Orders, Decorations & Medals - Aust. Groups

Lot 3708    SESSION 13 (2.30PM THURSDAY 4TH APRIL)    Orders, Decorations & Medals - Aust. Groups

Estimate $15,000
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $13,000

MC TRIO TO AUSTRALIAN FLYING CORPS: Military Cross (GRI); British War Medal 1914-18; Victory Medal 1914-19 with MID. Capt. S.Winter Irving A.F.C. 18.1.18 on first medal, Captain. S.I.Winter-Irving. A.I.F. on last two medals. First medal engraved, last two medals impressed. Display mounted, good very fine.

Together with matching set of original, swing mounted miniatures; small copy of a photo in uniform, in silver frame; another small copy of a photo in a frame; copy of AFC pilot's wings.

MC: LG 18/1/1918, p959; CAG 23/5/1918, p1126.

Citation: LG 25/4/1918, p5029; CAG 24/9/1918, p1868.

Recommendation: On the 5th October, 1917, on the GAZA front, when acting as escort to reconnaissance, he single handed repeatedly attacked and drove off a formation of three enemy aeroplanes, thereby enabling a most valuable report to be brought in by the reconnaissance machine.

MID: LG 16/1/1916, p937; CAG 23/5/1918, p1125, for distinguished service in connexion with military operations conducted by General Sir Edmund Allenby KCMG, KCB, Commander-in-Chief, Egyptian Expeditionary Force.

Stanhope Irving Winter-Irving, grazier, age 25, born at Melbourne, Vic; Enl.17Feb1916 (Service No.331) at Melbourne, Vic; Appt Airman with AFC 17Feb1916; to Sgt 01Mar1916; Emb.16Mar1916; Attch'd to 17 Sqn RFC 21Apr1916; to A/FSgt 10Jun1916; to 2/Lieut. 12Jun1916; to Aboukir for instruction in aviation 23Aug1916; to 21 Reserve Sqn 23Sep1916; to Flg Off 24Oct1916; to 5th Wing 67 Sqn AFC 29Oct1916; to Lieut 24Jan1917; to Captain & Flight Commander 15Aug1917; awarded MC 08Nov1917; RTA 12Nov1917 for compassionate leave to see his critically ill mother and struck off strength of 67 Sqn, AFC; Disemb.17Dec1917 at Melbourne; Appt terminated 19Jun1918 as Medically Unfit.

Stanhope Winter-Irving was interviewed on 17 December 1917, the day he arrived back in Australia. He declined to comment on how he won the Military Cross however when the question of conscription was raised he was quite emphatic in his reply. He said, 'We will want every man, woman and child to help in this war. It is now or never. At last we have had a definite success in Palestine, which has long been planned for. Conscription is the only thing for Australia.'

Stanhope was the son of the late W.I.Winter-Irving MLC, a colonial pastoralist and prominent Australian (see Australian Dictionary of Biography) who also gave the name Stanhope to one of his pastoralist properties. Stanhope married Miss Doris Cumming, daughter of Mr and Mrs W.B.Cumming of Mount Fyans Station, Camperdown, in rural Victoria on 16 January 1918 at 'Noorilim' Dandenong Rd, Armadale, Melbourne, Victoria, the couple's new residence.

With research including Service File.