The Robin Scott-Smith Collection of Medals to Casualties

Robin Scott-Smith

Robin Scott-Smith served as Secretary of the Northern Branch of the Orders and Medals Research Society for 32 years and was a holder of a rare Second Award Bar to the Society’s Distinguished Service Medal. Bob, as he was known to his family and friends, was an astute collector with an eye for a good medal. His main theme of collecting was always ‘men who were casualties’, especially those involved in famous battles, which helped him to pin-point the role of recipients in an action or actions. Much of his collection represented the Peninsula and Waterloo campaigns, and the early Victorian actions.

As a Bolton man, Bob was also keen on all aspects of local history, and this was also reflected in his collecting. As a young man he spent three years in the Royal Air Force, and later served in The Duke Of Lancaster’s Own Yeomanry, Territorial Army, as a tank commander with the rank of Colour Sergeant. A keen marksman, he shot black powder muskets, rifles, and pistols at his local gun club.

Historically, Bob helped with the preservation of Smithills Hall, a Grade 1 listed building on the slopes of the Pennine Moors overlooking Bolton, where he was a chief guide and often gave O.M.R.S. members individual tours, as well as having an interest in other historic buildings. A keen walker, Bob was also a ranger for the local moors, and was involved in the preservation and repair of local moorland features.

In recent years Bob had presented at the local O.M.R.S. meetings on aspects of the Battle of Trafalgar and, on another occasion, made a memorable contribution by bringing along Zulu War medals awarded to recipients who had become casualties in the first Anglo-Boer War. He was passionate about his medals and it was ruefully commented on that once in Bob’s collection there was nowt chance of them ever coming out again! It is now that one can appreciate the eye that Bob had for a good casualty medal and it is fitting that his medal collection should now find new homes where they will be appreciated as having been once part of the Scott-Smith collection.

Robin Scott-Smith passed away on 1 December 2018, aged 81 years. His funeral was well attended by family and friends, and 13 members of the O.M.R.S. formed a Guard of Honour at the crematorium, each bearing the symbolic Red Rose of Lancashire.

The Northern Branch of The Orders and Medals Research Society