Previous Lot Next Lot

Auction: 16002 - Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals and Militaria
Lot: 36

A Scarce to Regiment 'Mau Mau' Pair to Lieutenant M.P. Moreton, Royal Irish Fusiliers, A Pioneer of Rallye Sports Ford and An Accomplished Racing Car Driver
United Nations Medal for Korea; Africa General Service 1902-56, E.II.R., one clasp, Kenya (2/Lt. M.P. Moreton. R. Ir. F.), minor edge bruise to latter, very fine, with a photographic image of the recipient (2)

Lieutenant Michael Philip Moreton, a native of Mill Hill, London; commissioned Second Lieutenant, 1st Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers, 27.2.1954; Lieutenant 23.1.1959; 'At 18 years of age I was obliged to do two years' National Service. My ambition to become a Fleet Air Arm pilot was thwarted by colour blindness, but I joined the Middlesex Regiment and was selected for officer training at Canterbury and at Eaton Hall, Cheshire. It was very hard work, but a superb experience and I have never been so fit. When that was over, I wanted to rejoin the Middlesex in Austria (plenty of skiing opportunities), but instead was assigned to the Royal Irish Fusiliers in Korea. That was a bit of a shock, but at least by then the fighting in Korea was over.... In 1954, the country was in a terrible state, twice overrun by the North Koreans and Chinese armies and then rescued by United Nations forces. The first thing we noticed in Pusan was the overpowering smell; the whole city had become a giant shanty town, home to refugees from all over Korea.

We travelled by train and truck via Gloster Valley, scene of much bravery during the fighting, to our battalion's camp near the Imjin River, bordering North Korea. My platoon, like all the others, occupied a small hill, of which there were thousands, with well dug-in defences. The opposing forces did much the same so it was a stalemate situation. The next seven months we trained, patrolled the De-Militarised Zone (DMZ), observed the opposition on the other side of the border... Winter was bitterly cold, a north wind blowing from Siberia keeping temperatures down to minus 40 degrees C.

From Korea we were sent to Kenya to fight what were described as Mau Mau terrorists.... Out of the train, it was onto army trucks along the only tarmac road in the country, 80 miles north to our camp near Lake Naivasha.... Soon we were patrolling deep into the bamboo forest looking for the Mau Mau, relying on native African trackers to guide us.... I was posted to the King's African Rifles' headquarters at Nakuru, as Motor Transport Officer, responsible for 20 staff and 30 vehicles.... In fact, the country's bumpy, twisty roads were a great opportunity to develop racing skills, and I would happily four wheel drift a one-tonner or Land Rover.'

After his national service had ended Moreton trained as a Car Chassis Engineer, and worked for 23 years at Ford in Product Development and Project Management, at AVO and Motorsport, in the centre of the action creating and managing the majority of the Rallye Sport Fords. After Ford he moved first to TWR, managing the Jaguar XJ220 project, then to Aston Martin Lagonda as acting Operations Director, producing Volante and Vantage supercars, and finally to KBD Design in Essex. Whilst Moreton's technical knowledge increased so too did his racing prowess. Having joined the British Automobile Racing Club he set about racing his MG TA at Silverstone and Goodwood; in later life he wrote Rallye Sport Fords, The Inside Story.

Subject to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium. For more information please view Terms and Conditions for Buyers.

Sold for
£380