Groups and Single Decorations for Gallantry

‘The whole business was horrible, as one never knew who was for or against you. An innocent looking civilian would walk past the barracks, see our position and then go to a house and snipe. The fighting in France I think was infinitely preferable to this and in this others concur.’ (Personal memoir of the Easter Rising by Major G. A. Harris, Dublin University O.T.C.) ‘I do not know how I should have got on without him, he did everything, and was always cheerful and active and never seemed to get tired, though the strain was great. He organised the defence most efficiently...’ (Colonel F. W. Shaw, Commanding 2nd (H.S.) Gn. Bn. R. Irish Regt.) The important and unique inter-War C.B.E. (Civil), 1916 ‘Easter Rising - Defence of Beggars Bush Barracks’ D.S.O., Great War O.B.E. (Military) group of eight awarded to Major and Adjutant G. A. Harris, Dublin University Officer Training Corps, Territorial Force, who led his poorly armed column of above age military reservists - ‘The Gorgeous Wrecks’ - in a week long defence of Beggars Bush Barracks during the 1916 Easter Rising: arranging his veteran volunteers to the best possible advantage and by keeping up a constant fire on all surrounding houses occupied by the rebels, Harris prevented them from making an attack, and ‘bluffed them into thinking the garrison was much larger than it really was.’ Sold with an important archive of related material including the recipient’s unpublished diary of the Defence, written during the siege on ‘Beggars Bush, Dublin’ headed writing paper. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, C.B.E. (Civil) Commander’s 1st type neck badge, silver-gilt and enamel, with neck riband; Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., silver-gilt and enamel, with integral top riband bar; The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Military) Officer’s 1st type breast badge, silver-gilt, hallmarks for London 1919; British War Medal 1914-20 (Major G. A. Harris.); Territorial Force War Medal 1914-19 (Major G. A. Harris); Coronation 1911, silver, unnamed as issued; Jubilee 1935, unnamed as issued; Territorial Decoration, G.V.R., hallmarks for London 1919, with integral top riband bar, last seven mounted as worn, minor green enamel damage to wreath on DSO, otherwise nearly extremely fine (8) £8,000-£12,000 --- C.B.E. (Civil) London Gazette 3 June 1927: ‘Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Northern Ireland.’ D.S.O. London Gazette 24 January 1917: General citation but awarded in connection with services rendered during the Sinn Fein Rebellion, Dublin, April 1916. O.B.E. (Military) London Gazette 3 June 1919: ‘For valuable services rendered in connection with the War.’ M.I.D. London Gazette 25 January 1917: general citation but in connection with services rendered during the Sinn Fein Rebellion, Dublin, April 1916. George Arthur Harris was born in 1879 at Longford, Ireland, into a family with successful business interests and long Ulster associations. He won a scholarship to Trinity College Dublin, where he gained a gold medal in mathematics, played rugby for the 1st XV and assisted in the foundation of the Dublin University Officers’ Training Corps before graduating via open competition to an appointment as a first-class clerk at the Admiralty in London in 1903. The following year he was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Prince of Wales’s Own (Civil Service) Rifle Volunteer Corps but, having chosen to return to Dublin, in 1910 he was appointed an officer of the Dublin University Officer Training Corps. Appointed to the command of the Infantry Unit in 1911 and promoted to Major in February 1913, it was in this capacity that Harris was serving on the outbreak of war in 1914. Additionally appointed to the command of the 1st Dublin Battalion Volunteer Training Corps from August 1915, Harris was leading a party of these veteran volunteers on military manoeuvres in the Dublin Hills on 24 April 1916 when he received news that Sinn Fein had risen in Dublin. Easter Rising Following the armed insurrection of around 1800 Irish Volunteers and Irish Citizen Army in Dublin on Monday 24 April 1916, the VTC were ordered to return to Beggars Bush Barracks at once. Lieutenant-Colonel Frank Browning, the senior officer present, split the volunteers into two columns placing the larger party under Harris. These part time reservists, many of them lawyers, doctors and other professional men were mostly above military age - the Irish Rugby Union also had its own contingent. Unofficially termed the ‘Gorgeous Wrecks’, they wore civilian clothes with an armband emblazoned ‘GR’ - Georgius Rex. As a Volunteer Force they had no ammunition and many of their rifles were dummies for training purposes only. Unarmed and militarily ineffective then, this body of men was led back by Harris who recorded his experiences over the following days in his contemporary personal diary of the Easter Rising written on Beggars Bush Dublin headed note paper. Of the journey back to the Barracks, Harris notes: ‘I immediately collected them and marched back via Anglesea Road having a protective screen in front. All went well until I arrived at the corner of Lansdowne Road and Shelbourne Road where I heard from civilians that they heard that the Sinn Feiners were sniping at the Barracks. I sent on two motor cyclists for information and they brought back word from the Barracks that the road was fairly clear. So I ordered the GRs to go up in small parties of four or five. I went on horseback with the foremost parties. As I rode up Haddington Road several shots were fired at me and one man was hit at the Barrack Gate. All the rest of the party got in without further casualty. The wounded man was carried in by Elie and Stranthers of the VTC who displayed great gallantry. The wounded man (Clery) unfortunately died during the night.’ (Harris’ diary refers) Meanwhile, Browning’s smaller party, taking a different route, had run into a rebel ambush at the corner of Haddington and Northumberland Road. Fourteen men were hit, five of them fatally. One of these casualties was Browning, mortally wounded at the head of the column. He was rushed into the Barracks where he died two days later. Major Harris meanwhile had already arrived to find it garrisoned by around twenty seven men of the Catering Corps. He set about organising the defence of the barracks immediately: ‘On getting into Barracks I found that I was senior Officer and took over command. I discovered that there were only about 15 rifles in the Barracks with a lot of disabled and convalescent soldiers, in addition to women and children. The troops with me - about 80 - had only unserviceable rifles for which no ammunition was available. There were large stores of ammunition and it was of the utmost importance to hold the Barracks, as it formed the first link between the city and troops coming from England. I arranged the troops round the wall to the best possible advantage, and by keeping up a constant fire on all surrounding houses occupied by the rebels prevented them from making an attack, and bluffed them into thinking the garrison was much larger than it really was.’ Harris had all the bricked up portholes opened and strategically had the ammunition, food etc. stored in the central block which he proposed to hold as a final post. Sniping continued from houses all around: ‘During the night Colonel Sir Frederick Shaw arrived and took over command, but I was ordered by the Irish Command Headquarters to remain and assist him. The night passed wearily in expectation of attack. All next day we h...