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Auction: 18003 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 516

An extremely rare and impressive Shanghai Municipal Police grouping to Mr. A. Hurry, late Scottish Horse

A long-served Warder and Assistant Gaoler, he was himself interned by the Japanese in February 1943

British War and Victory Medals (152713 Pte. A. Hurry, Scottish Horse); Shanghai Emergency Medal 1937, good very fine (3)

To be sold with the following related prize medals and awards, in silver, silver-gilt or base metal, several enamelled - see illustration:

(i)
Shanghai Municipal Police, 25th Annual Meet awards (3), inscribed 'Dribbling Race, 2nd, A. Hurry'; 'Manna Cup, D Division, A. Hurry' and 'Dell Shield, Runner Up Goal, A. Hurry'; together with 26th Annual Meet award, inscribed 'Dell Shield, Runner Up Goal, A. Hurry' and an uninscribed award from the 29th Annual Meet.

(ii)
Shanghai Municipal Police, Annual Riband Bars for Sports (6), for the years 1933, 1935, 1936, 1940 and 1941, together with another for the 'North of Creek dance 1935'.

(iii)
Shanghai Football Association, assorted prize awards (7), comprising 'Senior Cup 1930-31', League First Division 1930-31' and Skattowe Cup 1930-31', together with 1930 Season award for 'SMP Football Club Winners', inscribed, 'Skattowe Cup. Senior Cup. League Div. 1. A. Hurry, Captain'; 1932 Season award for 'Scotland Winners International Cup', inscribed 'A. Hurry, Captain'; and 1933 Season award for 'Skattowe Cup', inscribed 'Won by S.M.P.F.C. A. Hurry'.

(iv)
Shanghai Amateur Athletic Club, Sports Meet 1940 award, and the recipient's British Legion lapel badge, generally in excellent condition and rare (Lot)

Alexander Hurry was born in Glasgow on 4 July 1895 and served as a Private in the Scottish Horse during the Great War, being awarded the British War and Victory Medals; his MIC refers.

In November 1923, he departed London for Shanghai aboard the S.S. Suwa Maru, to take up an appointment as Assistant Gaol Warder in the Shanghai Municipal Police. Having then been advanced to Warder (Shanghai Municipal Gazette 6 August 1925, refers), he took 'long leave' in 1929 and 1934.

He was back on duty by the time of the Emergency in 1937, when Japanese troops invaded the Chinese part of the City of Shanghai in August-November. He was awarded the Municipal Council's Emergency Star and also amassed an impressive tally of football awards in the same period, captaining the Police team.

Hurry was promoted to Assistant Gaoler - equivalent to the rank of Chief Inspector of Police - shortly after the outbreak of the European war (Shanghai Municipal Gazette 3 November 1939, refers).

Following the uncontested invasion of Shanghai by the Japanese on 8 December 1941, life continued comparatively unchanged and Municipal Council staff were required to maintain the administration, under the Shanghai Provisional Council of 1941.

Under considerable pressure from the United States Administration, the foreign Extra Territorial Treaties, which had established the China Treaty ports in the 19th century (except that for Hong Kong), were abrogated on 11 January 1943, so that at the end of the Japanese War Shanghai and other occupied treaty ports would be returned to the Chinese Government (KMT) in Nanking.

On 9 February 1943, Hurry, his wife, and other expatriate members of allied countries were put into one of the internment camps in Shanghai - described as Civil Assembly Centres. The Hurrys were interned in the camp at 404 Yu Yuen Road, which had previously been the Western District Public School and Girls Public School.

In view of the British/China treaty, when the employees of the Municipal Council, civil servants, Police, Fire, etc. came out of the internment camps in August and September 1945, they were unemployed. Some managed to obtain jobs in Shanghai and Hong Kong, but the majority returned to their home countries - which the Hurrys did in December 1945. Although pension compensation payments were made by the British Foreign Office's 'Shanghai Liquidation Commission' to former Council employees, the struggle to obtain like compensation for lost property continued for many years; sold with a file of copied research.


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Sold for
£8,500