A Fine Collection of Medals to Officers Who Died During The Two World Wars

The Efficiency Decoration issued Posthumously to Captain R. A. Hunter, Royal Artillery and Scottish Horse, who was killed in action on D-Day with 6th Airborne Division

Efficiency Decoration, Territorial, G.VI.R., 2nd issue, the reverse officially dated 1950, in its Royal Mint case of issue together with named Army Council transmission slip ‘The Under-Secretary of State for War presents his compliments and by Command of the Army Council has the honour to transmit the enclosed Award for service in The Territorial Army. The Council share your sorrow that Capt. R. A. Hunter, T.D., in respect of whose service it is granted did not live to receive it’, extremely fine £200-250

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Fine Collection of Medals to Officers Who Died During The Two World Wars.

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Robert Arbuthnot Hunter was born on 16 March 1910, son of Robert Cecil and Aileen Hunter, and husband of Melanie Mortimer Hunter, of Bletchingley, Surrey. He held a Territorial commission in the Scottish Horse from 1935 and joined his regiment on the outbreak of war. He was on the Staff from 1940 to 1942, when he went to Sierra Leone for 15 months. He then applied to be released from staff work, and did nine months special training in commando and naval gunnery work. He landed with the 6th Airborne Division on D-Day, and was reported ‘Missing,’ and later ‘Killed in action’ on that day. He is buried in Ranville War Cemetery, Calvados, France.

Ranville was the first village to be liberated in France when the bridge over the Caen Canal was captured intact in the early hours of 6 June by troops of the 6th Airborne Division, who were landed nearby by parachute and glider.