A HIGHLY UNUSUAL MEDAL OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (1917-1922)
One of the Very First Awards (For Civilian Gallantry, August 1917) atThe Vickers Crayford Munitions Factory.
& QUEEN’s SOUTH AFRICA MEDAL(4 Clasps).
To. 6876 Frederick Amos Hesman.
2nd Royal West Kent Regiment.
Later Att: Imperial Military Railway Police, 1901.
[THE MEDALS]
MEDAL OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE
(Unnamed as Issued on original ribbon. EF+)
QUEENS SOUTH AFRICA MEDAL
Witterbergen, Cape Colony, Transvaal, South Africa 1901.
Officially Impressed.
6876 Pte F. A. Hesman. 2nd Royal West Kent Rgt.
(Attached) Imperial Military Railway Police (1901)
The Imperial Military Railways (IMR) were formed in July 1902 from an amalgamation of Orange Free State Government Railways, the Netherlands-South African Railway Company and the Pretoria-Pietersburg Railway. The IMR was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Percy Girouard. At the end of the Boer war, in July 1902, the IMR became the Central South African Railways.
MEDAL OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE.(1917-1922)
London Gazette 8th January 1918.
Hesman. Frederick Amos,
“For courage in preventing an explosion and fire at great personal risk”.
Being awarded for an act of gallantry in August 1917, this was one of the very first awards of the short lived M.O.B.E. which was only promulgated in June 1917 and withdrawn only five years later in 1922. Only 2,000 awards were made before being replaced by the now familiar OBE.
[VICKERS IN WORLD WAR ONE]
Fred Hesman won his award in August 1917 for rescuing some of his Vickers colleagues from a flooded chemical store at the Vickers Crayford munitions factory. The factory was built on low ground between the Thames and the River Cray. This led to an emergency situation during a flood in August 1917 when the calcium carbide chemicals in the store were in great & immediate danger of spontaneous ignition upon contact with water as this mixture then produces acetylene gas which burns & explodes.
[VICKERS IN WORLD WAR TWO]
The Second World War provided Vickers Ltd with another boost in government orders. In addition to manufacturing a range of machine guns, the Vickers factory at Crayford also produced anti aircraft predictors, naval gun laying equipment, fuses and the casings for the Barnes Wallace bouncing bombs of 617 Squadron Dam Busters fame.
The famous author, Neville Shute, (writer of “On The Beach”) moved to Vickers Crayford in 1924 to work with Barnes Wallace on the ill fated R-101 airship project.
On 12th October 1930 a Fred Hesman is seen as being the licensee at the
George & Dragon public house at Reepham St Mary, Norfolk.....this was the son of our medal winner !
A Very unusual and scarce attributed M.O.B.E. with a superbly hand illuminated scroll detailing the act of gallantry. This was produced and signed by 22 of the rescued Vickers staff members in gratitude to Fred Hesman and to commemorate his award. Also included is the original Home Office letter of notification of the award being made by H.M. The King, and notice of its upcoming presentation.
-SOLD-
[THE MEDALS]
MEDAL OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE
(Unnamed as Issued on original ribbon. EF+)
QUEENS SOUTH AFRICA MEDAL
Witterbergen, Cape Colony, Transvaal, South Africa 1901.
Officially Impressed.
6876 Pte F. A. Hesman. 2nd Royal West Kent Rgt.
(Attached) Imperial Military Railway Police (1901)
The Imperial Military Railways (IMR) were formed in July 1902 from an amalgamation of Orange Free State Government Railways, the Netherlands-South African Railway Company and the Pretoria-Pietersburg Railway. The IMR was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Percy Girouard. At the end of the Boer war, in July 1902, the IMR became the Central South African Railways.
MEDAL OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE.(1917-1922)
London Gazette 8th January 1918.
Hesman. Frederick Amos,
“For courage in preventing an explosion and fire at great personal risk”.
Being awarded for an act of gallantry in August 1917, this was one of the very first awards of the short lived M.O.B.E. which was only promulgated in June 1917 and withdrawn only five years later in 1922. Only 2,000 awards were made before being replaced by the now familiar OBE.
[VICKERS IN WORLD WAR ONE]
Fred Hesman won his award in August 1917 for rescuing some of his Vickers colleagues from a flooded chemical store at the Vickers Crayford munitions factory. The factory was built on low ground between the Thames and the River Cray. This led to an emergency situation during a flood in August 1917 when the calcium carbide chemicals in the store were in great & immediate danger of spontaneous ignition upon contact with water as this mixture then produces acetylene gas which burns & explodes.
[VICKERS IN WORLD WAR TWO]
The Second World War provided Vickers Ltd with another boost in government orders. In addition to manufacturing a range of machine guns, the Vickers factory at Crayford also produced anti aircraft predictors, naval gun laying equipment, fuses and the casings for the Barnes Wallace bouncing bombs of 617 Squadron Dam Busters fame.
The famous author, Neville Shute, (writer of “On The Beach”) moved to Vickers Crayford in 1924 to work with Barnes Wallace on the ill fated R-101 airship project.
On 12th October 1930 a Fred Hesman is seen as being the licensee at the
George & Dragon public house at Reepham St Mary, Norfolk.....this was the son of our medal winner !
A Very unusual and scarce attributed M.O.B.E. with a superbly hand illuminated scroll detailing the act of gallantry. This was produced and signed by 22 of the rescued Vickers staff members in gratitude to Fred Hesman and to commemorate his award. Also included is the original Home Office letter of notification of the award being made by H.M. The King, and notice of its upcoming presentation.
-SOLD-