The Collection of Medals to the Medical Services formed by Colonel D.G.B. Riddick

The Great War K.C.B., C.M.G. group of ten awarded to Major-General Sir Robert Porter, Royal Army Medical Corps and Army Medical Staff, Director of Medical Services of the 2nd Army, 1915-17

The Most Honourable Order of The Bath, K.C.B. (Military) Knight Commander’s set of insignia, neck badge, silver-gilt and enamel; breast star, silver, gold appliqué and enamel; The Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, C.M.G., Companion’s neck badge, silver-gilt and enamel; Ashanti Star 1895, unnamed; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 5 clasps, Cape Colony, Elandslaagte, Defence of Ladysmith, Orange Free State, Transvaal (Lt. Col., R.A.M.C.); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps (Lt. Col., M.B., R.A.M.C.); 1914 Star, with clasp (Col.); British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf (Maj. Gen.); Belgium, Order of the Crown, 3rd Class neck badge, silver-gilt and enamel, enamel damage to reverse; Belgium, Croix de Guerre, ‘A’ cypher, generally good very fine and better (11) £2500-3000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Medals to the Medical Services formed by Colonel D.G.B. Riddick.

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Robert Porter was born on 31 January 1858 in Co. Donegal. He was educated at Foyle College, Londonderry, Glasgow University and Paris and qualified as a M.B. at Glasgow in 1879. Entering the Army Medical Department as a Surgeon, afterwards Surgeon-Captain in February 1881, he was promoted to Surgeon-Major in February 1893. Porter served in the Ashanti Expedition of 1895-96 for which he received an honorable mention. Next serving in the Boer War, he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel on February 1901, and was present in operations in Natal during 1899, including actions at Elandslaagte and Lombard’s Kop and in the defence of Ladysmith. He served for the remainder of the war in the Transvaal, Orange Free State and Cape Colony. Promoted to Colonel in January 1910, he was briefly placed on Half Pay on 14 January 1914. Restored to Full Pay with the onset of war, he served in France and Flanders with the original B.E.F. as Deputy Director of Medical Services, being ranked as Temporary Surgeon-General, Army Medical Staff in November 1914 and Surgeon-General (ranking as Major-General) in February 1915. During 1915-17 he was Director of Medical Services to the 2nd Army. For his wartime services he was awarded the C.B. in 1916, C.M.G. in 1919, Belgian, Order of the Crown 3rd Class and Croix de Guerre, and was six times mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 19 October 1914, 17 February 1915, 22 June 1915, 1 January 1916, 29 May 1917, 24 December 1917). He was Knighted, receiving the K.C.B. in 1921. Major-General Sir Robert Porter died on 27 February 1928. The Times of 28 February said of him, ‘Sir Robert Porter was one of the distinguished group of “War Doctors” who built up on the Western Front the finest organization for the relief of the wounded which had ever existed. He came to his great work as Director of Medical Services of the Second Army with a distinguished record and with a reputation for thoroughness in all that he undertook, Between the years 1915 and 1917 that reputation was justified’. Sold with copied research.