A most unusual medal group to Captain Savage MBE, MC, who started as a private soldier in the British Army, rapidly rising to Company Sergeant Major. A member of the Australian Instructional Staff on the outbreak of the war, he served at Gallipoli (and France) throughout most of the campaign being commissioned and promoted to Captain. Post war he served with the Australian Naval & Military Expeditionary Force in New Guinea and went on to be a long serving Australian public servant in Rabaul until WW2.
Medal group and documents comprising: Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (M.B.E. Military) 1st type; Military Cross (G.V.R.) unnamed as issued; 1914 – 15 Star, named 651 WO (CL1) J.E.SAVAGE. 3/A.S.C. A.I.F.; British War and Victory Medals, named CAPTAIN J.E. SAVAGE. A.I.F. Permanent Forces of the Empire Beyond the Seas L.S. & G.C., (G.V.R.), named W.O. (II) J. E. Savage M.B.E. M.C. Instl. Staff 3rd M.D. Swing mounted. It comes with copies of British and Australian service records, copy picture and newspaper articles.
London Gazette 1/1/1919: Most Excellent Order of the British Empire ‘For valuable services rendered in connection with the war’.
London Gazette 29/12/1916: Military Cross for ‘Distinguished service in the field’.
Captain James Edmund Savage M.B.E., M.C. was born in Ballycastle, Antrim, Ireland about 1879, a tailor by trade he enlisted into the Royal Irish Rifles with the service No 5180 on 23/7/1897 in Belfast.
A small man at 5’4”, after initial recruit training he was posted to the 1st Battalion on 12/2/1898 and remained with the battalion until discharging on 12/6/1913. A sharp soldier he was quickly promoted Lance Corporal 1899, Corporal 1901, Lance Sgt and Sergeant 1902 and Colour Sergeant (WO2) 1906. He served in South Africa from 12/2/1898 – 15/4/1899 (Boer War started in October), India from 16/4/1899 – until discharge some 14 years later.
He emigrated to Australia joining the Instructional Staff C.M. Forces and on the outbreak of the Great War promptly enlisted with his occupation recorded as soldier. Posted as a Warrant Officer with the service No 651 to the Army Service Corps, No 3 Company Divisional Train he departed Australia on 19/10/1914 bound for Egypt.
He was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant on 19/4/1915 and landed on Gallipoli on or about 23/24/May being promoted to Lieutenant 28th May. He was transferred to the Divisional Train HQ (Gallipoli) 9th August and promoted to Temp Captain a month later. He was sent to Alexandria on inspection duties 9/11/15 – 3/12/15 no doubt preparing the ground for the evacuation. He returned to Gallipoli 10th – 26th December and evacuated to Alexandria on the 27th.
He deployed to France on 1st April 1916 posted to ANZAC HQ serving as the Adjutant being promoted to substantive Captain in August 1916. He was awarded the Military Cross L/G 29/12/1916 in this capacity.
He was hospitalised from 1/4/1917 – 19/7/1917 with appendicitis and strain from the effects of constant work including being on the beach at Gallipoli from May to December and being constantly shelled. On recovering he was posted to duty at Headquarters A.I.F. Depots UK until 19/12/1918 when he was posted to command the St Budeaux Camp (Cornwall) on special duties and various other projects relating to the AIF in England. He was awarded the M.B.E. (Military) on the New Years Day honours list 1919 and returned to Australia in March 1920.
He resigned from the AIF on 23/5/1920 and was commissioned into the A.N. & M.E.F. (Australian Naval & Military Expeditionary Force) the next day, he landed in New Guinea in June 1920 and was promoted to Temporary Captain 1/1/1921 as Director of Supplies and Stores. His appointment was terminated at Rabaul on 9/5/1921 and he became an Australian Public Servant working at Rabaul until WW2 when he and his family evacuated to Sydney, N.S.W. He died on 13/1/1946. In N.S.W.
