Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria. Including a superb collection of medals to the King’s German Legion, Police Medals from the Collection of John Tamplin and a small collection of medals to the Irish Guards

A Great War Somme operations M.C. pair to Flying Officer D. P. Hadow, Royal Air Force, late Northumberland Fusiliers and Royal Flying Corps

Military Cross, G.V.R., the reverse privately inscribed, ‘Lieut. D. P. Hadow, Northumberland Fus., 1916’; British War Medal 1914-20 (Lieut., R.A.F.) one or two edge bruises, very fine or better (2) £240-280

M.C. London Gazette 25 November 1916: ‘For conspicuous gallantry in action. He led a raid against the enemy with great courage and determination. He set a splendid example to his men.’

Douglas Patrick Hadow was born at Lichfield, Staffordshire in February 1898 and was educated at St. Paul’s and at London University. Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Northumberland Fusiliers direct from the O.T.C. in the course of 1915, he went to France in the following year and was awarded the M.C. for his bravery in leading a raid at Serre on 14 October 1916, while attached to the 1st Battalion.

Hadow transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in January 1917 and qualified as an Observer. He subsequently witnessed active service out in France with No. 42 Squadron between July 1917 and April 1918, when he returned home to take up an appointment as an Instructor.

Released in October 1919, and granted the rank of Flying Officer on the R.A.F. Reserve of Officers, Hadow was ‘arrainged for trial by General Court Martial assembled at Digby, Lincolnshire, on 31 July 1925 on the following charges: Four charges under section 16 of the Air Force Act of behaving in a scandalous manner unbecoming the character of an Officer and gentleman, viz. issuing cheques in payment of debts well knowing that he had not sufficient funds at the bank to meet the cheques’.

And in the London Gazette of 6 October 1925, it was announced that ‘Flying Officer Douglas Patrick Hadow, M.C., is dismissed the service by sentence of a General Court Martial’.

Moves were subsequently made to force the forfeiture of his M.C., but wiser and fairer council eventually prevailed, a note at the end of the relevant correspondence confirming that his ‘Military Cross and war medals not be forfeited’.