H.R.H. Awards (2)

H.R.H. The Duke of Connaught K.G., Bailiff of Egle.

H.R.H. Prince Charles of Denmark G.C.B.

inaugral investiture (15)

Name & portrait

Surviving Medals

Missing Medals

The Viscount Knutsford KCMG

Courtesy National Portrait Gallery, London

                                         KCMG

The Viscountess Knutsford

Colonel Sir Herbert Charles Perrott, Bart.

Colonel Cyril William Bowdler, CB

Lt Colonel Charles Joseph Trimble, LRCP VD

Mr Stuart Crawford  Wardell 

St John Museum

S C Wardell was an Officer Brother and Commissioner for No 5 District.  He died in April 1923.

Lt Colonel GJ Elliston MRCS VD

Inspector General Belgrave Ninnis

Courtesy of The Streatham Society

Image courtesy of Noonans

The C.V.O., K.St.J. group of seven to Inspector-General B.Ninnis, St.John Ambulance, late Royal Navy, The Royal Victorian Order, C.V.O., Commander's neck badge in silver-gilt and enamel, numbered on reverse (C540); The Order of St.John, Knight of Justice set of insignia, comprising neck badge and breast star in silver-gilt and enamel; Arctic Medal 1876 (Dr B.Ninnis. Staff Surgn R.N. H.M.S. Discovery.); Coronation 1902, St.John Ambulance Brigade issue (Insp Gen. Belgrave Ninnis. Dep Comm.); Coronation 1911, St.John Ambulance Brigade issue (Insp. Ge. B.Innis. M.D., R.N.); Service Medal for the Order of St.John (Inspr Genl Belgrave Ninnis R.N. M.D. July 1911.); St.John Ambulance Brigade Medal for South Africa (Dep. Commr Belgrave Ninnis. M.D. R.N. 1902.). Mounted as worn in that order. Light contact marks, very fine. (Lot) Bonhams October 13

Mr Willian Vernon MRCS

Major Charles H Milburn MB

Mr W J Church Brazier

St John Museum

Lt Colonel Richard Holbeche

Mr Willian George Barnes, Junior

Mr W R Edwards, ACA

Mr William Henry Morgan

Chief Superintendent, Metropolitan Corps

HOME SERVICE (40)

appointment, Name,    Location & Photograph

Surviving Medals

Missing Medals, NOTES & Links

District Chief Surgeon

Samuel Osborne FRCS

No.1 District

Honorary Surgeon

John Brown

No. 1 District

Honorary Surgeon

J Maclean Cowall

No.1 District

District Supertntendent of Stores

Shute Barrington Piers

No.1 District

Image courtesy of Noonans

Superintendent

Willian James Henry Pontin

No.1 District

Image courtesy of Noonans

1st Officer

Stephen Herbert Vilven

No.1 District

Image courtesy of Noonans

Sergeant

Hallett

No.1 Districtt

Sergeant

James Elam

No.1 District

The Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Officer‘s breast badge, silver and enamel; Defence Medal; Jubilee 1897, St. John Ambulance Brigade (Private J. Elain (sic)); Coronation 1902, St. John Ambulance Brigade, bronze (J. Elam, Sergt.); Coronation 1911, St. John Ambulance Brigade (Sgt. J. Elam); Jubilee 1935; Coronation 1937; Volunteer Force Long Service Medal, E.VII.R. (1887 C. Sjt: J. Elam, 2/Lomdon V.R.C.); Service Medal of the Order of St John, silvered base metal, unnamed, with three additional service clasps; St. John Medal for South Africa 1899-1902 (Sergt. J. Elam. No. 1 Dist.) mounted court-style as worn, very fine (10)​

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Sergeant

J Dunne

No.1 District

Image courtesy of DNW

Private

A Martin

No.1 District

Private

F Pepper

No.1 District

Assistant Commissioner

John Samuel Griffiths MRCS

No. 2 District

Three: J. S. Griffiths Esq., Commissioner St. John Ambulance Brigade, Coronation, 1911 (J. S. Griffiths); St. John Ambulance Brigade Medal for South Africa, 1899-1902 (Assist. Commissioner No 2 Dist); St. John Service Medal (Deputy Commr John S Griffiths. 1906), extremely fine (3) Christie's 1991

Assistant Commissioner

Thomas Henry Woolston

No.3 District

St Johm Museum

Medals awarded to Assistant Commissioner T H Woolston: Queen Victoria Jubilee Medal, King George V Coronation Medal, Service Medal, King's South Africa Medal sic [Should be SSABM] awarded to Ass Comm T H Woolaston

District Chief Surgeon

William Edward Audland MRCS

No.3 District

Chief Superintendent

Thomas Hornsby Hilton

Wellingborough Corps

Chief Surgeon

Frank M Pope BA MD

Leicester Corps

Chief Superintendent

John Lane King

Leicester Corps

Chief Superintendent

F T Trenery

Kettering Corps

Chief Superintendent

H Beck

Handsworth Corps

Image courtesy of Noonans

St. John Medal for South Africa 1899-1902 (Chief Supt. H. Beck, Handsworth Corps); Handsworth & Smethwick St. John Ambulance Association Medal, silver, reverse inscribed, ‘Presented to Chief Supt. H, Beck by the Brigade Comtee. in recognition of his Long & Valuable Services’, very fine and better (2)

Superintendent

Ashby John Edward Randle

Nuneaton Division

Chief Surgeon

Thomas Nelson

Birmingham Corps

Chief Superintendent

Joseph William White

Ironbridge Corps

Chief Surgeon

James Bates Wilkinson MD

Oldham Corps

Image courtesy of Spinks

Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knight of Grace's set of insignia, comprising neck Badge and breast Star, silver and enamel, maker's mark to reverse of Star;
Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Honorary Associate's Breast Badge, silver;
St. John Medal for South Africa 1899-1902 (Chief Surg. J. B. Wilkinson. Oldham Corps.);
Jubilee 1935; St. John Service Medal, clasp, 5 Years Service (Chief Surgeon J. B. Wilkinson, 10. July. 1908.),

James Bates Wilkinson was born on 4 July 1857 at Godmanchester, Huntington, the eldest of eight children and son of a farmer. Educated at Huntingdon Grammar School, he won the senior mathematical prize in the sixth form before studying at the University of Edinburgh and Royal College of Surgeons, graduating Bachelor of Medicine and Master in Surgery in 1883 and Doctor of Medicine in 1885 after writing a dissertation on the 'Relation of Puerperal Fever to other Infectious Diseases'. He also took the first prize amongst his contemporaries in ear and throat diseases.

Initially working for the University of Edinburgh as Demonstrator in Pathology, Wilkinson subsequently went into private practice in London, Peterborough and Manchester. At Peterborough he was appointed Deputy Medical Officer for the town and the workhouse, after which he worked three further years of private practice in Harpurhey, Manchester. In 1887 Wilkinson relocated to Oldham where he acted as Deputy to Dr. Tattersall. At that time, Dr. Tattersall lived in a Council-owned building and in circumstances which Wilkinson found somewhat baffling:

'The Medical Officer of Health was, before my time, housed in a building which was considered insanitary. It is still his home, but has, at least, been freed of objectionable inhabitants.'
Apart from routine work, infectious disease always required constant investigation, especially when smallpox was prevalent:

'The biggest outbreak I had to deal with started on a Wakes Monday afternoon when, fortunately, I had not gone for my holiday, as was usual. A doctor rang me up and asked me to see two of his patients who, he thought, had smallpox. I went and found the two had that disease and told the mother so and that they would have to be removed to hospital. She rather disputed the diagnosis and then said, "Well, there are some more next door." I visited these and found four more cases, and on telling the second mother, she too said, "There are some more next door." There I found three more cases. By inquiries, I traced a number of other cases, and by the Friday, I had 37 cases in hospital.'

In 1894 Wilkinson was granted the Diploma of Public Health of Victoria University. He became a Member of the B.M.A. and Fellow of the Institute of Sanitary Engineers, being later appointed President of the latter in 1901. In January 1898, Dr. Tattersall took on a similar role at Salford and Wilkinson was promoted Chief Medical Officer of Health for Oldham in his place. It was a role which he relished, the Oldham Chronicle noting:

'He proved an able administrator and under his advice and supervision there were hospital and sewage works extensions, new destructors, and many other minor works. He instructed the town's very successful welfare work for expectant mothers and babies and throughout his long career kept thoroughly up-to-date in the development of public health services, the result being seen in a much lower infant mortality rate and a reduction in the general death rate in the borough.'

A man with a professional and firm character, Wilkinson was later able to offer some interesting anecdotes to the Rotary Club of Oldham regarding dealing with patients who had contracted smallpox:

'It was amusing to remember chasing a patient down King Street and then marching him off to hospital. Then there was an elderly Irish woman who refused to take a bath. She said she had never had one and she was sure it would kill her. The attendant, after failing to get the woman to undress, said she would send for me, when the woman said, "Well, if you are sending for him I'll have the bath. I would rather face the devil than face him."

Wilkinson took an active part in sending out ambulance men to the Boer War and later became School Medical Officer for Oldham from 1906-1936. He was made an Honorary Associate of the Order of St. John on 25 April 1899 and was promoted to Knight of Grace on 21 October 1921. During the Great War he repeated his previous training endeavours for ambulance men and by 1930 had signed over 10,000 certificates and approved 13,000 awards in his capacity as Secretary for the Oldham branch of the St. John Ambulance Association. In later life, it appears that Wilkinson was perhaps a little unwilling to divulge his age to a rather zealous Mr Collins of London who was collecting information to form the basis of a report on Corporation Management. Always 'most conscious' to perform his duties, Wilkinson, by now an elderly gentleman, requested to know who was this man who wished to know his age? Drawing a very definite line between public and private affairs, the doctor insisted his age was for him to know and him alone. There the matter ended.

Wilkinson retired in 1936 and died on 22 February 1941. He bequeathed his home 'Keri', at Alderley Edge, to his daughter and rewarded the kindness of his daughter-in-law Winifred Wilkinson, by leaving her £400 debenture stock in Wilson's Brewery Company. His obituary in the Oldham Chronicle, dated 1 March 1941 noted:

'He will long be remembered as a courteous and gentlemanly public servant of the old school'.

Chief Surgeon

William Henry Irvin Sellers MB

Preston Corps

Honorary Associate, Order of St John

Honorary Surgeon

J Henry Thompson MD

Bolton Corps

Honorary Surgeon

J Johnston MD

Bolton Corps

Honorary Surgeon

C J Molloy MA MD

Blackpool Division

Chief Superintendent

Francis L Gore Little

Preston Corps

Chief Superintendent

J S Jones

Oldham Corps

Chief Superintendent

Frederick Lomax

Bolton Corps

Chief Superintendent

Joseph Ogden

Accrington Corps

l

Superintendent

George Gosling

Blackpool Division

Chief Superintendent

James Broomhead

Haslingden Corps

Lady Superintendent

L Ramsay

Walton le Dale Nursing Division

Assistant Commissioner

Sydney William Malkin

No.5 District

Chief Superintendent

Harry Crompton Chambers

Sheffield Corps

An Order of St John group of eight to Commander H.C.Chambers, St.John Ambulance Brigade, British War and Victory Medal with MID Oakleaf (Lieut.H.C.Chambers.); Coronation 1911, St.John Ambulance Brigade (Dist Supt. Sec. H.C.Chambers.); Jubilee 1935, engraved (Asst Commr. H.C.Chambers. No 5. Dist. S.J.A.B.); Coronation 1937; Service Medal of the Order of st.John, with six bars (1504. Asst Commr H.C.Chambers No5 Dist. Staff. S.J.A.B. 1919); St.John Ambulance Brigade Medal for South Africa (Chief Supt H.C.Chambers Shefield Corps.). With corresponding miniatures the LSGC having 3 bars. Light contact marks, very fine.

Chief Superintendent

George Armitage

Leeds Corps

Honorary Surgeon

Francis Richard Cassidi MD

Derby Division

District Chief Surgeon

George Thomson MD

No.4 District

The bronze medal is named to DIST. Ch. SURG.  G. THOMSON M.D. NO4 DIST. The Service Medal is named to CHIEF SURGEON GEORGE THOMSON M.D. 1901. This recipient was also made Knight of Grace of the Order of St. John in 1904. His bronze medal was issued for home service; he did not go to South Africa. He was heavily involved with the Oldham Corp, where his General Practice was situated. He was the District Coroner, local J.P. and served on the Board of both Oldham Hospitals. Dr. Thomson died in 1906 in Germany. Private Collection.

Knight of Grace, Order of St John (1904)