A Collection of Awards for Burma Operations during the Second World War

Six: Lieutenant-Colonel G. Gourlay, Royal Corps of Signals, three times M.I.D. for gallant and distinguished services in the operations in Burma during the Second War

1939-45 Star; Burma Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, M.I.D. Oak Leaf; General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, S.E. Asia 1945-46 (Lt. Col. G. Gourlay. R. Sigs.); Army L.S. & G.C., G.VI.R., 2nd issue, Regular Army (Lieut. G. Gourlay. R. Sigs.), mounted court-style as originally worn, generally good very fine (6) £260-300

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Awards for Burma Operations during the Second World War.

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M.I.D. London Gazette 19 July 1945, 10 January 1946 and 9 May 1946, all:

‘in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Burma.’

George ‘Gerry’ Gourlay was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the City of Edinburgh Fortress Engineers, Royal Engineers (T.A.), in May 1924. He resigned the following year, only to re-engage as a Sergeant in the Royal Corps of Signals for service during the Second War. Gourlay received an Emergency Commission as Lieutenant in the Royal Corps of Signals, in November 1939. He served as Acting Captain from January the following year, and served with the 5th Indian Division in Burma, during which time he was M.I.D. three times. Obviously highly active during the latter period, Gourlay is mentioned thus in Report My Signals by A. Brett-James:

‘... discussing the problem that morning, while waiting for a traffic block to clear, when up came Gerry Gourlay from Divisional Signals, a picture of weather-beaten health. He suggested at once that we should persuade the Sappers to lend some of their own wireless sets for this purpose and he agreed to negotiate himself, they being partly under his jurisdiction.

“The answer to a maiden’s prayer,” said the Brigadier beside me, smiling behind his dark sun glasses. We delayed not a minute, drove back into the town, called on Brunt’s Field Company to find him, with Hepburn and the other officers, eating a late breakfast in their half-ruined house in the street close to that in which we had slept the night; we collected the wireless sets after some minutes of friendly converse. The tense situation had been relieved in an unexpected manner, for which I was grateful to Gerry. He was my company commander, having certain charges over the three brigade signal sections, though in operations these were inevitably less than in a place like Jorhat where administration had become more centralised than ever before.

Gourlay had joined us in Lohardaga, during the training days before entry into Arakan, where he had had experience in the earlier campaign with General Slim’s Corps. This grey-haired, round-faced, energetic man had served Mansergh as signal officer in charge of the artillery signal sections for the year in Arakan, Imphal and the Tiddim Road, spending a great part of his time laying cables and hustling about the countryside with counsel and help. Lines were his forte, and his ruddy brown face and coppery shirtless back were to be seen up ladders, dashing past in his jeep, hastening into an office tent, climbing a tree, all with inordinate energy and efficiency, though at times he upset others by his activities, quickly making all things straight by his business-like yet gracious manner. Sometimes he and I differed over method, more often we agreed in confidence that other people were not always right....

Gourlay bustled round the defences of our hill, for which he was responsible, efficient, business-like and yet irritating, by always being right, ordering new dispensations of barbed wire, fresh alignment of machine-guns, altered allotment of positions. One day tin cans were hung to the barbed wire to rattle at the approach of the enemy; the following day General Mansergh published an order forbidding the use of such tins. The I.O.R.s cursed, laughed, and took away the empty tins. We stood-to by our defences at twilight, and again before dawn, Gerry and I prowling round the perimeter in the company of Ayaswamy, inspecting the readiness of the defenders, the efficiency of our preparations, and longing for hot tea and an end to such activities.

The daily ritual of “standing-to” was dark and cheerless. Our sections manned their trenches round the perimeter of the hill on which our headquarters was established, they stamped their boots and shivered beneath their capes. When their trenches had flooded with yellowish water, the men crouched on the reverse slope and peered forth into the fading murk of night. In the centre of our position, below the verandah of our house, the mobile reserve of Madrassis paraded under Ayaswamy and Durga Rao. I would talk to these two while we waited for Gourlay and Davey to descend from their balcony with their habitual gay cursing at this early rigour.’

Gourlay served as Lieutenant-Colonel with the 5th Indian Division Signals in Java, 31 March 1946 - 9 August 1946 (awarded L.S. & G.C. in August 1948). He relinquished his commission on account of disability in August 1958.

Sold with the following original documents: Commission appointing G. Gourlay as Second Lieutenant in the City of Edinburgh Fortress Engineers, Royal Engineers, dated 1 May 1924; M.I.D. Certificate, dated 9 May 1946, in original envelope addressed to ‘Major G. Gourlay, C/O F. J. Stewart, 10 Marchmont Street, Edinburgh.’