Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Five: Surgeon Lieutenant C. H. Laver, 28th (County of London) Battalion (Artist’s Rifles), London Regiment, later Royal Field Artillery and Royal Navy

1914 Star (949 L.Cpl. C. H. Laver. 1/28 Lond: R.); British War and Victory Medals (Surg. Lt. C. H. Laver. R.N.); Defence and War Medals 1939-45, mounted on board for display purposes with corresponding dress miniature awards, the 1914 Star with additional clasp, T28 County of London shoulder titles, Home Guard and British Legion pin badges, aluminium dog tag ‘949 C. H. Laver. C.E. 28 Lon.’, with Artist’s Rifles, Royal Field Artillery and Royal Navy button border, good very fine (5) £180-£220

Charles Hardiman Laver was born in South Africa on 28 March 1893, the second son of Mr. H. Laver of Middleburg, Transvaal. Educated at Bedford Modern School, he enjoyed rugby as a member of the 1st XV and also rowed in the 1st VI. He went to Guy’s Hospital from 1911-13, and later volunteered to serve as Lance Corporal in the Artist’s Rifles at the outbreak of the Great War. Posted to France from 26 October 1914, he was appointed to a commission in the Royal Field Artillery 27 February 1915, but returned to Guy’s in 1916 to complete medical training; he subsequently joined the Royal Navy as Surgeon Lieutenant in 1917.

Qualifying F.R.C.S. (Edinburgh) 1920, Laver then went up to Oxford as demonstrator of anatomy. He graduated B.M., B.Ch. in 1922, and became a General Practitioner at Redhill in Surrey. Appointed Honorary Surgeon at the East Surrey Hospital, he later served as Honorary Secretary of the Reigate Division of the British Medical Association. A sufferer for some time from coronary thrombosis, he died on 11 February 1961 and was buried in Bournemouth.