Thousands of Medals To Go Under the Hammer in Dundee
An incredible collection of medals that charts the UK's military history over the last 150 years is to go under the hammer at a Dundee auction house.
An incredible collection of medals that charts the UK's military history over the last 150 years is to go under the hammer at a Dundee auction house.
The massive collection - which numbers over 1000 individual medals - includes awards given to soldiers as far back as 1862 for campaigns in South Africa.
They chart the history of British military involvement from then through the Boer War, World Wars I and II, as well as conflicts in Korea and through to the Gulf Wars and the conflict in Afghanistan.
The collection - which also includes heartbreaking mementoes and stories of military sacrifice - was put together by a man from the Tayside area who passed away around four years ago.
His family have now decided to put the collection up for auction at Curr and Dewar Auctioneers in Dundee.
The medals have been split up in to 138 different lots - and is expected to fetch a total of up to £15,000.
Some of the most intriguing lots include two sets of medals that appear to have been collected by members of the same families during the two World Wars.
The first is believed to have been awarded to a father and son - J. McArthur, who served in the Black Watch from 1914 to 1918, and R.K. McArthur, who served in the RAF between 1939 and 1945.
A second lot features 18 medals collected by three men believed to be two branches of the same family.
Private R. L. Easton was awarded the 1914-15 Star, the Victory Medal and the War medal for service in the 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders in World War One.
Private R. Easton, believed to be his son, then received the Defence Medal and the War Medal for his service in the Auxiliary Territorial Service between 1942 and 1945.
As part of the same lot, Sergeant D. K. Ritchie has a total of 13 medals reflecting his service during both wars, first in the Black Watch during WWI and then in the Royal Army Service Corps during WWII.
He was awarded the 1939-45 Staar, the Defence Medal, the War Medal, the Special Police Medal, the T.A. Efficiency Medal, the Military Medal, the G.S. Medal and a Commemorative Medal.
As well as the vast array of medals there are some poignant personal reminders of the sacrifice of the war efforts.
One in particular is a book of remembrance celebrating the lives of hundreds of young men, all former pupils of Dundee's Morgan Academy, who died in the First World War.
The Morgan Academy Roll of Honour 1914-1919 contains hundreds of black and white photos and pen pictures of those ex-pupils who gave their lives during the bloody conflict.
It details their lives before the war, the manner of their deaths and remarkable acts of bravery.
One page of the book details the deaths of two brothers - the only sons of "Misses Gibson of Baxter Park Terrace, Dundee".
Alexander Ogg Gibson and brother Jack Gibson both joined up in 1914 - only to die at opposite ends of the European continent within a month of each other in March and April 1918.
Alexander, a clerk in civilian life, "fell in action at Mezieres, France, on 27th March 1918", according to the book.
A corporal, writing home, said: "He was last seen taking a German machine-gun team single-handed."
Heartbreakingly, his only brother, Jack, also a clerk, died just four weeks later on April 25 1918 at Salonika, on the Macedonian front.
Steven Dewar, of Curr and Dewar Auctioneers, said they expected a large amount of interest from militaria collectors.
He said: "It was a private colletor who built it up over a lifetime.
"There are 138 lots - but within that there are medals numbering possibly into the thousands.
"We have spent a lot of time trying to match up what goes with what.
"Some were connected and others weren't.
"The collection goes from the Victorian era right through to the First and Second World Wars to the Gulf and Afghan conflicts of recent years.
"The pre-sale estimate for the whole collection is between £10,000 and £15,000.
"However, it is being sold off individually in lots ranging from £20 - £40 up to £600 to £800.
"Collectors love to track the names - who they were and what they did.
"We're hoping these lots will attract a lot of collectors - there is a huge range to choose from."
- The auction takes place at 10am on Tuesday September 22 at Curr and Dewar's saleroom in Dundee's North Isla Street.