Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A fine Second War ‘Waziristan Operations’ North-West Frontier R.R.C. group of ten awarded to Matron Eileen M. Blainville, Indian Military Nursing Service, late Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve and Queen Alexandra’s Medical Nursing Service, India, who was twice Mentioned in Despatches

Royal Red Cross, 1st Class (R.R.C.), G.VI.R. 1st issue, silver-gilt, gold, and enamel, reverse dated ‘1941’, on lady’s bow riband; British War Medal 1914-20 (Nurse E. M. Blainville.); Victory Medal 1914-19 (T-Nurse E. M. Blainville.); India General Service 1908-35, 1 clasp, North West Frontier 1930-31 (Sister E. M. Blainville, I.M.N.S.); India General Service 1936-39, 1 clasp, North West Frontier 1936-37, with M.I.D. oak leaf (Matron E. M. Blainville. I.M.N.S.); India General Service 1936-39, 1 clasp, North West Frontier 1937-39 (Matron Mrs E. M. Blainville, I.M.N.S.); 1939-45 Star; War Medal 1939-45, with M.I.D. oak leaf; India Service Medal; Jubilee 1935, privately engraved ‘Matron Mrs. E. M. Blainville. - I.M.N.S.’, very fine and better and a scarce ‘double-issue’ of the IGS 36-39 (10) £1,000-£1,400

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Norman Gooding Collection.

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R.R.C. London Gazette 20 June 1941.

The official recommendation states: ‘She has once again proved her undoubted worth both previous to and during the present Operations, and, in the face of numerous difficulties, has by her forceful example and tireless energy, been mainly responsible for the high standard of nursing maintained in the Hospital. Her unstinted devotion and personal interest in each and every case has fully merited the confidence which her patients obviously place in her, - confidence which must have brought comfort to many of our unfortunately fatal casualties. She has not spared herself and has expected the same high standard from others to whom, by so subordinating her own interests to those of her patients, she has set a splendid example which others would do well to follow.’

M.I.D. London Gazettes 18 February 1938 and 17 December 1942.

Eileen Maud Blainville (née Gray) was born in 1887 and married widower Renwith Neville Blainville in 1905. The marriage was short lived with Renwith Blainville recorded in 1911 as a single man boarding at an address in Lewisham. Rather than rest on her laurels - and with two children to support - Eileen Blainville applied to join the Q.A.I.M.N.S.R. and was transferred to the Q.A.M.N.S. (India) on 2 November 1917. Appointed Temporary Nurse, she served during the Great War at No. 25 Indian General Hospital and No. 9 Indian General Hospital from 6 June 1918 to 23 March 1919.

Transferred to the Indian Military Nursing Service as Sister on 1 October 1926, Blainville served in Rawalpindi in 1927, Peshawar from 1928 to 1930, and at Meerut from 1931 to 1936. Raised Matron on 27 July 1931, she was subsequently transferred to the Combined Indian Military Hospital at Bannu, her work being recognised with a ‘mention’ by His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief in India. She was further selected to receive the 1935 Jubilee Medal.

Returned home to England on leave, Blainville returned to India in the summer of 1938 and was awarded the R.R.C. for the devotion rendered to her patients at Bannu. She later received this decoration at a presentation made at Poona on 17 January 1945. Transferred to Secunderabad as Matron in December 1941, she was Mentioned in Despatches once again before taking retirement in January 1945.

Sold with the recipient’s original 1935 Silver Jubilee Certificate; M.I.D. certificates (2); a signed letter of congratulations regarding the R.R.C. award from Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, Governor-General of India, dated 14 July 1941; and the recipient’s Indian Military Nursing Service Cape Badge, unmarked silver.