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Auction: 24003 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 144

An interesting Palestine emergency C.B.E. group of six awarded to H.M. Consul-General C. H. A. Marriott, late Royal Navy, who had earlier served on Admiral Sir John Jellicoe's staff aboard Iron Duke at Jutland

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, 2nd Type, Civil Division, Commander's (C.B.E.) neck Badge, silver-gilt and enamel; 1914-15 Star (Asst. Clk. C. H. A. Marriott, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (Payr. S. Lt. C. H. A. Marriott, R.N.); Coronation 1937; Coronation 1953, mounted as worn where applicable, the Great War trio with contact wear, good fine, the remainder good very fine (6)

C.B.E. London Gazette 9 June 1949 (H.M's Consul-General, Haifa).

Cyril Herbert Alfred Marriott was born in Chambly, Quebec on 28 September 1897, the son of a clergyman, and was educated at Trent College. Entering the Royal Navy as an Assistant Clerk in July 1915, his very first appointment was as a Secretary's Clerk to Admiral Sir John Jellicoe in H.M.S. Iron Duke and he remained similarly employed until February 1917, when he transferred to Rear-Admiral Goodenough's staff in the battleship Queen Elizabeth.

He consequently shared in Iron Duke's achievements at the battle of Jutland, achievements best summarised by Chris Bilham in The Jutland Honours:

'Iron Duke fired ninety of her 13.5-inch shells and fifty rounds of her secondary armament. As one would expect from a ship commanded by Captain Dreyer and flying the flag of Admiral Jellicoe, both noted gunnery specialists, her gunnery record was unrivalled for speed and accuracy. At around 18:30 hours she had a clear view of the Koenig lit up by the sinking sun, and fired nine salvoes in four minutes and fifty seconds. She hit the Koenig seven times, and later sank the destroyer S35.'

Having then undertaken similar duties in the Queen Elizabeth in February 1917, and thence in the Orion under Rear-Admiral Goodenough that September, Marriott's final appointment was on Admiral Crichton's staff in King George V, for in September 1919, he resigned his commission in order to enter the Consular Service.

Subsequently appointed Vice-Consul in Copenhagen, he enjoyed a spate of other European postings, in addition to New York and Panama, and was serving as Consul-General and Political Adviser to the G.O.C. British Forces Palestine at Haifa at the time of being awarded his C.B.E. in June 1949.

In the wake of the 1948 conflict, Marriott found himself embroiled in a complex period of political and diplomatic machinations, his task being to represent British interests but in the absence of the U.K's formal recognition of the new state of Israel - difficult ground indeed. And he probably did himself few favours by pulling no punches, not least when he informed the Mayor of Haifa, 'Should you bomb the aerodrome at Amman or hit any British craft, we shall blast every Jewish aeroplane in the air and on land all over Palestine'; see Natan Aridan's Britain, Israel and Anglo-Jewry 1949-57, for mention of Marriott and further details.

Retiring in 1957, after several years as Consul-General in Zurich, Marriott served as the Appeals Secretary for the Catholic children's charity Crusade of Rescue 1957-66. He died at Fairford, Gloucestershire, in September 1977; sold with copied research, including confirmation for his Coronation awards.

For his mounted dress miniatures see lot: 301.

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Estimate
£500 to £700

Starting price
£400