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Auction: 22133 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 989

Sold by Order of a Direct Descendant

The rare Far East Prisoner of War campaign group of five awarded to Sapper J. R. Gardner, Johore Volunteer Engineers

1939-45 Star; Pacific Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, these last four all in their boxes of issue, with label to base of each stating 'Spr J R Gardner 1260'; Efficiency Medal, G.VI.R., 2nd issue, Malaya (1260 Spr. James R. Gardner, J.V.E.) impressed naming, edge bruising and contact marks on this last, nearly very fine, the others mint as issued (5)

The campaign group issued to the family in October 2020. The Efficiency Medal acquired back by the family from the Tamplin Collection.

Efficiency Medal (Malaya) as per Federation of Malaya Government Gazette 9 June 1949.

James Rowland Gardner - or 'Tadpole' to his friends and comrades - was born on 31 August 1908 at Cheltenham and was educated at Crypt Grammar and Aberdeen University, studying rubber technology and also taking Sports Colours. A skilled linguist, he joined his brother in the Far East as a trainee rubber planter in Johore. He enlisted in the Johore Volunteer Engineers on 17 May 1941 and was with his unit upon its capture at the Fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. Gardner was intially held at Changi, thence being held at Havelock Road (May 1942), King Siok, Thailand (October 1942), Hindato (December 1942) and Nong Pladuk (April 1944). He was transported in a hulk to Japan and held at Funatsu Camp from June 1944, working on the stockade for smelting zinc and lead at 2,500ft. His family recall:

'Jim never spoke much about his time as a guest of the Japanese except to recount the odd tale. The only one I remember is having been caught stealing eggs from the kitchen. He faced down the Guard by suggesting that he would lose face if found to have been insufficiently vigilant! In doing so he escaped the most serious of punishments...We do know, however, that he was severely beaten particularly on the back and legs. He also said that from Funatsu he saw one of the Atom bombs explode.'

Having been liberated, Gardner returned to Malaya and forged a successful rubber business. He married Joan Marjorie Joseph - who was nearly two decades his junior - the daughter of a wealthy Anglo-Indian tin mining family. Living at Rasa, Selangor, they lived a very comfortable life, owning racehorses and travelling widely. Whilst there, they became friends with the communist leader Chin Peng who had tried to convert them to his cause without luck. Indeed, it was upon his very estate that the infamous Batang Kali massacre took place on 12 December 1948. On independence, they elected to retire to England. He died at The Grange, Tewkesbury on 8 September 1998; sold together with letter and Medal slip confirming '4' campaign awards, besides a number of copied photographs and research.

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Sold for
£2,500

Starting price
£450