Military Medal

A medal awarded to a member of the only Canadian battalion composed of black soldiers to serve in the First World War has sold in a London auction.

RAF Wing Commander Terence Helfer’s Distinguished Flying Cross citation stated: “He has undertaken many hazardous missions…”

The healthy demand for top-notch medals with interesting back-stories shows no sign of decreasing, judging by recent results.

Kathleen Lynn can be seen very much as a modern woman of her time. The daughter of a County Mayo Church of Ireland rector, her upbringing was conservatively Protestant and Unionist but she became politically radicalised through her exposure to the poverty of Dublin’s slums while she studied medicine.

If a full-size Victoria Cross medal group is beyond your price range, a lot sold at Adam Partridge (20% buyer’s premium inc VAT) is perhaps the next best thing.

The search for doomed explorer John Franklin grips collectors almost as much as expeditions of discovery themselves.

Nelson held his protégé Captain Sir William Hoste KCB (1780-1828) in high esteem.

Dix Noonan Webb set a record for a British army Victoria Cross on June 23.

The ubiquitous First World War memorial plaques – the ‘death penny’ – need to have a posthumous recipient of note to sell for anything more than £50-100.

Many of the unsung British heroes of both world wars served in the royal and merchant navies carrying and protecting supplies to Russia or the USSR.

A group of medals awarded to a First World War ‘Tommy’ sold for a mid-estimate £2400 at Kent auction house C&T (22% buyer’s premium) on October 20-21. Not that unusual, it would seem.

One of the most daring air operations of the Second World War included New Zealand pilot Flight Lieutenant Maxwell Nicholas Sparks as a participant.

Serving in the Glider Pilot Regiment was a tough task during the Second World War.

The best-performing entry of the Lindsay Burns (20% buyer’s premium) sale in Perth on July 20-22 against estimate was a militaria lot.

This otherwise humble 1914 Star acquired great historical resonance in the knowledge it was awarded to Private John Parr of the 4th Battalion, Duke of Cambridge’s Own (Middlesex Regiment).

Among the medal groups that impressed at Dix Noonan Webb's July 21 auction was one awarded to a famous recipient: RAF Group Captain Peter Townsend.

A new high for a British army Victoria Cross as 'exceptional’ example also sets a house record for a medal at Dix Noonan Webb

Medals awarded to a recipient who served in three very collectable units sold for £14,000 at British Bespoke Auctions (22/15/12.5% buyer’s premium).

As his nickname suggests, Wing Commander Sidney Baker (1918-2007) enjoyed the finer things in life.