oamotme

Gentlemen,

I attach the other images that accompanied the aforementioned lot - sadly no reverse of the four jewels. I suspect that the lot all belonged to Bro. R.A. Oval.

Owain

Gentlemen,

From a group of seven RAOB jewels sold today at a Suffolk auction house - I was the underbidder!

• Obverse - "Flying Bull Lodge No. 8903"
• Reverse - Blank
• Obverse - "Bedouin Lodge Iraq No. 8800"
• Reverse - "Bro. R.A. Oval C.P."
• Obverse - "Royal Baghdad Lodge Iraq No.3647 R.A.O.B." with clasp, "Royal Baghdad 3647"
• Reverse - "Presented to Bro. R.A. Oval C.P. 28.1.58."

All three are silver gilt pieces, marked, by F.C. Parry of Birmingham, with date letter marks unclear except the latter which is "H" for 1957. 

There were four other jewels, generic jewel Kimberley Lodge, specific jewel Yarre or Jarre Lodge West Germany, specific jewel Iraq (see earlier posts) and generic jewel River Jordan Lodge.

Regards

Owain

Graf,

I found another jewelled piece....

Owain

And another.......Owain

Good Morning ,

Some nice pieces - congratulations.

I attach an image of the one French groups I have with a diamond/paste LdH.

Owainr

Clayton,

Great news - and by the sounds of it good timing too!

Once you get it and have it set on the group post a new picture.

Glad to have been of assistance.

Owain

Clayton,

Whilst the format of the medals is the same, those issued by Sultan Saeed have his name in Arabic and the Qaboos issue have his name. Your group are of the Sultan Qaboos type.

The writing is biro above a ruler hence the 'flat' bottom line.

Owain

Clayton,

Spink will have no records of award recipients.

Qaboos was the only son of Sultan Saeed - Qaboos had two sisters.

Owain

Clayton,

Glad to have been of assistance.

I've looked at my various Oman books and found a chapter of Operation Jaguar in 'SAS Oman' by Colonel Tony Jeapes, 1980, Chapter VII, pages 133-142. No mention of individual names other than the commanders. 

Also look at Britain's Small Wars website:

https://britains-smallwars.com/campaigns/oman/page.php?art_url=jaguar 

I note you mention 'saved his grandson' -Sultan Qaboos was not keen on the ladies so it is highly unlikely there was/is a grandson!

Kind regards,

Owain

P.S. As Spink made most of the Oman orders, decorations and medal series, and still mount medals they may have a full size gallantry device - no harm in asking.

Clayton,

Thanks & I have responded - his award is confirmed in Tinson's book but no citation.

Owain

PS I attach a similar group of miniatures sold some years ago on E-Bay - no name but I recall it is on another thread in GMIC.

Good Morning Clayton,

If you provide your uncle's name I can check it against the lists in the various editions of Tinson's book.

A nice group - ditto the miniatures.

Owain

Gentlemen,

This time a generic RAOB jewel - pictures from E-Bay - a second degree Primo's badge worn on a blue neck ribbon. Other examples of this jewel are usually seen on a breast ribbon. Perhaps this neck ribbon format was an especial mark of favour. The reverse is inscribed, "Bro. / George C. Reed / Raised 15-3-65 / Aden Phoenix / Lodge No. 8506". No makers mark and presumably of gilded base metal.

It is interesting to note that despite the deterioration in the security situation in Aden at the time the Phoenix Lodge continued to meet.

Regards,

Owain

Gentlemen,

Further to my post of 8 July 2020, form the internet, another example of the Shamal Lodge No. 9948, but with a, " 25th Anniversary" bar - reverse not seen.

Also from the internet, a previously unseen RAOB Lodge jewel, "Jerboa  8776" - again reverse not seen - the badge is that of a desert rat or jerboa.

Two possible origins:

1. A post WW2 related jewel - possibly in Libya or Egypt - 7th Armoured Brigade  - Desert Rats.

2. A post Gulf War related jewel - possibly in Saudi Arabia  - 7th Armoured Brigade Operation Granby.

Without a context for the jewel all is supposition.

Regards,

Owain 

Rob,

Even in the Buttenshaw 2010 edition of Tinson's book the only citations includes are for the Sultan's Gallantry Medal. I suspect that somewhere in Oman other records exist. Perhaps you could write to the Sultan's Armed Forces Museum at Bait Al Falaj? 

Regards,

Owain 

Good morning Gentlemen,

This time a generic RAOB jewel with the ribbon brooch bar inscribed, 'Cairo' and the lower suspension bar inscribed, 'Sub Examining Council'. The reverse reads, 'Presented to / Bro. C. Luck C.P. / for services rendered / as Vice-President / 1945'. Luck would have been a member of the council that examined RAOB members for knowledge & proficiency to obtain promotion within the RAOB.

Kind regards,

Owain

Gentlemen,

Another generic Egypt RAOB jewel but this time with a clasp or bar bearing the inscription, 'R.A.F. Aboukir No.3739'. The reverse does not bear the recipient's name.

An Aboukir specific lodge jewel was illustrated in my post of 1 November 2022.

As noted previously Aboukir is on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt and the bay in the Nile Delta is known for a sea battle of 1798 when the British Navy, under Nelson, defeated the French navy.

I attach my image of 1 November and also another of a similar jewel with the clasp/bar 'Akrotiri' which suggests that the lodge did indeed relocate to Cyprus.

Regards,

Owain

Gentlemen,

Further to my post of 12 December 2020 I detail below another Latitude Zero Gan jewel. In this instance the ribbon also bears  a RAOB letter device and in addition a clasp or bar with the inscription,

'Latitude Zero Lodge  9188 / MILLENIUM / 20th October 1980' 

The reverse is plain other than the makers mark, 'PARRY B'HAM'

What is particularly interesting is that the design of the jewel has been flipped - the red crescent is now to the right of the jewel whereas on the first jewel it is to the left. A different ribbon also applies.

As noted in the earlier post RAF Gan was situated at the south of the Maldives islands and established as a military base in 1941 - used as staging post for RAF flights and closed in 1976 and handed back to the Maldives Government.

Kind regards,

Owain

Megan,

Some progress - some 36 pages - really no more than an overview and a guide - checking for typos and formatting.........

Owain

Megan,

I note  you refer to Decree 271 of 18 June 1966, Establishment of the Somali-Ethiopian Campaign Medal January-April 1964. On the Italian legal website this law is noted but not accessible and on the Somali website most if not all of the decrees for 1964 are missing. The words 'needle' and 'haystack' come to mind!

I am currently reviewing a draft edition of my Somali booklet.

Owain

.

Rusty,

Good post - great images. Such an example of the order would be on the 'nice to have' list but I suspect that there will be bidders with deeper pockets! I note the estimate is £2,000 - £3,000 - it will surely go for more. All the successful buyer will need is a sash for the badge!

Owain

Gentlemen,

Further to my first post back in May 2020 I posted a couple of images of two RAOB Egypt jewels. I have recently obtained a nicer example of such a jewel awarded to Bro G.QW. Farquahar of the Concordia Lodge. The jewel is gilded base metal - no maker's mark.

Owain

Bart,

Many thanks. A very large number of Belgian nationals came to the UK as refugees during the Great War - some 250,000 plus - and I suspect that the answer to the mystery of these medals/awards may lie in the communities that these people made and lived in in UK.

Kind regards,

Owain 

Good Morning,

Further to my post of 17 December 2020, yesterday I purchased in a junk shop a jewel of the Aden Phoenix Lodge. Superb quality gilded silver - for £20 a good price for such workmanship. The Lodge specific jewel depicts a 'mountain'  on the obverse an allusion to the barren rocks of Aden and the phoenix is supposedly to have originated in Arabia. The crown, eagle and the ribbon colours are symbolic of the Royal Air Force.

Obverse - 'Aden Phoenix No. 8506'

Reverse - Plain other than the initials FGP for the manufacturer Parry. The hallmarks are Birmingham silver, 'E' for 1954.

Regards,

Owain

Megan,

In the early 1970's the decrees  change from Italian to Somali and really are a challenge to translate!

Sadly the series of laws is incomplete with photocopied pages overlapping and in some instances missing and also misfiled but at least some can be found

Owain 

Omar, Nice to see a 1st Class gold example of the Medal of Benevolence - instituted in 1923. Owain 

And.......both types King Fuad and King Faruq, Owain

Megan,

Hey presto.....as sold by me - they are the UNTT/IFA - Order of Somali Solidarity - Law 7 of 30 Sep. & Decree 116 of 17 Nov. 1956 - short lived and obsolete upon proclamation of the Somali Republic.

Owain