals” ([Queen] Alexandra, Albert [afterwards G.VI.R.], Arthur, Edward [afterwards Edward VIII and Duke of Windsor], Elizabeth [afterwards E.II.R.], [Princess] Louise and [Queen] Mary), and other famous personalities, including Field Marshal Plumer, etc., good condition £1200-1500

The following V.C. autographs have been identified, the vast majority of them appertaining to winners from the Great War:

W. Angus (Highland Light Infantry); W. Beesley (Rifle Brigade); D. W. Belcher (London Regiment); W. E. Boulter (Northamptonshire Regiment); A. A. Burt (Hertfordshire Regiment); H. Christian (King’s Own Regiment); H. Colvin (Cheshire Regiment); E. Cooper (King’s Royal Rifle Corps); J. T. Counter (King’s Regiment); C. H. Coverdale (Manchester Regiment); J. J. Crowe (Worcestershire Regiment); J. J. Davies (Royal Welch Fusiliers); J. T. Davies (South Lancashire Regiment); D. J. Dean (Royal West Kent Regiment); W. C. Fuller (Welch Regiment); B. H. Geary (East Surrey Regiment); B. J. D. Guy (Royal Navy - for China, 1900); A. Halton (King’s Own Regiment); H. Hampton (King’s Regiment - for the Boer War); J. Harvey (London Regiment); F. W. Hedges (Bedfordshire Regiment); J. Hewitson (King’s Own Regiment); J. Hutchinson (Lancashire Fusiliers); A. Hutt (Royal Warwickshire Regiment); H. Kelly (West Riding Regiment); C. J. Kinross (Alberta Regiment); A. J. Knight (King’s Own Regiment); D. Laidlaw (King’s Own Scottish Borderers); F. S. Le Quesne (Army Medical Department - for Burma 1889); R. G. Masters (R.A.S.C.); C. Melvin (Black Watch); W. H. Metcalfe (Canadian Scottish); C. N. Mitchell (Canadian Engineers); J. Molyneux (Royal Fusiliers); R. E. Phillips (Royal Warwickshire Regiment); J. Pitts (Manchester Regiment - for the Boer War); J. Readitt (South Lancashire Regiment); F. G. Room (Royal Irish Regiment); T. H. Sage (Somerset Light Infantry); W. J. Symons (A.I.F.); J. Towers (Scottish Rifles); T. G. Turrall (Worcestershire Regiment); T. W. H. Veale (Devonshire Regiment); A. Vickers (Royal Warwickshire Regiment); J. Watt (Royal Naval Reserve); A. Wilcox (Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Regiment); W. Williams (Royal Naval Reserve); J. E. Woodall (Rifle Brigade)

Note: Harry Hampton was the first of the above listed V.C. recipients to die, falling victim to a railway accident in November 1922, aged 51 years. It is highly probable, therefore, that the above described autograph album was completed at the special “Buckingham Palace Garden Party for V.C. Winners” held on 26 June 1920, a contention supported by the additional “Royal” autographs - that for ‘Elizabeth’ must have been added at a later date, possibly around the time of the Second World War.