Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A post-War O.B.E. group of five awarded to H. M. Pearson, Senior Chief Engineer Officer and Deputy Marine Engineer Superintendent, Royal Fleet Auxiliary

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Military) Officer’s 2nd type breast badge, silver-gilt; 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Pacific Star, 1 clasp, Burma; War Medal 1939-45; together with two cased engineering prize medals from the North East Coast Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders, the first in gold (9ct, 33.23g, hallmarks for Birmingham 1966), the second in bronze, both inscribed ‘H. M. Pearson, O.B.E., E. P. Crowdy, M.A.’ [the recipient’s co-author of a paper on Fleet replenishment], both in fitted cases of issue, extremely fine (7) £600-£800

O.B.E. London Gazette 31 May 1956.

Harold Marshall Pearson was born in Hull, Yorkshire, on 13 May 1904, and served in the Merchant Navy and the Merchant Fleet Auxiliary, principally on Fleet re-fuelling vessels. During the Second World War he served as Chief Engineer in several Merchant Fleet Auxiliary Fleet Replenishment ‘Oilers’, including R.F.A. Abbeydale, R.F.A. Echodale, R.F.A. Arndale and R.F.A. Wave Sovereign. He was appointed an Officer of the Military Division of the Order of the British Empire in the Birthday Honours’ List of 1956 whilst serving as Chief Engineer, Royal Fleet Auxiliary Services. He was later appointed Senior Chief Engineer Officer and then Deputy Marine Engineer Superintendent prior to his retirement from the service on 28 December 1966. He died in Bridlington in 1995.

Sold together with Admiralty letter dated 31 May 1956 informing of the award of the O.B.E. and with a letter from the Director of Fuel, Movements and Transport (Naval), M.O.D., dated 22 December 1966, written on the occasion of his retirement, which says of him, ‘It must have given you great satisfaction to have been so closely associated with the construction of many vessels now in R.F.A. service’; a copy of the paper written by Crowdy and Pearson, entitled, ‘Machinery for Fleet Replenishment Tankers, dated 22 November 1965; and copied research.