Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Seven: Major J. U. Stobbs, The Queen’s Regiment, onetime attached Chindits

General Service 1918-62, 3 clasps, Palestine, Palestine 1945-48, Malaya, G.VI.R. (2/Lt. J. H.(sic) Stobbs, Queens), with erasure before rank; General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Palestine, G.VI.R. (2/Lieut. J. U. Stobbs, The Queen’s R.), an official ‘second issue’ in its named card box of issue with related forwarding letter dated 12 April 1946; 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Burma Star; Defence and War Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf, mounted as worn where applicable, together with a set of related dress miniature medals, the second extremely fine, the remainder with contact marks, generally very fine (13) £400-500

John Unwin Stobbs, who was born in December 1915, was gazetted as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Queen’s Regiment in January 1937, direct from the Regular Army Reserve of Officers. Having then served in the 2nd Battalion in Palestine 1938-39, and been advanced to Acting Captain in January 1940, he witnessed active service with his battalion as C.O. of ‘D’ Company in the Western Desert, including the battle of Sidi Barrani, thence the Syria campaign and later still in the Tobruk operations, gaining a “mention” (London Gazette 30 December 1941 refers).

The 2nd Battalion was next embarked for Ceylon, to carry out jungle warfare training and Stobbs, who attained the temporary rank of Major in January 1944, accompanied the unit as an advanced Air Base Officer when it was chosen to support Wingate’s Chindit operations in the latter month, gaining his second “mention” (London Gazette 26 April 1945 refers).

Remaining a regular after the War, Stobbs returned to Palestine, gained advancement to the substantive rank of Major in January 1950 and, following further active service in Malaya, was finally placed on the Retired List in May 1969; sold with the recipient’s original commission warrant for 2nd Lieutenant in the Regular Army Reserve of Officers, dated 11 June 1935, together with a pre-war photograph album (approximately 110 images), with particularly good coverage of Palestine.