Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An Order of St. John group of three awarded to Surgeon Major J. H. Rivers, Royal Army Medical Corps and Egyptian Army
The Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Serving Brother’s breast badge, silver and enamel, rev. engraved, ‘Captain John Herbert Rivers, R.A.M.C., 1901’; Ottoman Empire, Order of Osmanieh, 4th Class breast badge, silver, silver-gilt and enamel, rosette on ribbon; Khedive’s Sudan 1896-19081 clasp, Nyam-Nyam (Major, R.A.M.C.), mounted as worn, nearly extremely fine (3) £1,200-£1,600

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals from an Africa Collection.

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Colonel D. G. B. Riddick Collection, Dix Noonan Webb, December 2006.

John Herbert Rivers was born in Harlow, Essex in November 1869. Appointed a surgeon lieutenant in January 1893, he attained the rank of surgeon major in July 1904. Rivers was seconded for service with the Egyptian Army, January 1899-January 1906. He served in the Sudan during 1905 and took part in the operations against the Nyam-Nyam tribes in the Bahr-el-Ghazai province on the Belgian Congo border, during which he was the principal medical officer to the Eastern Column commanded by Captain A. Sutherland. The force sent to restore order was composed of 18 British and 30 native officers, with some 700 men. For his services in the Egyptian Army he was awarded the Order of Osmanieh 4th Class in 1906.

Rivers was also a noted big game hunter, and features in Records of Big Game by R. Ward. He also appears in the photographs and papers held by Durham University for Angus Cameron and his time in the Sudan. Surgeon Major Rivers retired in November 1911, and died at The Grange, Fleet, Hampshire in July 1913. He is buried in All Saints Church Cemetery, Fleet.

Sold with copied research, and photographic images of recipient.