Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Second War ‘North-West Europe’ M.C. group of four awarded to Lieutenant E. R. S. Fifoot, Coldstream Guards, later Bodley’s Librarian, University of Oxford

Military Cross, G.VI.R., reverse officially dated ‘1946’ and contemporarily engraved ‘Lieut. E. R. S. Fifoot. Coldstream Guards’, in Royal Mint case of issue with outer card box and named Buckingham Palace enclosure; 1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; War Medal 1939-45; together with the related miniature awards, these mounted as worn, good very fine and better (4) £1,400-£1,800

M.C. London Gazette 24 January 1946.
The original recommendation states: ‘This officer has been an outstanding patrol and platoon leader ever since joining the Battalion in August 1944. Every time he has had the opportunity to distinguish himself for bravery and devotion to duty he has done so. Outstanding examples occurred during twice during Operation Veritable.
In the battalion attack at Mull south east of Gennep he commanded the right hand forward platoon which had to cross 3000 yards of open country in face of heavy and accurate enemy DF fire and considerable small arms fire from farm houses and concrete ‘Hay Stacks’. Over all this distance this officer’s fine example was of the utmost encouragement and resulted, despite heavy casualties, in complete victory.
Again on 9 March this officer was commanding a forward platoon in the battalion attack on the Wesel bridgehead. His platoon started to suffer casualties before crossing the start line and on reaching that they were met with further heavy small arms and mortar fire.
Despite all this Lieutenant Fifoot led his platoon with conspicuous dash and gallantry. No sooner was the original objective reached than he was ordered to carry out a difficult manoeuvre to the flank to meet a threatened German counter attack. Despite intense and accurate mortar and Nebelwerfer fire he accomplished this manoeuvre with great skill thus neutralising the threat to his company's whole position.
These are but two examples of this young officer’s intrepid conduct as a platoon commander in the offensive operations of the last few months. During the winter defensive fighting he was equally outstanding as a gallant and resourceful patrol leader. His outstanding conduct and devotion to duty have on many occasions been brought to the notice of his superiors.’

Erik Richard Sidney Fifoot was born at Woodstock, Oxfordshire, on 14 June 1925 and was educated at Berkhamsted School and later the University of Oxford. He was commissioned into the Coldstream Guards in 1943 and served with them during the Second World War on the Western Front. The award of the Military Cross after a period of sustained service with 5th Battalion, Coldstream Guards during Operation Veritable, the allied offensive through the Reichswald Forest onto the Rhine flood plain. During this operation the 5th Battalion served with 32 Brigade in General Horrocks’ 30 Corps.

With the end of the war Fifoot left the army to continue his studies at University College London for a Diploma in Librarianship and Archives, beginning work that same year in the library of the University of Leeds, a role he remained in until 1958 by which time he had risen from assistant librarian to sub librarian. Appointed Deputy Librarian at Nottingham University in 1958, he then became Librarian at the University of Edinburgh in 1960, a post he held for nearly twenty years until 1979 when he was appointed Bodley’s Librarian, the Head of the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford, and was also made a Fellow at Exeter College, Oxford. He retired in 1981 and died in Oxfordshire on 24 June 1992.

Sold with an original photograph of the recipient; a Coldstream Guards cap badge; a copy of the order of service for the recipient's funeral; various family photographs; and other ephemera.