Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Second World War civil C.B., Great War M.C. and bar group of six awarded to Captain G. E. Robinson, Royal Artillery, afterwards a Regional Transport Commissioner for London in the Ministry of War Transport

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, C.B. (Civil) Companion’s neck badge, silver-gilt; Military Cross, G.V.R., with Second Award Bar, the reverse of the Cross privately engraved, ‘Capt. G. E. Robinson, R.F.A., 1918’ and the Bar, ‘1918’; British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf (Capt. G. E. Robinson); Jubilee 1935, privately engraved, ‘Capt. G. E. Robinson’; Coronation 1937, privately engraved, ‘Capt. G. E. Robinson’, good very fine (6) £1200-1500

C.B. London Gazette 1 January 1945.

M.C. London Gazette 30 July 1919:

At Neuvilly on the morning of 20 October 1918, he displayed great gallantry in handling a mobile trench mortar. Form one of the houses a machine-gun was giving trouble to the advance of the infantry. He made a personal reconnaissance of the spot, located the machine-gun, and ran his piece into the open and wrecked the house. He was heavily sniped while making the reconnaissance, and the later accomplishment of the task was full of danger, but he carried it through with great coolness and courage.’

Bar to M.C. London Gazette 1 January 1919.

Gleeson Edward Robinson was was born in 1897, the son of the Rev. John Robinson of Dudley, and was educated at King Edward’s School, Birmingham and at London University. A solicitor by profession, he was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Field Artillery in May 1915, initially with an appointment in 1/3 South Midland Brigade, R.F.A.

He went to France in May 1916, attained the acting rank of Captain and was attached to a Trench Mortar Battery in 17th Division in May 1917. It was in this latter capacity that he won his M.C. and Bar, prior to being wounded on 26 October 1918 - the former distinction being announced in The London Gazette after the award of the Bar. He was also mentioned in despatches in May 1918.

After the War, Robinson was appointed a Barrister-at-Law, Middle Temple and served as Secretary of the Clearing Office for Enemy Debts 1920-25 and as a British Member of the Anglo-German Mixed Arbitral Tribunal established under the Treaty of Versailles 1925-30. Then in the early 1930s he became a Traffic Commissioner (Metropolitan Area), in which capacity he was employed in the 1939-45 war by the Ministry of War Transport and gained appointment to the Companionship of the Order of the Bath. Latterly Chairman of the Road, Rail and Traffic Appeal Tribunal (1946-49), Robinson settled in Jersey in the Channel Islands and died in June 1978; sold with copied research.