Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A C.B., C.I.E. group of eight awarded to Brigadier R. H. Anderson, 45th Rattray’s Sikhs

The Most Honourable Order of The Bath, C.B. (Military) Companion’s neck badge, silver-gilt and enamels; The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, C.I.E., Companion’s 3rd type neck badge, gold and enamels, these two both fitted with additional small ring to allow flat-mounting of suspension ring; India General Service 1908-35, 1 clasp, North West Frontier 1908 (Lieut., 45th Rattray’s Sikhs); 1914-15 Star (Captain, 45/Rattray’s Sikhs); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaf (Bt-Lt-Col.); General Service 1918-62, 2 clasps, Kurdistan, Iraq, with M.I.D. oak leaf (Lt. Col.); French Croix de Guerre 1914-1918, with bronze palme, the last six court mounted as worn, the first with minor enamel chips, otherwise nearly extremely fine (8) £1200-1500

C.B. (Military) London Gazette 1 January 1934: ‘Colonel (temporary Brigadier), Commander, 3rd (Jhelum) Infantry Brigade, India.’

C.I.E. London Gazette 3 June 1933.

M.I.D. London Gazette 15 August 1917, 12 March 1918, 5 June 1919 (all for Mesopotamia), and 21 May 1920 (Kurdistan).

Croix de Guerre London Gazette 7 June 1919.

Robert Heath Anderson was born on 4 August 1882, son of Colonel William Robert Le Geyt Anderson, C.B., who died in 1908. Educated at Cheltenham College and the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, he was first commissioned into the Middlesex Regiment on 8 May 1901. He transferred to the Indian Army in 1902 and was appointed to the 45th Rattray’s Sikhs in August 1903, with whom he served on the North West Frontier of India in 1908, in the Zakka Khel expedition (Medal with clasp).

During the Great War he served as a Special Service Officer in Egypt from August 1915 to March 1916, and with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force to Mesopotamia from March to August 1916; and in Iraq from November 1916 to October 1918 (Despatches 3 times, brevet of Lt.-Colonel, French War Cross).

He was again mentioned in despatches for his services during the campaign in Kurdistan in 1919, after which he served in Iraq during the Arab Rebellion of 1920 (Medal with 2 clasps). Promoted to Colonel in June 1923, and to Regimental Colonel in May 1926, he commanded, with the temporary rank of Brigadier, the 3rd (Jhelum) Infantry Brigade, Rawalpindi District, 1930-34. He retired with the rank of Brigadier on 31 December 1934, and died at Mary Tavy, Devon, on 23 October 1940.