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Auction: 21001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals (conducted behind closed doors)
Lot: 354

A fine M.B.E. group of twelve awarded to Brigadier R. A. Leeson, Corps of Military Police, Royal Navy, West Sussex Constabulary, General Staff, Canadian Immigration Department and Canadian Diplomatic Service

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, M.B.E. (Military) Member’s 2nd type breast Badge, silver; British War and Victory Medals (L.12505 R. Lesson. O.S.3. R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Africa Star, clasp, 1st Army; Burma Star; Italy Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, M.I.D. oak leaf; General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, S. E. Asia 1945-46 (Col. R. A. Leeson. M.B.E. Staff.); Greece, Distinguished Service Medal, reverse dated '1940'; Canadian Centennial 1967, very fine (12)

M.B.E. London Gazette 23 September 1943. The recommendation - by Major-General Hawkesworth, Commanding 4th Division, for an O.B.E. - states:

'This Officer as APM of this Division has been outstanding. His energy and drive are exceptional. His arrangements to control forward movement in battle have been invaluable and contributed notably to the successes achieved on 6/7 May and 10/11 May. He inspires his Police with the same determination and disregard of danger as he himself displays.'

The best career biography is offered in an obituary which accompanies the Lot:

'Brigadier Robert Arthur Leeson M.B.E., 7 October 1902-6 September 1969.

One of the most colourful and unorthodox officers to have served with the Corps has passed from our midst with the death in London on 6 September, of Bob Leeson.

For sheer determination to experience life to the full and to see action he had few equals in a lifetime of great variety and many occupations. Born at Courtmacsherry in Southern Ireland, the son of a coastguard, he came to England at the beginning of the Great War, served 3 1/2 years as a Cadet in the 8th Hampshire Regiment Cadet Battalion and then enlisted as soon as he could in the Royal Navy on 19 December 1918. The war had ended a month previously but Leeson managed to join H.M.S. Windsor with the North Russia Force at Archangel and saw action there from July-November 1919 thereby qualifying him for the British War and Victory Medals.

He returned to England, became a Leading Hand and was discharged from the Navy on 30 June 1924. Next he joined the West Sussex Constabulary and served five years including a spell as Coroner's Officer before emigrating to Canada in 1929 where he went to live in Vancouver. A spell as Second Mate in SS Malahat was followed by six round voyages from Vancouver to China in the Canadian Pacific Pailway's liner Empress of Canada as Master-at-Arms after which he tried farming.

Not unexpectedly this proved too tame for him and he rejoined the Canadian Pacific Railway but this time on land as an Investigator in which capacity he built up a solid knowledge of police procedure which was to equip him well in the course of time for his subsequent service with the Provost arm in the British Army.

On the outbreak of the Second World War Leeson obtained leave of absence from the CPR and at his own expense came back to England and obtained an emergency commission in the General List for Provost duties, joining for training at Mytchett on 9 January 1940. A posting to the BEF in France as Staff Lieutenant No 3 Base Sub-area at Le Havre was his first appointment but promotion to Acting Captain soon came on 17 April, when he was given command of No 3 HQ Provost Company, returning eventually to England on 18 June on the evacuation of the remaining British forces in western France.

Various formation postings in the UK followed, but mostly with Divisions and Corps and he was promoted to Acting Major on 13 April 1942, as APM 4th Division. The following year he embarked for North Africa with his Division, fought there and in Italy, was promoted Local Lieutenant-Colonel on 1 October 1943 as APM 5 Corps and moved on to Greece in December 1944 as DPM Land Forces Greece. Here he was closely involved in the heavy fighting when the communists sought to gain control of the country and his services were recognised by the award of the MBE and of the Greek Distinguished Service Medal and by two 'Mentions'.

On 23 July 1945, he was promoted Acting Lieutenant-Colonel and appointed Provost Marshal South East Asia Land Forces taking up his appointment in Kandy, Ceylon. After VJ Day he moved to Singapore and was responsible for solving the complex Provost problems following the Japanese surrender. Under his direction were many British, Indian, Ceylonese and African Provost units widely spaced in Ceylon, Burma, Malaya, Singapore, Java, Sumatra and Hong Kong and with full-scale military operations in Java and Sumatra he also had to contend with the progressive run-down of British troops as post-War demobilisation accelerated. His appointment was upgraded to Local Brigadier on 1 December 1946, when his HQ became GHQ Far East Land Forces and for an emergency-commissioned officer to have risen from 2nd Lieutenant to Brigadier in two months under seven years was outstanding by any standard.

Leeson left Singapore in January 1948 and to enable himself to take up his next appointment as Provost Marshal BAOR with sufficient time to serve he had to be given a short-service commission and because no such commissions were granted in the General List (in wihcih he was serving) and no RMP Corps of officers had then been formed he was invited to choose his Regiment. Because a cousin has served with them he put down the Royal Scots Fusiliers as his first choice and although he would never have to serve with them as his commission was purely for Provost duties he was duly Gazetted on 1 October 1947, to the Royal Scots Fusiliers in the substantive rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, holding the temporary rank of Colonel - surely unique!

His last appointment proved to be for 13 months only and his application to resign his commission on the grounds of long service away from his home in Canada was approved as from 16 July 1949, and after a length debate he obtained passage home to Vacouver "at the public expense" - yet another achievement of some distinction!

On leaving the Army Bob Leeson joined the Canadian Immigration Department and latterly the Canadian Diplomatic Service where he delighted to tell me that he was the only non-graduate in the Service!

His activites included postings to such widely separated places as Lisbon, Tel Aviv, Hong Kong, the Azores and Canberra and to the last he was indeed a "rolling stone".

He had always kept in touch with the Corps for which he had a great affection and on 24 April 1969 he visited Chichester, had lunch in the Officers' Mess and spent a happy time looking around the RMP Museum and seeing how the NCO of today lives and trains.

Few men have had such a full and varied life and his nine years in the Corps were certainly eventful. He was full of zest and enthusiasm and his many friends will remember him always with pleasure and respect. R.J.R.W.'

Sold together with five Provost Marshal armbands of varying design, besides copied research and extracts including his Obituary.

For his miniature dress medals, please see Lot 787.

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Sold for
£1,600

Starting price
£480