Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A most impressive Italian ‘Al Valore Militare’ group awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel Quirino Gamba, Italian Army

Italy, Order of the Crown, Knight’s breast badge, gold and enamel, in Cravanzola, Rome case of issue; Al Valore Militare, silver, obverse marked, ‘F.G.’, reverse inscribed, ‘Assaba 23-Marzio-1913 Gamba Quirino’; another, bronze, unnamed; Africa Campaign Medal 1894, no clasp, bronze; China Campaign Medal 1900-01, no clasp, by Reggia Zecca, bronze, with ‘Cina 1900-1901’ reverse; Libya Medal, silver; War Commemorative Medal 1915-18, 4 clasps, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918; Victory Medal 1918, official type 3; Officer’s L.S. Cross, for 25 years, gilt; together with four other Italian Shooting (?) medals, two silver, two bronze, medals with some edge bruising, nearly very fine and better (lot) £2500-3000

With a vast array of original documents and papers, including: award documents for the Order of the Crown, 5th Class, dated 11 November 1915; Al Valore Militare silver medal, awarded for bravery at Assaba, 23 March 1913; African Campaign Medal, for service in the 1895-96 campaign; Libya Campaign Medal, dated 30 April 1914; Commemorative War Medal 1915-18 (2); Long Service Cross, dated 1 March 1901 (?); together with four ‘Scuola Militare’ certificates, 1890-91; two ‘Scula Militare’ report certificates, 1889-90 and 189-91; two diplomas of the ‘Medaglia d’Oro’ (1905 and 1906) and another of the ‘Medaglio d’Argento (1899) awarded to Gamba as a ‘Tente’; other certificates/citations (9); misc. army orders; two notebooks/diaries, the cover of one inscribed (part printed, part handwritten), ‘Scuola di Guerra Campagna Finale 1910 41st Corso Capitano Gamba’; the other with cover handwritten, ‘Capitano Gamba Campagna lattica (?) II Arno 41st Corso’, this last covers a period in 1909, both with pasted in photographs and pictures; an ornate pink Chinese envelope addressed to ‘Signora Ella Gamba, Via Vittoria Colonna No. 9, Napoli’; other addressed envelopes, telegrams and a postacard - one envelope is addressed to ‘Sig. Ten. Colonnello Cav. Gamba Quirino, 19 Gladstone Avenue, South Perth, Western Australia’; a fine portrait photograph of the recipient in uniform; official group photographs (7); a quantity of other smaller photographs - various military subjects; maps (4) - all bearing Gamba’s name; together with a metal name-plate, ‘Gamba Quirino Italia’; ‘field’ knife and spoon set in leather pouch; blue sash with tassels; cloth collar badges (2). Worthy of further research.