A very well documented Second World War Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship Royal Maritime Artillery Officer’s Atlantic Star and Efficiency Medal group to Lieutenant G.C. Balfour, Royal Artillery, who had seen pre-war service in the Liverpool Scottish before going on to see service in the Royal Maritime Artillery aboard Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships during the Second World War between 5th February 1942 until 22nd October 1945. He would be discharged with the Honorary Rank of Lieutenant on 5th December 1945 but would later serve in the Territorial Army.
Group of 5: 1939-1945 Star; Atlantic Star; Defence Medal; War Medal; Efficiency Medal, GVIR 1st type bust, Territorial Suspension; (LT. G.C. BALFOUR. R.A.) All medals previously lacquered and loose mounted for wear.
Condition: previously lacquered, Good Very Fine
Along with mounted miniatures, the Efficiency Medal being the Elizabeth II Br:Omn bust
55th West Lancashire Division Sports Medal – Divisional Cross Country Run 1934 Winners.
Liverpool Scottish Cross Country Championship 1935 winner in hallmarked silver.
55th West Lancashire Division Sports Medal – Divisional Cross Country Run 1936 Runners-up
Royal Artillery shoulder titles.
Royal Artillery Cap Badge
2 Royal Artillery Buttons
4 Metal shoulder pips.
4 Cloth Shoulder pips
Royal Marine Artillery cloth formation badge.
7th Anti-Aircraft Division cloth formation badge.
Ribbon bar for 1939-1945 Star, Atlantic Star, Defence Medal
Ribron bar for 1939-1945 Star, Atlantic Star, Defence Medal and War Medal.
Original Commission document for G.C. Balfour, Second Lieutenant, Land Forces, Royal Regiment of Artillery dated 19th December 1941
Original Commission document for Gerald Campbell Balfour, Lieutenant, in the Territorial Army dated 27th February 1953.
Group photograph presumably including Balfour, used as a postcard, the reverse with note ‘Dear Kids, there is 4 trays in bottom cupboard in Kitchenette, mind your fingers, love etc…
3 School Reports from his time at Windsor High School
16 School Reports from his time at Quarry Bank School
Certificate for service in the Maritime Royal Artillery to Lieutenant G.C. Balfour, 5th February 1942 to 22nd October 1945 for his serve as an Ack Ack Gunner in the Protection of Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships.
Travel Identity Card for Great Britain, Eire and Northern Ireland also Channel Islands to Mr G.C. Balfour, issued at Liverpool and dated November 1945.
Release Certificate dated 5th December 1945, thanking him for his service and advising him he would be granted the honorary rank of Lieutenant.
Newspaper The Times Territorial Army Supplement dated 21st October 1952.
Sheet of hand coloured Soldiers of different nationalities in military uniform
Gerald Campbell Balfour from Liverpool attended Windsor High School and Quarry Bank School on Merseyside before joining the Territorial Army where for a time he would serve with the Liverpool Scottish. He would later see service during the Second World War with the Royal Maritime Artillery and would be commissioned as a Lieutenant serving on the Ack-Ack guns on Defensively Equipped Mentioned Ships.
Old naval guns had been stored since 1918 in ports for possible use. In the Second World War the objective was to equip each ship with a low-angle gun mounted aft as defence against surfaced submarines and a high-angle gun and rifle-calibre machine guns for defence against air attack. 3,400 ships had been armed by the end of 1940; and all ships were armed by 1943.
The low-angle guns were typically in the 3-inch to 6-inch range (75–150 mm) depending on the size of the ship. Rifle-calibre machine guns were augmented or replaced by Oerlikon 20 mm cannon as they became available. The high-angle QF 12-pdr Mk V mount was the most common anti-aircraft gun and later ships sometimes received Bofors 40 mm guns.
An army sergeant instructing merchant seamen in DEMS gunnery. The classroom is a converted bus.
Untrained gunners posed significant risk to friendly aircraft in the absence of efficient communications. DEMS guns were manned by 24,000 Royal Navy personnel and 14,000 men of the Royal Artillery Maritime Regiment. 150,000 merchant sailors were trained to assist by passing ammunition, loading and replacing casualties. Initially, Royal Artillery personnel provided anti-aircraft protection by bringing their own machine-guns aboard ships operating close to the British Isles. DEMS gunners were often retired military personnel and young Hostilities Only ratings, commanded by a petty officer or Royal Marine sergeant. Large ships sometimes embarked a junior naval officer to command the DEMS gunners. Canada placed guns on 713 ships, while the Royal Australian Navy provided gun crews for 375 Australian and other Allied ships
Balfour would later be promoted to Lieutenant in the Territorial Army on 27th February 1953.
