Auction Catalogue

22 September 2006

Starting at 11:30 AM

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Orders, Decorations and Medals

Grand Connaught Rooms  61 - 65 Great Queen St  London  WC2B 5DA

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Lot

№ 1192

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22 September 2006

Hammer Price:
£150

Surgeon-Major T. J. Crean, V.C., D.S.O., Imperial Light Horse

Telegrams (2), one dated 24 December 1901 sent from Cape Town, ‘To Crean, Northbrook Rd., Dublin, “I am dangerously wounded”’; another, dated 8 March 1902, sent from Durban, ‘To Clean (sic), 4 C Northbrook Road, Dublin, “Congratulations from all ranks on honour we all think you have won many times over, Briggs”’, these individually framed, repaired and showing signs of age, fairly good condition (2) £50-70

V.C. London Gazette 11 February 1902. ‘During the action with De Wet at Tygerskloof, on the 18th December, 1901, this officer continued to attend to the wounded in the firing line, under a heavy fire at only 150 yards range, after he had himself been wounded, and only desisted when he was hit a second time, and, as it was first thought, mortally wounded.’

D.S.O.
London Gazette 23 June 1915.

Thomas Joseph Crean was born in Dublin on 19 April 1873 and was educated at Clongowes and the Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin. He was an Irish Rugby International during 1894 and 1896. He joined the Imperial Light Horse as a Trooper on the outbreak of the Boer War, was appointed a Captain in March 1900 but gave up his squadron command in June 1901 and became a Surgeon-Captain. As such, with the I.L.H., he was dangerously wounded whilst winning the V.C. at Tygerskloof in December 1901. Serving in the Great War he was twice mentioned in despatches and was created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order. He died in London in 1923.