Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Pair: Sapper A. S. Rumbellow, Royal Engineers, one of just 105 recipients of the Operational Service Medal for the Democratic Republic of Congo

Operational Service Medal 2000, for the Democratic Republic of Congo, 1 clasp, DROC (24944492 Spr A S Rumbellow RE); Jubilee 2002, unnamed, mounted as worn, extremely fine and extremely rare (2) £3,000-£4,000

The United Kingdom’s contribution to this European Union-led operation to bring stability to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2003 was mainly to provide an engineer detachment and Hercules transport aircraft to help deploy the multinational force. Sixty-three officers and men of 42nd Field Squadron, 35th Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers, provided the bulk of the British personnel employed. Their primary task was to upgrade the airfield at Bunia by doubling the size of the apron hardstanding, by doing which the capacity of the airfield was effectively doubled.