Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Great War ‘North Africa’ M.C. group of six awarded to Major G. E. J. A. Robinson, Royal Army Medical Corps, attached Nottinghamshire Royal Horse Artillery (Territorial Force), for his gallantry in rescuing the crew of H.M.S. Tara from captivity at Bir Hakim in March 1916

Military Cross, G.V.R., the reverse contemporarily engraved ‘Capt. G. A. Robinson. Notts. R.H.A. 1916, Halazin Jan. 23rd., Bir Hakim March 17th.’; 1914-15 Star (Capt. G. E. J. A. Robinson. R.A.M.C.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves (Major G. E. J. A. Robinson.); Territorial Decoration, G.V.R., silver and silver-gilt, hallmarks for London 1922, with integral top riband bar; Italy, Kingdom, Al Valore Militare, silver, unnamed as issued, mounted as worn and housed in a Spink, London, fitted case; together with the related miniature awards, these similarly mounted and housed, good very fine and better (6) £1,400-£1,800

M.C. London Gazette 3 June 1916.

George Edward James Antoine Robinson was born in Penzance, Cornwall, the son of George Robinson and his wife Alexina, née Corin, on 11 December 1869 and was educated at Trinity College, Dublin. Practising medicine in Nottingham, he was commissioned into the Royal Army Medical Corps as a Lieutenant on 8 October 1908, and served during the Great War with the 1st/1st Nottinghamshire Royal Horse Artillery. ‘He was awarded a Military Cross for his part in the rescue from arduous captivity in the Libyan desert, of nearly 100 British sailors captured by the Turks when their patrol vessel H.M.S. Tara was torpedoed by U35 off Sollum on 5 November 1915 - the sailors had initially been handed over to the custody of Senoussi warriors who force-marched them through the desert, eventually incarcerating them in an underground cistern at Bir Hakim. Word of their plight eventually reached a motorised detachment operating under the command of the Duke of Westminster more than 100 miles away. In an exploit worthy of the Boy's Own Paper, the rescue column dashed across the desert in Rolls-Royce armoured cars and scouting vehicles, with only the vaguest directions to guide them and two native guides who could not agree where Bir Hakim was. The 92 captives were close to starvation when they were found, and Dr. Robinson had to use all his medical skills in supervising the distribution of food rations sufficient to satisfy their cruel hunger, but not so large as to over-tax their digestions. They were quickly evacuated to the hospital at Alexandria.’ (Genealogy of the Corin Family refers).
For this same operation the Duke of Westminster was awarded the D.S.O.

Interestingly, Robinson would almost certainly have travelled aboard H.M.S. Tara in her former guise; for before being requisitioned for War service, she was the L&NW Railway steamer Hibernia, ferrying between Holyhead and Dublin. For his services during the Great War, in addition to being awarded the Military Cross, he was twice Mentioned in Despatches (London Gazettes 21 June 1916 and 5 June 1919). He was also recommended for a ‘Mention’ on 19 June 1917:
‘Owing to the remarkable way this Medical Officer has attended to the health of this unit only one man has gone to hospital (and he returned to duty within 12 days) since this unit left Kantara in January 1917 and especially during the period of 1 March to 31 May 1917.’

Post-War, Robinson continued in medical practice in Nottingham, and died in July 1952.

Note: The recipient’s Italian Al Valore Militare is unconfirmed.