An album of 162 medal ribbons, British & Foreign, and 37 black & white photographs

Collected in 1939/40 by a member of the 82nd Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery. Ribbons ranging from mid-Victorian to the 1930s

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Printing Details

This is a Second World War album containing a collection of 162 medal ribbons, and also housing a collection of photographs of serving soldiers with the Royal Artillery (82nd Searchlight Regiment).

The album measures 13.5 × 22cm, it is strong-bound and every page has been filled. The handwritten title page reads "Orders, Decorations and Medals, British and Foreign, collected by Gnr A S Abrams, RA, 3rd September 1939. Mounted and Set Out by Capt D W Warren. Sick Leave Aug-Nov 1940". This is followed by 30 pages of medal ribbons and details, with the ribbons being recto and the text (in white ink) verso. The ribbons are all about 3 to 3.5cm long, and numbered. They are:

I. Distinguished Flying Cross (RAF), 2. Distinguished Flying Medal (RAF), 3. Royal Air Force Cross, 4. Royal Air Force Cross (Obsolete), 5. Royal Air Force Medal (Obsolete), 6. Distinguished Flying Medal (Obsolete), 7. Stanhope Gold Medal, 8. Edward medal, 9. Order of the Indian Empire, 10. Order of St Patrick, 11. Conspicuous Gallantry Medal, 12. Order of St John of Jerusalem in England.

II. 1. Jubilee & Diamond Jubilee, 2. King George's Coronation Medal, 3. London Salvage Corp, Long Service, 4. Kings Police Gallantry, 5. Lloyds for Saving Life at Sea, 6. Arctic Discovery 1818–1855, 7. LCC Bravery at Fires, 8. Medal of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, 9. King Edward's Medal, Ireland 1902, 10. LCC Fire brigade Zeal & Fidelity, 11. Liverpool Shipwreck & Humane Society Marine Medal, 12. Distinguished Service Medal, USA.

III. 1. Tasmanian Long Service & Good Conduct, 2. Permanent Overseas Forces, Long Service & Good Conduct, 3. India General Service 1842–1880, 4. Natal Long Service & Good Conduct, 5. New South Wales, Long Service & Good Conduct, 6. Persian Gulf Naval General Service 1909–1914, 7. Naval General Service, 1915, 8. Peninsular Medal (Gold), 9. Peninsular Medal, 10. Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military nursing Service, 11. Indian Order of Merit, 12. Badge of the Order of the League of Mercy.

IV. 1. Jellalabad 842 Kabul-Kandahal 880, 2. First Design for China Ribbon, 3. China 1900, 4. Ghuznee Medal, First design, 5. Zulu Rising Natal 1906, 6. British North Borneo 1897–1900, 7. Sutlej Campaign (Sikh War) 1845–1846, 8. South Africa King Edwards 1901–1902, 9. Indian General Service 1908, 10. Iraq, 11. African General Service 1902, 12. Soudan 1896–1897.

V. 1. Military Medal, 2. Ashantee 1873–74, East and West Africa 1887–1900, 3. Egypt 1882–89, 4. India Medal 1895, 5. Soudan 1910, 6. Indian Mutiny, 7. Hong Kong Plague 1894, 8. British North Borneo 1900, 9 Khedive Sudan, 10. Tibet 1903–04, 11. Sudan Madal 1910–12, 12. Queensland Long Service & Good Conduct.

VI. 1. Roumania, Order of the Crown, 2. Roumania, Star of Roumania, 3. Order of the Nile (Egypt), 4. Roumania, Medal for Bravery, 5. Hedaz Elnadha, 6. Hedaz Maan Medal, 7. Hedaz Order of El Rafidhain (Military), 8. Order of Mohammed Ali (Egypt), 9. Medal for Chitral Maharajah of Jummoo & Kashmir, 10. Belgium Civil Merit, 11. Italy War medal 1915, 12. The Military Order of Savoy.

VII. 1. The Order of Dambrog, 2. Spanish Service Medal, 3. Japan Russo-Japanese War 1904–05, 4. Norway & Sweden Long Service, 5. Serbian Medal for Balkan Wars, 6. Roumania War ross, 7. Polish Order of Liberty, 8. Spanish Military Merit, 9. Lion Son of Persia, 10. Order of the Striped Tiger Wen-Hu, 11. Order of the Rose, Finland, 12. Bulgarian Fire Brigade.

VIII. 1. Spanish American War, Cuba Army, 2. Mexico 1910, 3. United States Distinguished Service Cross, 4. United States Philippine Campaign, 5. Distinguished War Cross, USA, 6. Canadian General Service Medal, 7. Belgium Medal for Waterloo, 8. Belgium Long Service (15 Years), 9. Belgium Great War, 10. Belgium Croix de Guerre, 11. Belgium Yser Canal, 12. Belgium Order of Leopold.

IX. 1. Holy See Order of Gregory the Great, 2. Order of St Maurice & St Lazarus, 3. San Marino War Cross, 4. Italy Al Valore di Marina, 5. Military Order of Christ, 6. Italy Croix de Guerre, 7. Italy Order of the Crown, 8. Italy Red Cross, 9. Bavarian Military Order of Maximillian Joseph, 10. Prussian Franco-Prussian War, 11. German South West Africa, 12. St Michael of Bavaria.

X. 1. Saxony Medal for Merit, 2. German Colonial Wars, 3. Prussian Medal for China, 4. Oldenberg Austria, 5. Prussia Red Eagle, 6. Wurtemburg Campaign agst Napoleon, 7. Saxonynerdienst Service Order, 8. Bavarian Military Merit, 9. Prussia Franco-Prussian Non-Combatant, 10. Saxe Gotha Altenberg, 1. Iron Cross (Prussia) Civil, 12. Prussian Napoleonic Wars 1815–1830.

XI. 1. (Russia) Order of St George, 2. Russo-Japanese War, 3. Russia Order of St Stanislas, 4. Order of Alexander Newski, 5. Serbia, Order of the White Eagle, 6. Mansatic for Waterloo, 7. Seringaparnan, 8. Olaf of Norway, 9. Montenegro Medal for Bravery, 10. China 1842, 11. East & Central Africa 1897–99, 12. Yaqui 1912.

XII. 1. France Medal of Honour for Mutual Societies (Gold), 2. France Croix de Guerre (New), 3. France Croix de Guerre (Old), 4. France Pontificial Cross, 5. France Dahomey 1894, 6. Solidart, 7. France War of 1870–71, 8. France Special Ribbon for Wounded, 9. France Reconnaissance, 10. France Italy 1859, 11. France Medaille Militaire, 12. France Black Star of Blenheim.

XIII. 1. France Medal of Honour for Prison Officials, 2. France Madagascar 1895, 3. France Levant, 4. France Morocco 1909, 5. France Palme Universitaires, 6. France Order of Agricultural Merit, 7. France Medaillede Sauvetage, 8. Turkey Order of The Medjidie, 9. Turkish Medal for Crimea, 10. Brilliant Star of Zanzibar, 11. Greece v. Turks, 12. Montenegro Order of Danilo.

XIV. 1. United States Certificate of Merit, 2. 1914–1915 Star, 3. British War Medal 1918, 4. Victory Medal 1918, 5. Military Cross, 6. Distinguished Service Medal, 7. Long Service & Good Conduct (Navy), 8. Long Service & Good Conduct (Army), 9. Meritorious Service Medal (Army), 10. South Africa Queen Victorias 1899–1902, 11. Territorial War Medal 1914–18, 12. Territorial Efficiency Medal.

XV. 1. Afgan & India 1936, 2. Fleet Reserve, 3. Coronation King George VI, 4. Merchant Marine 1914–18, 5. National Fire Brigade, 6. Special Constabulary.

This is followed by 37 black and white photographs featuring Gunner Abrams and Captain Warren, and of members of the 82nd Searchlight Reg, RA, ranging in date from 1940 (a group shot of officers, all with rank and surname), and several shots of the NCOs and men in a fairly relaxed manner and, towards the end of the war, even larking about in events such as the Regimental Sports, Spring 1945, and the Demobilisation Race, with some photographs dedicated to Alan (Alan S Abrams). A rare collection.

Condition

This album is in very good condition for age. There is some mottling to the covers but it remains well-bound, and the pages and photographs are clean. The medal ribbons are in very good order, mostly very clean, with some of the older ones showing a little age-related dulling but nevertheless remaining bright. The handwriting remains clear and crisp, and no ribbons are loose.

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