Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An interesting Daily Herald ‘Order of Industrial Heroism’ group of four awarded to Timothy ‘Tim The Devil’ O’Brien, late Royal Welsh Fusiliers, for his gallantry in saving life during the Cardiff Blitz on 23 November 1940, who was taken prisoner during the Great War on 30 October 1914

1914 Star, with copy clasp (10698 Pte. T. O’Brien. 1/R.W. Fus:) initial officially corrected; British War and Victory Medals (10698 Pte. T. O’Brien. R. W. Fus.); ‘Daily Herald’ Order of Industrial Heroism, in its fitted case of issue with original ribbon pin-brooch (To Timothy O’Brien 23rd November 1940) the first three mounted for wear, with contact marks and edge bruising, nearly very fine, the last extremely fine (4) £1,600-£2,000

Timothy O’Brien, a Colliery Worker from Aberavon, Glamorgan, attested into the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and served during the Great War on the Western Front with the 1st Battalion from 6 October 1914 and was taken prisoner during the First Battle of Ypres, at Zandvoorde Ridge, on 30 October 1914. Post war he worked as a Docker at Cardiff Docks, where, during the Second War, on 8 August 1940, the following deed took place, as reported in The Daily Herald on 25 November 1940:

‘Timothy (Tim the Divil [sic]) O’Brien, 54 year old Docker and Soldier in the Great War (prisoner in Germany). Tim was at work in the hold of a ship at a Welsh port when a Nazi raider dropped a bomb into the next hold. Some of the men trapped below were killed instantly, several were injured, and two died later from wounds. Tim left his own hold, and snatching a gas mask from an A.R.P. warden, climbed down into the wrecked hold, from which fumes poured. Groping around in the smoke he found J. Pantin, who was alive and still conscious, and shouted for a tube to be lowered. Into this he put the injured man and sent him up to safety. Then he went on with his search and sent up two other men. When he finally came up and stood panting on the quayside a dock official said. ‘my word, what a man’. He was a well known rugby player. He has five children.’

Sold with an original post card sent by the recipient during his time as a prisoner during the Great War, an original Daily Herald press clipping in relation to the presentation of The Order of Industrial Heroism to the recipient by the Minister of Labour and National Service, Ernest Bevin MP, and copied research.