Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Five: Engineer Lieutenant J. M. Thomson, Royal Naval Reserve and Mercantile Marine

British War Medal 1914-20 (Eng. Lt. J. M. Thomson. R.N.R.); Mercantile Marine War Medal 1914-18 (James M. Thomson); Victory Medal 1914-19 (Eng. Lt. J. M. Thomson. R.N.R.); Defence Medal (James M. Thomson) privately engraved; Special Constabulary Long Service Medal, G.VI.R., 1st issue (Sergt. James M. Thomson) mounted court-style as worn, good very fine (5) £70-£90

James Maitland Thomson was born in Aberdeen in 1890 and served as Engineer Lieutenant (Temporary) in the Royal Naval Reserve from 9 April 1918. News of his advancement soon caught the attention of The Aberdeen Daily Journal on 8 June 1918:

‘Mr. James Maitland Thomson, eldest son on the late Mr. J. Thomson, Post Office, Bridge of Don, has received a commission as Engineer-Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve. Lieutenant Thomson, who served his apprenticeship with Messrs. Hall, Russell, and Co., was in the Indian Naval Transport Service, and, with the exception of a short furlough, he has been continuously engaged in conveying troops and munitions to the various fronts since the beginning of the war. He also saw service in connection with the conveyance of Indian troops to Burma in 1913. His two brothers, Robert and George, are also in the Navy.’

Thomson’s Service Record adds: ‘Commission received and returned to C in C. East Indies.’