Orders, Decorations & Medals - Australian Groups

Lot 1126    Session 5 (2:30pm Tuesday 26th July)    Orders, Decorations & Medals - Australian Groups

Estimate $800
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $750

GROUP OF SIX TO POW: 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Defence Medal 1939-45; War Medal 1939-45; Australia Service Medal 1939-45; Greek Commemorative War Medal 1940-41 (Army issue). VX33408 P.J.Banbrook on first five medals, last medal unnamed as issued. All named medals impressed. Very fine - extremely fine.

Together with Certificate of Discharge dated 7.3.1944 to be effective from 2.5.1944; original certificate dated 12.2.1980 for award of the Greek Commemorative War Medal; box of issue for Greek medal.

Percy 'Pip' Jack Banbrook, store assistant at Myer Emporium and motor salesman, born 20Aug1918 at Fitzroy, Vic; with 2.5 years service in Senior cadets enlisted in part time militia 26Aug1936 and to 37/39 Bn; Disch.27Apr1938; service in part time militia Jan1940-06Apr1940 with 24/39 Infy Bn; Enl.15Jul1940 in AIF at Royal Park, Vic; to 4 Infy Trg Bn, Geelong and then Artillery Trg Brigade 19Jul1940; to Corps Postal Unit 08Aug1940; Emb.15Sep1940 for Middle East; at Suez 13Oct1940 and to camp Gaza, Palestine; to Greece and operations against Germans 14Mar1941; MIA 04Jun1941 and found to be captured at Toulons 28Apr1941; after being captured by German paratroopers in Greece, was kept with other Australian POWs at Corinthia for seven weeks, then went to Stalag 18D in Austria near the Jugoslavian border. He became ill with pleurisy and pneumonia and had to stay in a civil hospital at Marburg au Drau for five months. Catholic nursing sisters provided good treatment but the Nazis sent some sisters to concentration camps because they believed the attention given to Australian patients was too good. Percy Banbrook then spent time in Stalag 4A, a German POW camp near Dresden; due to ill health embarked from Barcelona with German POW Exchange Program 27Oct1943; to 1st New Zealand General Hospital in Egypt and then returned to 115th General Hospital in Melbourne 10Dec1943; Disch.02May1944 as Medically Unfit ex 1 Aust Postal; died 14Mar1987 at Inverloch, Vic; he was Past President and at the time serving Vice-President of Inverloch RSL.

With considerable research and newspaper cuttings.