Orders, Decorations and Medals

Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service, G.V.R. (Major James P. Swettenham, M.S.V.R.) extremely fine £150-200

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Long Service Medals from the Collection formed by John Tamplin.

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James Parry Swettenham was born in Montgomeryshire on 9 April 1875. He was educated at Shrewsbury School, Dean Close School, Cheltenham and Bedford Grammar School. An Engineer by occupation, he attested for service with the Montgomeryshire Yeomanry at Welshpool on 6 January 1900, aged 24 years, 9 months. With them he served as a Private in South Africa, March 1900-January 1901. He was discharged at his own request on 17 February 1901 and was awarded the Queen’s medal with clasps for Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Transvaal. Swettenham then served on the Gold Coast, being appointed in June 1901 a Junior Assistant Engineer and Draughtsman on the Gold Coast Railway in the employ of Messrs. Shelford & Co., Westminster, Consulting Engineers. In July 1902 he was appointed Assistant Engineer in the Public Works Division of the Federated Malay States, in the employ of Messrs. Gregory Eyles and Waring, Westminster, Consulting Engineers. He was employed as Acting Executive Engineer 3rd Grade firstly at Pahang, June-August 1906, then in Selangor, September 1906-March 1907. Swettenham was next appointed Executive Engineer Grade II at Pahang, 1907-14, after which he was advanced to Executive Engineer Grade I.

Swettenham served in the Volunteers in the Federated Malay States from July 1910 and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Malay States Volunteer Regiment in May 1911. He was promoted to Lieutenant in January 1912 and Captain in October the same year. In December 1912 he was appointed an Extra Honorary A.D.C. to the Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Straits Settlements, a position he held until August 1919. During the Great War Swettenham was seconded for military service from 23 October 1914. He was appointed assistant to the Chief Engineer, 2nd Army Central Force, and was appointed a Temporary Captain in the Royal Engineers in February 1915 and Temporary Major in September the same year. He was Officer Commanding the 201st Field Company, R.E. from June 1915. Because of ill-health he relinquished his commission as Temporary Major in April 1916 and resumed his duties as a Captain in the M.S.V.R. from June 1916, serving as Acting Commander of the unit during 1918-19.

After the war he resumed his civil career as an Engineer, being State Engineer for Negri Sembilan, 1919-23; Assistant, then Acting Director of Public Works, Federated Malay States, 1923-25; Acting General Manager of the Railways and Chief Engineer, F.M.S., February-December 1925 - for which he received the thanks of the Government. From 1926 until his retirement in 1931 he was successively Assistant D.P.W.; Acting D.P.W. and finally Director of Public Works for the Federated Malay States.

After relinquishing his commission in the Malay States Volunteer Regiment in December 1920, he rejoined as a Private in January 1921 and served as such until 1924. He was re-commissioned a Major in December 1924 and was the Officer Commanding the Selangor Volunteer Corps. He was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in June 1929. For his service he was awarded the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal (F.M.S. Government Gazette 13 May 1927); the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers’ Decoration (F.M.S. Government Gazette 16 September 1927), and was appointed an O.B.E. (Military Division) (London Gazette 4 June 1928). Lieutenant-Colonel Swettenham O.B.E., V.D., retired from the Volunteers in 1931. After his retirement he returned to England and died at Ashford Carbonel, near Ludlow, Shropshire, on 6 May 1939. Sold with a quantity of copied research.