Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An unusual pair of awards to Hon. Mrs. Victor Bruce, ‘who raced at Brooklands, flew around the world in 1930-31 and looped the loop over Bristol when she was 82’

War Medal 1939-45, with original addressed Air Ministry card forwarding box; Laos, Order of the Million Elephants and the White Parasol, breast badge, in gilt metal and enamel, with related dress miniature, good very fine (3) £400-500

The Hon. Mrs. Victor Bruce (1895-1990) was awarded the above described Laotian Order during the course of her epic flight around the world in 1930-31. Although she took ship across both the Pacific and Atlantic, she piloted her aeroplane “Bluebird” across several continents, making numerous stops en route. It was during one such stopover at Hanoi in French Indo-China that she was presented with the above insignia by General Borzchi, an incident which she describes in her book, Bluebird’s Flight, a 1st edition of which is included in the Lot:

‘ ... Getting down again, I recognized General Borzchi ... Taking a magnificent gold (sic) and enamel medal from his pocket, he pinned it upon my flying coat ... Then he told me that he had bestowed upon me the Order of the Million Elephants and the White Umbrella. He explained that this was a very highly esteemed Government decoration ... He said that the Governor ... had telegraphed to say that as I had been the first Briton and also the first woman to fly to French Indo-China, he had very great pleasure in conferring this decoration upon me ...’

In addition to her trail-blazing world flight, Mrs. Bruce participated in the first air-to-air refuelling trials and founded a London to Paris charter airline which was the first to employ air stewardesses. Back on terra firma, and outside her winning exploits at Brooklands, she gained a memorable Monte Carlo Rally victory in 1927 and became the first woman to complete a non-stop 24-hour drive at the Montlhery circuit near Paris in 1929.