Naval Medals from the Collection of the Late Jason Pilalas (Part I)

The First and Second War campaign group of nine awarded to Brigadier Ivan Simson, Royal Engineers, Chief Engineer and Director-General Civil Defence at the time of the fall of Singapore in February 1942, and subsequently a Japanese prisoner of war

1914 Star, with clasp (Lieut, I. Simson. R.E.); British War and Victory Medals (Major I. Simson.); India General Service 1908-35, 1 clasp, Burma 1930-32 (Major I. Simson. R.E.); 1939-45 Star; Pacific Star; War Medal 1939-45, with M.I.D. oak leaf; Jubilee 1935; Coronation 1937, mounted as worn, nearly very fine or better (9) £1,400-£1,800

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Naval Medals from the Collection of the Late Jason Pilalas.

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M.I.D. London Gazette 1 August 1946.

Ivan Simson was born in India in 1890 and educated at Eastbourne College and the R.M.A. Woolwich. He was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in July 1910. On the outbreak of war he went to France with the 8th (Railway) Company R.E. In June 1915, was put in charge of a detachment loading mine earth at Noeux les Mines, near Lens, using rail mounted steam shovels - the first time that such equipment had been used by the Royal Engineers. A very considerable output was achieved, the mine earth being used as ballast in new railway construction. He later became O.C. 279th (Railway Construction) Company R.E., raised in France from tradesmen in Infantry Battalions for work in the 1st Army area under the Chief Railway Construction Engineer. At various times he volunteered for other jobs and spent short periods with several Field Companies and Tunnelling Companies, and was wounded during the course of the war.

From 1919 to 1924 he served as Staff Captain in the War Office. In 1929 he was posted to India where he became Garrison Engineer at Jhansi, and later A.C.R.E. (Works), Calcutta. From 1932 to 1933 he was C.R.E. Burma Independent District, A.H.Q., Maymyo, Burma. On returning to the U.K. he held various posts including Assistant Director Engineering at the War Office and later the Ministry of Supply. For the first five months of 1941 he was Deputy Chief Engineer (Operations) at H.Q. Scottish Command, charged with the construction of airfields and defences against sea borne and parachute attack. On promotion to Brigadier later that year he was selected to become Chief Engineer Malaya Command, and was sent out with verbal instructions, never confirmed in writing, to install the most modern type of defences throughout Malaya and Singapore Island.

In his book Too Little Too Late, written after the war, Simson described the frustrating struggle to build up defences before and during the ten week offensive that led to the surrender of Singapore on 15 February 1942, and how, at the last minute, he was appointed Director-General Civil Defence, Malaya, with no resources to carry out any form of defence. He felt particularly bitter towards General Percival, G.O.C. Malaya, who persistently refused permission for the necessary arrangement for defence to be put in place, stating baldly that “I believe defences like those you are suggesting would be bad for the morale of the troops and civilians.”

Simson was taken prisoner at the fall of Singapore and remained captive for the duration of the war. He retired in July 1946 but was re-employed until 1951 under the Foreign Office in the Control Commission, Germany. He died on 4 February 1971.