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Auction: 20002 - Orders, Decorations, Medals & Space Exploration
Lot: 640

The campaign group of four awarded to Corporal M. J. Simpson, Royal Army Medical Corps, a talented and gallant Field Combat Medic

Serving attached to the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards for the invasion of Iraq, he ran through a hail of fire to save the life of a wounded soldier

N.A.T.O. Medal 1994, 1 clasp, Former Yugoslavia; General Service 1962-2007, 1 clasp, Northern Ireland (25035845 LCpl M J Simpson RAMC); Iraq 2003-11, 1 clasp, 19 Mar to 28 Apr 2003 (25035845 Cpl M J Simpson RAMC); Jubilee 2002, mounted court-style as worn, pin removed, nearly extremely fine (4)

Mark J. Simpson - or Mel to his friends and comrades - was born in July 1977 and enlisted in the Royal Army Medical Corps at Boston on 22 July 1994. Qualifying from a parachute course at Bad Lippspringe on 6 October 1995. Simpson and his younger brother Jason, a member of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, both served attached to the Royal Artillery in the early stages of the invasion as part of the 7th Armoured Brigade.

Simpson was latterly attached to No. 2 Company, 1st Battalion, Irish Guards and saved the life of Lance-Sergeant Robert Giles (24806380) when he was shot in the chest on 10 April in Basra. Simpson was in charge of a 10-man team and came to the rescue of Giles 'despite being fired upon from 50 yards away' (Boston Standard, 13 August 2003, refers). Giles made contact with Simpson and continues:

'Hopefully, from reading the address block above you will remember me as the soldier who you treated in Basra on April the 10th this year. Well there is no rest for the wicked and I now find myself in South Armagh. Only eight months after being shot I am on operations again. This is not only indicitive of the state of the Army nowadays, but is also somewhat ironically of your own skills as a combat medic, for if it was not for your timely intervention and skill then I simply wouldn't be here anymore.

I understand sir, that you have been put forward for some sort of recognitions for your actions in the Gulf. Whether you receive any recognition or not is beyond my control but I would personally like you to knwo that I for one thank you on behalf of myself, my parents, my girlfriend and any children I may have in the future for being the primary reason I am alive today.

To put it into context, your actions have prevented not only my life from being brought to a premature end, but have also meant this Christmas, and all other Christmas's my family spend together will be the celebration it is meant to be and not a sad and sombre affair.'

Having also tended injured Iraqi nationals and given a fine account of himself, Simpson was discharged on 13 November 2005; sold together with a plethora of documentation and photographs, including named box of issue for the Iraq Medal, his two identity tags,cloth insignia, ration and service cards, Certificate of Service, Staff Reports, certificates of qualification, numerous newspaper cuttings and photographs. (Lot)

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Sold for
£400

Starting price
£400