Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An interesting inter-War ‘Iraq’ C.B.E., pre-War M.V.O. group of six awarded to Captain A. L. F. Smith, Hampshire Regiment, who was the Tutor to H.R.H. The Prince of Wales (later H.M. King Edward VIII) at Magdalen College, Oxford, and was later Inspector General of Education in Iraq

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, C.B.E. (Civil) Commander’s 1st type neck badge, silver-gilt and enamel, with next riband, in Garrard, London, case of issue; The Royal Victorian Order, M.V.O., Member’s 4th Class breast badge, silver-gilt and enamel, unnumbered; British War and Victory Medals (Capt. A. L. F. Smith.); General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Iraq (A. L. F. Smith); Iraq, Kingdom, Order of the Two Rivers, Civil Division, Third Class neck badge, with neck riband, in Arthis Bertrand, Paris, case of issue, about extremely fine (6) £700-£900

C.B.E. London Gazette 3 June 1927: Arthur Lionel Forster Smith, Esq., M.V.O., Inspector General of Education, Iraq.

M.V.O. Fourth Class London Gazette 13 November 1914: Arthur Lionel Forster Smith, Esq., Fellow and Tutor of Magdalen College, Oxford [in the same Gazette in which the President of Magdalen was appointed K.C.V.O., and the Senior Tutor in Modern History at Magdalen was appointed C.V.O.]

Iraqi Order of the Two Rivers, Third Class London Gazette 31 May 1932: Arthur Lionel Forster Smith, Esq., C.B.E., M.V.O.:
‘In recognition of valuable services rendered while in the employment of the Iraq Government.’

Arthur Lionel Forster Smith was educated at Rugby and Balliol College, Oxford, and was appointed a Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford. He served as Tutor to H.R.H. The Prince of Wales (later H.M. King Edward VIII) during the latter’s undergraduate residence in the College, for which he was appointed a Member Fourth Class of the Royal Victorian Order. Subsequently commissioned into the Hampshire Regiment, he served with both the 2nd/7th and 1st/9th Battalions during the Great War on the Western Front from 5 November 1917, before proceeding to Iraq in a civilian capacity, being employed first as Acting Political Officer at Shamiya and Najaf from 18 January 1919, and then as Acting Director of Education in Baghdad from 14 February 1920. Appointed Director of Education in Baghdad on 1 August 1920, he was advanced Inspector General of Education in Iraq, for which services he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1927 Birthday Honours’ List.

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