A Collection of Medals to the Royal Engineers

Family group:

A Great War D.C.M. group of five awarded to Temporary Warrant Officer Class 2 J. P. Garvey, Royal Engineers

Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R. (29970 Sjt. J. P. Garvey, 5/F. Surv. Coy. R.E.); 1914 Star (29970 Cpl., R.E.); British War and Victory Medals (29970 T.W.O. Cl. 2, R.E.); Army L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (29970 Cpl., R.E.) generally good very fine

Four: Warrant Officer Class 1 J. P. Garvey, Royal Engineers

1939-45 Star; Africa Star; War Medal 1939-45; Army L.S. & G.C., G.VI.R., 2nd issue, Regular Army (1864370 W.O. Cl. 1, R.E.) good very fine and better (9) £400-450

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Medals to the Royal Engineers.

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D.C.M. London Gazette 9 July 1917: ‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He has consistently performed good work throughout and has at all times set a fine example.’

John Patrick Garvey, Snr., first entered the French theatre of war as a Corporal, R.E. in mid-November 1914. His subsequent D.C.M.-winning exploits with No. 5 Survey Company, R.E., would have been as part of the 5th Army, which originally arrived in France in July 1916.

John Patrick Garvey, Jnr., was born in 1903 and enlisted in the Royal Engineers at Winchester in November 1925. Qualifying as a Surveyor, his pre-war postings included time in Egypt and Sierra Leone, prior to service with the B.E.F. between September 1939 and February 1940. Garvey was next posted to North Africa, where he served until taken P.O.W. in April 1941. Released in April 1945, he returned home and was discharged as a Warrant Officer Class 1 in March 1948. Re-enlisting in November of the same year, he went on to serve with the B.A.O.R. until again discharged in late 1950.

Sold with a large quantity of original documentation, mainly relating to the career of J. P. Garvey, Jnr., including assorted Pay and Service Books (9); a large notebook with entries for survey work in the Suez Survey Party in 1930; a photograph album with family scenes in addition to the recipient on survey work; a large quantity of loose photographs, many of a military nature, including a portrait shot in Africa, with topee and beard, and a rare series of scenes from Stalag 18A; Regular Army Certificates of Discharge (2); and a folder of correspondence regarding his Army pension.