Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The group of nine miniature dress medals worn by Lieutenant-Colonel U. B. Burke, Devonshire Regiment

Military Cross, G.V.R.; 1914 Star, with clasp; British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Coronation 1953; Poland, Republic, Order of Polonia Restituta, Chevalier’s badge, mounted as worn; together with the recipient’s riband bar (this lacking the Coronation 1953 riband), nearly very fine (9) £80-£100

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals from the Collection of Peter and Dee Helmore.

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M.C. London Gazette 26 July 1918

Ulick Bernard Burke was born in Plymouth in 1895. Commissioned into the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion, Devonshire Regiment in May 1914 he embarked for France on 13 November 1914. He was awarded the Military Cross for assisting in getting the guns away under enemy fire at Morveuil Wood on 31 March 1918 and subsequently served as Adjutant of the 2nd Battalion Devonshire Regiment during their historic action at Bois-des-Buttes on 27 May 1918 where he was seriously wounded and taken prisoner (for which action he was recommended for the Distinguished Service Order). In total he was five times wounded in action during the Great War resulting in his right leg being amputated below the knee in 1935. In spite of his disability, he embarked for France with the Royal Engineers in 1940 and was employed in Movement Control at Dunkirk, Operation Dynamo, between 27 May and 4 June 1940. Evacuated to England he held various staff appointments involving movement control for the remainder of the war before being employed in the resettlement of the Polish forces for which he was awarded the Polish Order of Polonia Restituta. Granted various extension to his short service commission he finally relinquished his commission on 1 December 1955. In retirement he became landlord of the Tally Ho! public house in Hatherleigh. He died aged 82 at Postbridge, Yelverton on 30 August 1977, aged 82.

Following Burke’s death his medals were left to the Devonshire Regiment Museum then located in Exeter. The regiment retained the full size medals and sold the miniature group and riband bar to a well known dealer in dress miniatures with the funds going to the Old Comrades Association; the vendor purchased these direct from that dealer.

Sold with copied service records confirming medal entitlement except Coronation 1953 and other research.