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Auction: 20003 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 259

A 1983 London Post Office Service M.B.E. group of four awarded to Executive Officer P. A. Taylor, late Private, Army Air Corps and Parachute Regiment

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, M.B.E. (Civil) Member's 2nd type breast Badge, silver; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; General Service 1918-62, 2 clasps, S. E. Asia 1945-46, Palestine 1945-48 (14866277 Pte P A Taylor AAC), mounted as worn, very fine (4)

M.B.E. London Gazette 1 January 1983.

The best biography of Taylor can be extracted from Eastern Daily Press after his death in 2013:

'Born in Spalding, on February 13, 1926, Peter Anthony Taylor won a place to grammar school but his parents could not afford the fees. His great love was always cricket and he started his own junior team aged 14.

During the Second World War, he joined the Seaforth Highlanders in 1944 and was posted to the 13th Parachute Regiment and finally the 5th Parachute Regiment. He fought in south-east Asia, but plans for an airborne invasion were over-taken when the first atom bomb was dropped at Hiroshima. After Japan’s surrender, he was among the first to relieve the Changi POW camp, Singapore.

He then served in Palestine before the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. He returned to Spalding and married his childhood sweetheart, Natalie, having reluctantly turned down an offer to join Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.

A summer weekly £2 wage was not enough to support a wife and family, so he joined the Post Office in London. It had offered the chance to play high-standard cricket and time off work to play matches.

In 1965, he joined HMSO, becoming an executive officer and accommodation manager, responsible for about 3,000 staff in Norwich.

He was made MBE in the 1983 New Year’s Honours and retired in 1986. In that year, he was presented to the Queen during his visit to mark the bicentennial celebrations.

Regarded as a craftsman spin bowler, he had a career average in Norfolk cricket of 11, and was also an astute captain. As a junior club, often playing against more senior and prestigious Norfolk clubs on better wickets, he had twin objectives of winning games, but only just, thus securing the fixture for the following season. Apart from watching cricket at every opportunity, he took up bowls and also golf.'

Sold with copies research including a portrait photograph.

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Estimate
£600 to £700

Starting price
£600

Sale 20003 Notices
After the war in Europe the Battalion moved with the 5th Brigade to the Far East. It was during this period in Singapore (1946) that 255 men of the 13th Battalion refused to obey orders at Muar Camp due to poor conditions and were charged with mutiny. In the subsequent trial 3 men were acquitted, 8 sentenced to 5 years, and the remainder given 2 years. However, after much publicity back home, the sentences were quashed.