Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Six: Captain G. M. R. Rayne, Royal Navy

1914-15 Star (Commr. G. M. R. Rayne, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (Commr. G. M. R. Rayne. R.N.); Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Netherlands, Kingdom, Order of Orange Nassau, Military Division, Commander’s neck badge, gold and enamel, unmarked, very fine and better, the last extremely fine (6) £400-£500

Provenance: Dix Noonan Webb, September 2002.

Dutch Order of Orange Nassau, Commander with swords London Gazette 19 October 1943.

Geoffrey Middleton Randall Rayne was born in 1881 at Ealing. He entered the Royal Navy as a Midshipman in 1897 and was appointed Sub-Lieutenant in 1901, Lieutenant in 1903, Lieutenant-Commander in 1911, Commander in 1916 and retired with the rank of Captain in 1927. During this period he had served as Navigator aboard H.M. Yacht Alexandra, February 1913-August 1914; then as Navigator aboard the battleship H.M.S. Glory, August 1914-July 1915. He then commanded the ‘Kite Balloon Vessel’, H.M.S. Hector, July 1915-June 1916. In the latter years of the war he served aboard the battleships H.M.S. Revenge and H.M.S. Resolution as Navigator. Amongst the appointments held after the War was that of King’s Harbour Master at Plymouth, 1921-23.

He was recalled to the Service on the outbreak of the Second World War and served during 1942-43 as Senior British Naval Officer in Curacao, for which he was awarded the Order of the Orange Nassau. He ended the War as Senior Officer Commanding H.M.S. Lucifer (Avonmouth), 1944, reverting to the Retired List in October 1945.

Sold with copied research including a number of photographic images.