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Auction: 26001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 297

The 1909 Army Medical School Gold Prize for Military Medicine and the Tulloch prize medal awarded to Captain H. S. Ranken, Royal Army Medical Corps, who earned a posthumous Victoria Cross, a 'mention' and a Legion of Honour for his gallantry on 19-20 September 1914

Army Medical School Gold Medal (Lieutenant H. S. Ranken, R.A.M.C., July, 1909.) impressed on rim; Tulloch prize medal, bronze, unnamed, a couple of light scratches in field otherwise very fine (2)

V.C. London Gazette 13 November 1914.

For tending wounded in the trenches under rifle and shrapnel fire at Hautvesnes on 19th September, and on 20th September continuing to attend to wounded after his thigh and leg had been shattered. (He has since died of his wounds).

M.I.D. London Gazette 19 October 1914.

France, Legion of Honour London Gazette 3 November 1914.

Harry Sherwood Ranken was born at Glasgow on 3 September 1883 and was the son of the Reverend Henry Ranken and Helen Morton Ranken, of The Manse, Irvine, Ayrshire. He was educated at Irvine Royal Academy and later at Anderson's College before going to the University of Glasgow where he graduated in medicine with commendation in 1905. After qualifying he held the posts of resident house surgeon and house physician at the Glasgow Western Infirmary and assistant medical officer at the Brook Fever Hospital under the Metropolitan Asylum Board. Ranken joined the Royal Army Medical Corps in January 1909, taking first place at the entrance examination and retaining this place at the examination during the probationary course. He also gained the Tulloch medal, the medal for military medicine, the medal and prize for tropical medicine, the De Chaumont prize in hygiene and the prize for grand aggregate marks in all examinations during the probationary course which was open to the Royal Army Medical Corps and the Indian Medical Service. From 1909-11 he was stationed in London under Eastern Command, and during this period was assistant to Sir William Leishman at the Royal Army Medical College and to Dr H. G. Plimmer in the Brown Institute, and engaged himself in research work, particularly in connection with sleeeping sickness.

In 1910 he obtained the M.R.C.P. diploma, and in the following year passed the examinations for captaincy with special certificate and was promoted Captain in July 1912. During these years he contributed, jointly with Major W. B. Fry and Dr Plimmer, severalimportant papers on trypanosomiasis, which were published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society. He transferred to the Egyptian Army serving between August 1911 - June 1914 and he served as a member of the Soudan Government Sleeping Sickness Commission, and was in charge of the camp at Yei in the Lado englave, Western Mongolia. He returned Home for leave in July 1914 and volunteered for war service, he was restored to the British establishment in August 1914 and entered the war in France on 13 August 1914. Ranken was awarded a Legion of Honour (5th Class) for gallant conduct during the operations between 21 - 30 August 1914, one month later his bravery resulted in him being awarded the Victoria Cross which lead to his untimely death from wounds on 24 September 1914.

The Times History of the War, part 41, p.44 says:

'It is a safe statement that no man ever won the Victoria Cross more nobly than did Capt. Harry Sherwood Rankin (sic) R.A.M.C. Capt Rankin (sic) was severely wounded in the leg whilst attending to his duties on the battlefield. He arrested the bleeding from this, and bound it up, and then continued to dress the wounds of his men, sacrificing his chances of salvation to their needs. When finally he permitted himself to be carried to the rear, his case had become almost desperate. He died within a short period'.


Ranken is buried in the Braine Communal Cemetery, Aisne, France.


Sold together with the following archive:

(i)
A 'romanticised' colour postcard of him winning his Victoria Cross.


(ii)
A Glory Boys Cigarette card of him winning his V.C.

(iii)
A silk cigarette card commemorating him in the centre of a V.C.

(iV)
Minor assorted copied research.

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Estimate
£4,000 to £5,000

Starting price
£3500