A Collection of Medals to Veterinary Surgeons and the Army Veterinary Corps

A Great War O.B.E. group of eight awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel F. Fail, Royal Army Veterinary Corps
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Military) Officer’s 1st type breast badge, silver-gilt, hallmarks for London 1919; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 2 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State (Civ. Vet. Surg., A.V.D.); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps (C. Vet-Surg., A.V.D.); 1914 Star, with copy clasp (Capt., A.V.C.); British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf (Lt. Col.); Egypt, Order of the Nile, 4th Class breast badge, silver, silver-gilt and enamel, rosette on ribbon; Khedive’s Sudan 1910-22, 1 clasp, Sudan 1912, unnamed, mounted as worn, good very fine (8)
£1200-1500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Medals to Veterinary Surgeons and the Army Veterinary Corps.

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Frederick Fail was born in Kedlington on 2 August 1874 and qualified as a M.R.C.V.S. (Edinburgh) on 21 May 1898. Served in the Boer War as a Civilian Veterinary Surgeon, taking part in operations in the Orange Free State, May 1900; operations in the Orange River Colony, September-November 1900; operations in Cape Colony, February-April and June-December 1900 and November 1900-May 1902. Commissioned a Lieutenant in the Army Veterinary Department in May 1903, he served again in South Africa, May-December 1903. Promoted to Captain in May 1908. Served in the operations against the Bair and Anuak Tribes in S.E. Sudan, 1912. As a Captain in the A.V.C. he entered the France/Flanders theatre of war on 1 October 1914 (clasp not confirmed). He was posted to Egypt in November 1915. For his wartime services he was mentioned in Allenby’s despatches (London Gazette 5 June 1919) and as a Major (Temp. Lieutenant-Colonel in the R.A.V.C.) was awarded the military O.B.E. (London Gazette 3 June 1919). Fail attained the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in February 1919 and retired as such on 6 January 1920. He died on 18 March 1950. With copied research, including service papers (confirming Order of the Nile), gazette and roll extracts and m.i.c.