THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE, BURMA, INDIA, SOMALILAND AND FIRST WORLD WAR CAMPAIGN GROUP TO LIEUTENANT-COLONEL MICHAEL WILLIAMSON, O.B.E., ROYAL WEST SURREY REGIMENT, 21ST PUNJABIS, 5TH AND 8TH BATTALIONS ROYAL MUNSTER FUSILIERS, MIDDLESEX REGIMENT AND ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS, WHO SUCCESSIVELY COMMANDED BATTALIONS OF THE 21ST PUNJABIS, ROYAL MUNSTER FUSILIERS, MIDDLESEX REGIMENT AND ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS DURING THE PERIOD 1913-1919, COMMANDING BATTALIONS OF THE ROYAL MUNSTER FUSILIERS, MIDDLESEX REGIMENT AND ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR. Ten: O.B.E., first type, military (unnamed, as issued, hallmarked London 1918); India General Service Medal 1849-95, 2 clasps Burma 1887-89, Kachin Hills 1892-93 (officially named, engraved in running script: 2d. Lieutt. M. Williamson 2d.Bn. R. W. Surr. R.); India General Service Medal 1895, 1 clasp Punjab Frontier 1897-98 (officially named, engraved in running script: Lt. M. Williamson 21st. Pjb. Infy.); Africa General Service Medal 1902, 1 clasp Somaliland 1902-04 (officially named, impressed in plain block capitals: CAPT: M. WILLIAMSON. PUNJAB M.I.); 1914-15 Star (officially named, impressed in plain block capitals: LT. COL. M. WILLIAMSON. R. MUNS. FUS.); British War Medal & Victory Medal (both medals officially named, impressed in plain block capitals: LT. COL. M. WILLIAMSON.); Jubilee Medal, 1887, silver (unnamed, as issued); Coronation Medal, Edward VII, 1902, silver (unnamed, as issued); Delhi Durbar Medal, 1911 (unnamed, as issued).
Medals loose, generally Good Very Fine to Almost Extremely Fine and a rare and impressive combination of awards.
NOTE: at one time this group was court mounted, and most of the campaign medals have had the back straps removed from their clasps, in order to facilitate court mounting. This does not attract from the appearance of the medals when viewed from the front, and the group would no doubt benefit from being court mounted once again.
Group accompanied by extensive file of research, including: typed summary of military career, photocopy of relevant entry from "War Services of Officers of the Army", confirming all campaign medals, photocopied entry from Burke's "Handbook to the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire", confirming O.B.E. and that Lieutenant-Colonel Williamson "raised, and commanded in the field, the 8th Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers, until the battalion was wiped out, afterwards commanded 5th Royal Munster Fusiliers, and two other battalions", copies of various Medal Rolls and Medal Index card, confirming all medals and clasps, with first theatre of war on Medal Index card shown as France (17th December 1915), copy of relevant page from Second Supplement to London Gazette of 7th January 1919 (dated 8th January 1919) confirming O.B.E., copy of relevant page from Roll of Officers entitled to wear silver War Badges, confirming Lieutenant-Colonel Williamson's entitlement, and copies of various original correspondence to and from Williamson extracted from Officer's Papers files at the Public Record Office, Kew (ref. W.O. 374/75241), confirming that Williamson was appointed to the temporary command of the 8th Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel on 9th May 1915, relinquished command of the 8th Battalion on 5th July 1916, and ceased to be employed, was re-employed to the temporary command of 5th Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers on 10th November 1916, relinquished command of the 5th Battalion on 3rd August 1918, and was released from active service on 31st December 1918. Copy documents include an interesting 4 page handwritten letter from Lieutenant-Colonel Williamson to the War Office, dated 21st June 1920, confirming that he "raised, and commanded in France the 8th Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers" and concerning his services with the 5th Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers immediately prior to it's disbandment in June 1918, confirming that he subsequently commanded a battalion of the Middlesex Regiment at Lowestoft for a few days and afterwards commanded the 3rd Garrison Battalion of the Royal Irish Fusiliers, and that in July 1918 he was ordered back to Ireland to work for the Ministry of National Service, for recruiting purposes in Ireland, which employment was terminated at the end of December 1918.
Lieutenant-Colonel Williamson, born on 4th April 1865, was the son of John Williamson of Bruff, Co. Limerick. Educated Trinity College, Dublin, he was first commissioned 2nd Lieutenant, 2nd Battalion Royal West Surrey Regiment, on 4th May 1887. He subsequently transferred to the Indian Army and was promoted Lieutenant, 21st Punjabis, on 7th December 1888, Williamson was promoted Captain, 21st Punjabis, 8th May 1898. Major, 21st Punjabis, 4th May 1905. Lieutenant-Colonel, 21s t Punjabis, 8th May 1913. Retired, 15th May 1913. Williamson was recalled for service during the Great War, appointed Major, 8th Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers, 13th November 1914, and promoted Lieutenant-Colonel commanding that battalion on 9th May 1915.
At the time that Williamson was commissioned into the 2nd Battalion Royal West Surrey Regiment that battalion was serving in India, having originally disembarked at Bombay on 1st March 1878, embarking at Calcutta for Burma on 4th August 1886. By the time Williamson joined his battalion, it had already been posted to the 3rd Brigade, Burma Field Force, under Brigadier-General Lockhart C.B., the brigade H.Q. being at Pyinmana (also know as Nyingan), with the brigade holding the area south of Hlaingdet, between the Shan Hills and the Pegu Yoma range. There the battalion was involved in suppressing bands of local Dacoit bandits and destroying enemy fortifications, numerous columns of various sizes mounting wide-ranging sweeps through the rugged, disease ridden countryside in extreme climactic conditions. These operations continued after Williamson joined the battalion, achieving considerable success in capturing large numbers of bandits, enemy arms and munitions. Occasionally, particularly during the latter stages of the campaign, the battalion acted as mounted infantry. Once the campaign had ended the battalion concentrated at Pyinmana, in February 1888, and proceeded to Rangoon, where it embarked on 2nd March for Calcutta, landing there on 7th March. During the campaign in Burma the battalion lost one man killed in action and 7 men wounded in action and 2 officers and 60 men died of disease (for his services in the Burma campaign Williamson was awarded the India General Service Medal 1849-95 with Burma 1887-89 clasp). Following his transfer to the 21st Punjabis, Williamson next saw service during the Kachin Hills expedition of 1892-3, as Assistant Commandant of the Bhamo Battalion, Burma Military Police (awarded Kachin Hills clasp to his IGS Medal 1849). After seeing service with the Bhamo Battalion, Burma Military Police, Williamson rejoined the 21st Punjabis and next saw service with them on the North West Frontier, 1897-98, during the Malakand and Buner expeditions, being present during the attack on and capture of the Tanga Pass (awarded India General Service Medal 1895 with Punjab Frontier 1897-98 clasp). Williamson subsequently saw service with the Punjab Mounted Infantry during the Somaliland campaign, 1902-04 (awarded Africa General Service Medal with Somaliland 1902-4 clasp).
Following retirement in May 1913, Williamson was recalled for service after the outbreak of the First World War and saw service in France December 1915 - May 1916, being present with the 8th Munsters during the 27th - 29th April 1916 gas attack at Hulluch, after which Williamson was invalided. He subsequently saw home service with the 5th Munsters. Then, towards the end of the war he commanded a battalion of the Middlesex Regiment for a few days at Lowestoft, June 1918 and afterwards the 3rd Garrison Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers .
After the war Williamson served as Justice of the Peace and Resident Magistrate for Limerick. Lieutenant-Colonel Williamson was a member of various clubs, including the Junior Naval & Military Club, Hibernian United Service Club, County Limerick and Calcutta Turf Clubs. Lieutenant Colonel Williamson, married Rhoda Mary, daughter of John Christopher White of Cork, in Bengal, India, in 1888, and died in 1926.
Interestingly, the entry immediately after Lieutenant-Colonel Williamson's in Burke's "Order of the British Empire" handbook is for his wife, Rhoda Mary Westropp Williamson, M.B.E. (born 1890). She was awarded her M.B.E. for war work, being employed in the R.S.A.A. Armaments Inspection Factory, Park Royal, Acton West, in 1915, and afterwards in the Finance Department of the War Office until December 1919.
