Beschreibung:

The outstanding and rare Great War ‘Western Front’ Lovat’s Scouts ‘sharpshooters’ M.C., 1919 ‘Archangel’ D.C.M. and M.M. group of eleven awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel J. Whammond, a Scot who served in the Boer War with the Cape Mounted Police, and during the 1914-15 campaign in German South West Africa as a Regimental Sergeant Major in the South African Mounted Rifles, before being commissioned into Lovat’s Scouts, where of his scouting work, one contemporary would write of him that his ‘equal at his work I never saw in France.’ Resigning his Commission in 1919, he volunteered for service in the ranks of the 46th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, winning his last two awards for gallantry in North Russia, August to September 1919 Military Cross, G.V.R., the reverse inscribed ‘Lieut. J. Whammond Lovat Scouts Lens 21.6.17.’; Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R. (129318 Sjt. J. Whammond. M.C. M.M. 46/R. Fus:); Military Medal, G.V.R. (129318 Sjt. J. Whammond. M.C. 46/R. Fus:); Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (1145 Pte. J. Whammond. Cape Police Dist. 2.); 1914-15 Star (R.S.M. J. Whammond 2nd S.A.M.R.); British War and Victory Medals (Lieut. J. Whammond.); Jubilee 1935 (1370 W.O.1 J. Whammond. S.A.I.C.); Permanent Forces of the Empire L.S. & G.C., G.V.R. (R.S.M. J. Whammond, M.C. D.C.M. M.M. 2nd Rgt. S.A.M.R.) naming re-engraved, probably official and as issued; Meritorious Service Medal, G.V.R., 3rd issue (No. 1370 G.S.M. J. Whammond. S.A.I.C.) officially impressed naming; Romania, Kingdom, Order of the Star, 1st type,Chevalier’s breast badge, with swords, silver and enamel, reverse centre missing on this, mounted as worn, generally very fine or better (11) £8,000-£12,000 Footnote One of only 2 D.C.M. and M.M. combinations awarded for North Russia, the other selling in these rooms on 22 September 2006. M.C. London Gazette 16 August 1917: ‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in making a very daring personal reconnaissance of the enemy's wire under heavy shell fire, and sending in a valuable and accurate report. His disregard for personal safety when engaged upon work of this nature has on all occasions been most noticeable.’ D.C.M London Gazette 21 January 1920: ‘On the 7th September 1919, at Ivanovskaya, during the attack on three companies of the enemy, who were surprised in the act of attacking Borok, he displayed marked courage and determination. With five men he attacked the enemy left flank, turned it, and drove towards Ivanovskaya. He captured with his party 25 of the enemy and two machine guns. Later, on the 9th September, he again did fine work.’ M.M. London Gazette 22 January 1920” ‘For bravery in the Field with the British Forces in North Russia.’ Romanian Order of the Star London Gazette 20 September 1919. John Whammond was born in Arbroath, Scotland, in 1883 and as a young man worked as a stable boy. However, in 1900 he left for South Africa and joined the Cape Mounted Police as a private, serving with them in the Cape Colony during the Boer War, 1901-2. After the War he continued to serve in this corps for a further 10 years, before joining the Natal Police and the South African Mounted Rifles. With the latter, as Regimental Sergeant Major, he took part in General Botha’s campaign in South West Africa in 1914-15. Some time after the end of hostilities in that theatre of War, Whammond returned to Britain and enlisted into the Lovat’s Scouts Yeomanry as a Sergeant. Commissioned Second Lieutenant on 19 May 1916, he entered the French theatre of War on 10 October 1916, serving in command of one of the newly formed detachments known as ‘sharpshooters’. The sharpshooters were organised into nine observer groups, each made up of an officer and 20 men, and operated close to enemy positions, gathering intelligence on their strength and movements. Clearly a fine exponent of this arm of warfare on the Western Front, H. Hesketh-Prichard, D.S.O., M.C., in his book ‘Snip