A most desirable 'Continuous Burma Service' 1908-1941 including 'Suppression of the Tharawaddy Rebellion' group of 5 to Commanding Officer of the Burma Police: Inspector General Ralph Clarence Morris, C.M.G., K.P.M., Burma Police

- The Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael & St. George, C.M.G., Companion’s neck badge
- IGS Medal 1908-35. GV 2nd issue 'Burma 1930-32' (Dy. Insp. Genl. R. C. Morris. Police Dept)
- Jubilee 1935
- Coronation Medal 1935
- King's Police Medal. GV 'Crowned Head' issue (Ralph Clarence Morris, Indian Police, Burma.)

Orders, Decorations and Medals verification: All 5 x awards confirmed as entitled per the recipients entry in 'Who Was Who' (edition), A photocopy of the extract page form Who Was Who will accompany the medals. For the Order, Decoration and Royal Commemorative Medals, see the following cited references:

- C.M.G.: Published in London Gazette issue of 1 January 1941. Shown as, Inspector General of Police, Burma
- Jubilee Medal 1935: Jubilee Medal Roll (India & Burma Allocation)
- Coronation Medal 1937: Coronation Medal Roll (Burma Allocation)
- King's Police Medal: Published in the Gazette of India issue of 1 January 1935, the official recommendation is quoted below:

Quote,

Mr. Ralph Clarence Morris, Deputy Inspector-General of Police for Railways and Criminal Investigation, joined the Indian Police in 1908 as an Assistant Superintendent and very early in his career showed promise of developing into an officer of more than average merit. During the Great War he acted in the capacity of Personal Assistant to the Deputy Inspector-General of Military Police from May 1917 to February 1920 and was highly commended for his exceptional ability, self-reliance, resource and industry. While in charge of the Police in the Meiktila District in 1921 he dealt effectively with a serious outbreak of crime. In October 1921 he was specially selected for the post of Superintendent of Police Supplies which he held till February 1926 and brought the Department to a high state of efficiency.

In June 1926 he was promoted to the Selection Grade and officiated as Deputy Inspector-General, Administration, from April to November 1928 when he was appointed as Assistant Inspector-General of Police. He held this post with distinction for about three years, earning the highest praise from the Inspector-General. In March 1931 he was appointed as Deputy Inspector-General of Police for Railways and Criminal Investigation and during the strenuous months of that year of rebellion he showed himself once more to be a very able, hard working and successful officer. As officiating Inspector-General of Police from June 1933 to January 1934 he gave complete satisfaction in the administration of the force and proved himself to be a sound and efficient administrator

Unquote.

Ralph Clarence Morris was born in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, on 10 March 1889. Educated at Ludlow Grammar School, he joined the Indian Police and served in Burma from 6 December 1908. Enjoying steady advancement in his career, Morris also saw the increasingly violent opposition to British rule in Burma led by a section of English-educated nationalists, as detailed by author S. R. Chakravarty in The Tharrawaddy Rebellion in Burma:
‘Influenced by Indian revolutionaries - especially those from Bengal - the mid-1920’s witnessed the development of secretive Burmese cells with a mission to convince the local populous of the need to self rule. Arguing that ‘liberty’ and ‘good government’ could not be delivered by one group of people to another, the revolutionaries succeeded in stirring up the people with arguments of imperialism being founded upon force and fraud.’

The resultant anti-imperialist rebellion broke out on 22 December 1930, taking the immediate form of attacks on police stations and governmental buildings. It ended in August 1931 with the capture of the nationalists’ leader, physician and former monk Saya San. Awarded the India General Service Medal and confirmed as entitled to the Silver Jubilee and Coronation Medals, Morris was decorated with the C.M.G. in 1941 as Inspector General of Police, Burma, and is later recorded in the Civil List for Burma (1 September 1942) as ‘on leave preparatory to retirement’. Relocating to Bournemouth, Morris died on 28 May 1959.

The 4 x medals mounted as-worn in the swing-style, the medals suspended from their original silk ribands attached to a local white metal medal mounting bar, this latter retaining its loop fittings

Important: The recipient was possibly the most senior Burma Police Officer to direct police operations during the 'Tharrawaddy Rebellion 1930-32' - and was the Officer who authored the Official Government Report on the 'Tharrawaddy Rebellion'. The IGS 1908 medal named to Deputy Inspector General being excessively rare, if not unique. Interestingly, every award the recipient received was for exclusive service in Burma - a remarkable achievement

An important, rare and desirable Burma group

Sold with a quantity of photocopied copied research

Condition: The group mostly about EF

Code: 23845