A Good & Rare WW2 ‘Blitz’ Battle of Britain, France/Germany Campaigns, American Bronze Star & Post War Territorial Efficiency Decoration and O.B.E medal group awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel E.F. Kingsley, Royal Artillery.

Edwin Frederick Kingsley, the only son of Frederick and Florence Kingsley, was born on the 19th of September 1913, at Darjeeling, India, where his parent owned a tea plantation.

Having been educated in England at Harrow College, Edwin was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant into the 54th (City of London) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, on the 16th of August 1934 - London Gazette 24th August 1934 refers.

Edwin was promoted to the rank of Captain on the 1st April 1939 (London Gazette 21st April 1939 refers) whilst still serving with the 54th AA.

The 54th (City of London) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, were mobilised on the 23rd September 1938 during the Munich Crisis, which lasted 3 weeks. During May 1940, the regiment was deployed to gun sites in South East London with 4.5” anti-aircraft guns, where they helped to protect the skies over London from Luftwaffe attacks during ‘The Blitz’ and then the Battle of Britain.

The 54th AA Regiment was deployed to Ceylon during September 1942, and then to the Middle East during May 1943. Edwin’s WW2 medal entitlement (confirmed in the research as only the 1939/45 Star, France & Germany Star, Defence & War Medals) does not reflect service in these two theatres of war, so we are not sure which regiment he transferred to serving in France and or Germany.

Edwin was awarded the American Bronze Star ‘in recognition of distinguished services in the cause of the Allies’ - London Gazette 26th July 1949 refers, and he was later awarded the Territorial Efficiency Decoration, London Gazette 16th December 1960 refers, along with a 1st clasp.

Post war, Edwin would return to Darjeeling for periods of time to carry on the family tea business, and he was later to become the President of the Tea Buying Brokers Association, for which he was awarded an O.B.E (Civil Division) - London Gazette 30th December 1969 refers.

Edwin Kingsley passed away on the 26th of July 1982, at Walton on the Naze, Essex.

The full size medal group are mounted for display, along with a display ribbon bar, and the miniature medals are mounted as worn (please note the Territorial Efficiency Decoration is a G.R not E.R miniature - not uncommon to happen back in the day), sold with a good file of copied research, the original O.H.M.S medal box of issue addressed to Lt-Col E F Kingsley, ‘Hosecote’, Second Avenue, Clacton on Sea, Essex (P/63368, four greased medal envelopes, Army Council medal slip, a Masonic medal, original O.B.E and T.D boxes of issue, and are as follows -

Order of the British Empire, 2nd Type, Civil Division, Officer’s Breast Badge; 1939/45 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence Medal; War Medal; E.R II Territorial Efficiency Decoration dated 1960 on the reverse, 1st clasp dated 1960 on the reverse; American Bronze Star, all unnamed as issued.

Condition, nearly extremely fine