Orders, Decorations and Medals

The Second World War North Africa operations D.C.M. group of seven awarded to Warrant Officer Class 2 L. L. Robinson, 12th Lancers, who by means of making 20 trips in his armoured car into No Man’s Land, around the “Knightsbridge” feature - with the enemy firing at him over open sights - rescued around 200 escaped prisoners

Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.VI.R. (7887757 Sjt. L. L. Robinson, 12-L.); 1939-45 Star; Africa Star, clasp, 8th Army; Italy Star; Defence and War Medals; General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Palestine 1945-48 (7887757 W.O. Cl. 2 L. L. Robinson, 12/L.), mounted as worn, together with 12th Lancers cap badge, this last with officially corrected rank, generally good very fine and better (8) £3000-3500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Ron Penhall Collection.

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D.C.M. London Gazette 24 September 1942. The original recommendation states:

‘On 30 May 1942, round “Knightsbridge”, a large number of men were seen walking between the enemy and our position, who were identified as our own escaped prisoners, who were in an exhausted condition, most of them unable to walk.

Sergeant Robinson was instructed to go out and bring them into our lines. Throughout the afternoon he made at least 20 journeys under continuous shell fire and brought in at least 200 men. He was at times shot at by the enemy over open sights.

I was at the time Second-in-Command of the 4th County of London Yeomanry, and watched this armoured car during part of the afternoon and after many enquiries found it to be commanded by Sergeant Robinson, 12th Lancers.

On 31 May, he located an Italian column of men south of Bir Harmat, which was subsequently shelled by us. The lorries were then pursued and 78 Italian prisoners surrendered to Sergeant Robinson and another armoured car.’

Lorimer Lane Robinson was born in London in March 1920 and joined the Territorials in March 1937, being posted to the 24th (Derbyshire Yeomanry) Armoured Car Company. In July of the following year, however, he entered the Regular Army with an appointment in the 12th Lancers, with whom he served in the B.E.F. October 1939 to June 1940. Embarked for the Middle East in September 1941, he quickly brought himself to the notice of his seniors, the regimental history citing his bravery that December in a hasty retreat to Haseiat when elements of the 12th Lancers were bombed, shelled and attacked by tanks, supported by 500 enemy infantry :

‘The job of extricating the regimental transport from this dangerous situation was excellently organised by Major Sparke and Lieutenant Mabbot, their work being greatly assisted by the gallant behaviour of Sergeant Robinson who, in a damaged armoured car, covered the withdrawal of the soft-skinned vehicles till the last possible moment. Though somewhat scattered, and though 30 men were reported missing, the whole party were concentrated roughly in the area of Haseiat.’

There can be little doubt that Robinson was duly nominated for a decoration or a “mention”, for the later recommendation for his D.C.M. for “Knightsbridge” in May 1942 has a separate (struck through) statement, ‘This N.C.O. has been previously recommended for an award’. Slightly wounded in the operations in Egypt in October 1942, Robinson went on to add a “mention” to his accolades (London Gazette 15 December 1942) and was advanced to Squadron Sergeant-Major in August 1943. He was then embarked with his regiment for Italy, in which theatre of war he was wounded by shrapnel in the right leg and back in April 1945, injuries that were recorded in the medical report made at the time of his discharge in December 1948. In the interim, however, he had returned to active duty in Palestine and also served on attachment to the Derbyshire Yeomanry (Territorials).

Sold with a modern oil painting of Robinson and his armoured collecting exhausted British prisoners at “Knightsbridge” on 30 May 1942.