General Service Medal clasp Palestine named MAJOR C E DRIVER THE KINGS R.
Cyril Edward Driver born 10th Jan 1894 in Oxford, Oxfordshire, his father, Samuel and mother Mabel. When WW1 came he joined the Devonshire Regiment as a 2nd Lt in 1914. He went with the 1/6th Devonshire Regt to India in Sept 1914. Their war started on 6th Jan 1916 when they landed at Basra and took part in the Mesopotamia campaigns. Cyril was awarded an Military Cross LG 26th Aug 1918 for Mesopotamia. Awarded a BWM & VM for WW1 service with his MC. He stayed in the Army after WW1 and joined the Kings Regiment and was put on the Staff List in 19121
He was then loaned to the RAF on 1st Oct 1921 in Iraq where he earned the GSM Iraq medal. His entries mentions Intelligence Iraq Command. Made a Capt in Oct 1922. He married Alice MacLaren Whittet on 18th March 1924 in Iraq. His service was extended with RAF till 1925 when put on Special Appointment CL FF. He was Adj in 1927 and not in 1931. In 1936-1939 he is seconded to the RAF again where he earns his GSM Palestine as a Major (maybe only medal named to the Kings for this clasp). 1947 he retires as a Lt Col so their maybe WW2 medals as well. He died on 10 June 1947 in Hamadan, Iran, at the age of 53.
History of 225 Military Government Detachment, 1944 - 1946 | Imperial War Museums (iwm.org.uk)
Photocopy of ts narrative (19pp) compiled in September 1946 by the Commanding Officer of 225 Detachment Military Government, Lieutenant Colonel C E Driver, giving a brief, but affectionate description of the unit's activities, covering: its formation at Eastbourne in April 1944, landing in France (23 June 1944) and its work (responsibility for the appointment of local administration, movement of refugees, health and sanitation) during its rapid moves through northern France (until October 1944, including Calais and Boulogne), Belgium (from late October 1944, in the province of Zeeuws), Holland (November 1944 - February 1945, at Nijmegen and Almen) and Germany, at Leer and finally (12 May 1945 - September 1946) at Aschendorf, Hanover district (until mid-August 1944 attached to 49th Division and from then until the end of the war attached to 3rd Canadian Division, often following close behind front line troops) where it took over responsibility for local administration, reconstruction, displaced persons and denazification. It also gives cameos of incidents experienced and of personalities serving with the unit at different times, including Russian volunteers.
