A rare Second World War Belgian Order of Leopold II group of ten awarded to Eric Phillips, War Correspondent for The Times 1943-45, late Civil Service Rifles

1914-15 Star (1181 Pte. E. E. Phillips, 15-Lond. R.); British War and Victory Medals (1181 Pte. E. E. Phillips, 15-Lond. R.); 1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star, these two privately inscribed, ‘E. E. Phillips, War Corr., Times’; Defence and War Medals, these two privately inscribed, ‘Middx. Yeo., E. E. Phillips, Buffs’; Territorial Efficiency Medal, G.V.R. (1181 Pte. E. E. Phillips, 15-Lond. R.); Efficiency Medal, G.VI.R., 1st issue, Territorial (2563682 Sjt. E. E. Phillips, R. Signals); Belgium, Order of Leopold II, breast badge, silver and enamel, mounted as worn, generally very fine or better (10) £800-1000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Awards for the 1939-45 War.

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Eric Edward Phillips was born in London in August 1892 and was educated at a London County Council elementary school and at Clarks College. He first became associated with The Times in 1913 as an outside contributor, but it was not until May 1921 that he joined the permanent staff. Meanwhile, as stated in his Times obituary, a great deal had happened to him:

‘An enthusiastic Territorial, he was embodied in the First Civil Service Rifles at the outbreak of war in August, 1914. He was severely wounded at Festubert in the following year and became a drill instructor under the Army educational scheme before being demobilised in March 1919. His enthusiasm for the Territorial Army remained and he was again embodied on 1 September 1939, in the 1st Middlesex Yeomanry (Royal Signals). He served as Sergeant Instructor in drill, musketry and anti-gas until he was given a commission in the Buffs in July, 1940. A few months later, with the rank of Captain, he was appointed a conducting officer in the Army Public Relations Service. He held the job until November 1943, when he was released at the request of The Times to act as its war correspondent with the Home Forces until June 1944. Thereafter he reported the activities of the 21 Army Group and the Second Army in North Western Europe until he was injured in a motor accident in Germany in May 1945.

His return to duty in the reporters' room was warmly welcomed. In 1946 he was appointed night news editor and in his free time reported a number of military functions. Later he was relieved of his night work in order to devote himself exclusively to military affairs and as the military reporter of The Times he became a familiar figure at military exercises. His connection with Army matters lasted late in life, for after his retirement from The Times in 1957 he took up a temporary post in the press department of the War Office and held it until 1960.’

Phillips, who was awarded the Belgian Order of Leopold II for his work as a war correspondent during the liberation of Europe (London Gazette 1 August 1947), died in London in September 1962, aged 70 years.