Auction house to sell ‘secret’ medal awarded to Welshman for wartime gallantry
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An auction house will sell a “secret” medal awarded to a Welshman who participated in a raid on Japanese-occupied Singapore Harbour in the Second World War.
The medal was given to one of only two British men involved in “Operation Jaywick” in 1943, which saw Australian Commandos perform the raid in a vessel disguised as an Asian fishing boat, Noonans Mayfair announced.
Nine medals belonging to Acting Sergeant, later Major Ronald George “Taffy” Morris, of the Royal Army Medical Corps – including the one he received for Operation Jaywick – will be sold at an auction on January 17 next year and are expected to fetch £60,000 to £80,000.
The collection is being sold by the recipient’s son who has recently written a book about his father’s exploits, Noonans said.
According to the auction house, Morris was born at Pentre, in the Rhondda Valley, on Christmas Day 1918.
After leaving school at the age of 14 he worked as a miner for five years in South Wales.
He then joined the Royal Army Medical Corps in May 1938 before he was recruited as a Medical Orderly to join the Special Operations Executive (SOE) “Orient Mission” after Japan entered the war, arriving in Singapore in April 1941.
My father’s life was shaped by his war experiences as he had achieved the almost impossible by joining the army prior to the War as a private soldier and rising up through the ranks to become a major
It was there that he became part of an “unorthodox group” undertaking “clandestine missions”, training local groups in the art of sabotage.
After Operation Jaywick, Morris was awarded a “secret” military medal for his gallantry and distinguished service as Medical Orderly in the MV Krait ship during the 48-day, 4,000-mile round trip raid on the harbour.
The raid resulted in the sinking and destruction of seven “enemy ships” totalling 37,000 tonnes.
Morris’ medal was approved by King George VI in May 1944 on the Secret List.
He retired from the army with the rank of Major in 1972, returning to Wales where he died in Wrexham in January 1999.
His son, Evan, wrote in his book, The Tiger’s Revenge: “My father’s life was shaped by his war experiences as he had achieved the almost impossible by joining the army prior to the war as a private soldier and rising up through the ranks to become a major.
“Something quite incredible for an ex-miner from the Rhondda.”
Christopher Mellor-Hill, head of Client Liaison at Noonans said: “Very few people are aware of Operation Jaywick which was one of the greatest SOE ‘Clandestine’ Commando raids of World War Two in the Far East.
“It was a great success but always kept secret along with Morris’ gallantry award.”
He called the raid “amazingly dangerous and brave”.
