Ex RWF senior field officers tunic

[Steelhead10]

Good research Jerry and a nice tunic with quite a bit of history.

[Jerry B]

Good research Jerry and a nice tunic with quite a bit of history.

Thanks Matt. I have had help from others, which has really made a difference, and hopefully more to follow.

It does seem likely that he was never a General, but it is easy to restore it to the correct rank for Brigadier.

[thorne83]

If you fancy, you can cough up a few quid and get the official recommendations for both his CBE and OBE:

Recommendation for Award for Orr, John Reginald Henry Rank: Colonel Service... | The National Archives

Recommendation for Award for Orr, John Reginald Henry Rank: Lieutenant Colonel ... | The National Archives

Cheers, Tom

[thorne83]

I also found a newspaper cutting, for the birth of a child in India, in 1944. It shows that Orr was serving with the 11th PAVO Cavalry at the time.

Cheers, Tom

[Adrian Stevenson]

Excellent stuff. You cannot beat a named and researched item.

[thorne83]

Of further interest, his entitlement to the GSM.

Cheers, Tom

[Jerry B]

I also found a newspaper cutting, for the birth of a child in India, in 1944. It shows that Orr was serving with the 11th PAVO Cavalry at the time.

Cheers, Tom

Thanks Tom.

this explains his Africa Star and probably why in 1948 he ends up in the RWF after partition in 1947 as they became part of the army of Pakistan.

After the First World War, the number of Indian cavalry regiments was reduced from thirty-nine to twenty-one. However, instead of disbanding the surplus units, it was decided to amalgamate them in pairs. This resulted in renumbering and renaming of the entire cavalry line. The 21st and 23rd Cavalry were amalgamated in 1921 to form 11th Prince Albert Victor’s Own Cavalry (Frontier Force). The uniform of PAVO Cavalry was blue with scarlet facings. The new regiment's badge consisted of the Kandahar Star representing the five rivers of the Punjab. Its class composition was one squadron each of Punjabi Muslims, Sikhs and Dogras. The regiment was mechanised in 1940. During the Second World War, it initially served in Syria and Iran, and then went on to North Africa, where it fought in the Battle of Gazala. It then moved to Burma, where it greatly distinguished itself against the Japanese. In 1946, the regiment was sent to the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) to pacify the country after the surrender of the Japanese.

[Jerry B]

If you fancy, you can cough up a few quid and get the official recommendations for both his CBE and OBE:

Recommendation for Award for Orr, John Reginald Henry Rank: Colonel Service... | The National Archives

Recommendation for Award for Orr, John Reginald Henry Rank: Lieutenant Colonel ... | The National Archives

Cheers, Tom

I'd like to get these, but without knowing what is in them, I am hesitant to spend what might seem like a small amount, but I paid for one item previously and it told me nothing I did not already know.

[thorne83]

I'd like to get these, but without knowing what is in them, I am hesitant to spend what might seem like a small amount, but I paid for one item previously and it told me nothing I did not already know.

It may not necessarily tell you anything new about his postings, but it will almost certainly give more of an insight into his character and what earned him his 'gongs'.

Here's an example from 1944. My grandpa was with this soldier, on the night of 15th June, searching for the missing Sgt.

Cheers, Tom

[Jerry B]

I paid the money downloaded the CBE award doc and is not very exciting. I'll print it, scan it and post it here later. I doubt I'll bother with the OBE doc.