Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An unusual and scarce ‘2002 Winter Olympics’ and British Army group of three awarded to Sergeant N. J. Scarisbrick, Royal Tank Regiment, and the driver and captain of the British Olympic Bobsleigh Team, together with his Olympic Games Participants’ Plaque

Iraq 2003-11, no clasp (24797029 Cpl N J Scarisbrick RTR); Jubilee 2002, in box of issue; Army L.S. & G.C., E.II.R., Regular Army (Sgt N J Scarisbrick RTR 24797029) in named box of issue; XIX Olympic Winter Games Participants’ Plaque, Salt Lake City 2002, 89mm x 49mm, bronze, in participants’ wooden presentation box of issue inscribed with the Olympic rings, extremely fine (4) £400-500

Neil J. Scarisbrick was born on 6 June 1970 and joined the Army in about 1986 age 16. He took up the sport of Bobsleigh in 1995, winning Novice and the Junior races in his first two seasons. During the 1996-97 season he was selected for the British development team as a driver, where he competed on the Europa Cup circuit. In 1998 his Regiment could see that he had potential to make it as a Olympic driver. It was a big decision for Scarisbrick as it meant his career in the Army would be put on hold, but his motto had always been “Some people dream of success… while others wake up an work hard as it”. In 2001 he made the mark and joined the World Cup Team as GB1 in the four-man event. His best result was when he came sixth in Lake Placid, USA. The following year he represented Great Britain in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in both the two-man and four-man bobsleigh teams, as the driver of both sleds. He subsequently swapped his sled for a tank, and served with the Royal Tank Regiment in Iraq in Op Telic 2 in 2003 with a composite Troop, as he was away from regiment during the Op Telic 1.

Sold together with the recipient’s Armed Forces Veterans lapel badge; a copy of Tank magazine, June 2002, featuring an article on the recipient’s Olympic experiences; and a photograph of the recipient in Iraq.

Note: The Olympic participants’ plaque was given to the 2,399 athletes who participated in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and was contained in a wooden presentation box; the remainder of the 5,500 issued were given out to coaches and administration staff in a different design basic blue card box.