An India-born 'Son of Empire' & Civil Servant's Indian Volunteers group of 3: Major Frederick Edward Lowe, M.B.E., V.D., Naini Tal Volunteer Rifles (A.F.I.)

- Member of the Order of the British Empire (Civil). M.B.E. h/m London 1918 with mounting pin)
- Delhi Durbar Medal 1911. Silver issue
- Indian Volunteer Forces Officers Decoration. GV & top bar (Capt F.E. Lowe Nainital Voltr. Rfls.)

Both M.B.E. & I.V.D. fitted with their original silk ribands, and silver mounting brooch bar on M.B.E. and the silver integral top bar on the I.V.D., the mounting bars complete with reverse hinged pin & clasp fittings as issued

Sold together with:

- Original case of issue for M.B.E., with Garrard's makers London & Calcutta address on silk panel
- Original case of issue for Indian V.D..This with Jenkin's & Sons makers address on inside panel

Reference the standard reference book on the Indian Volunteer Officers Decoration, vide 'The Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration. The Indian Volunteer Forces Officers' Decoration' (John M. A. Tamplin, Spink, London, 1981) only an estimated 879 +/- GV Indian Volunteer Officer's Decorations awarded 1911 -1934

Medals Verification: All medals verified as entitled. Frederick Lowe had earlier been awarded a GV issue Volunteer Long Service Medal (India & Colonies issue) - which medal per regulations could no longer be worn in uniform concurrently with the IVD, if a recipient subsequently was decorated with an Indian Volunteer Forces Decoration'. The official medal roll and official published sources are:

- MBE (Civil). London Gazette 30/12/1919 General Registrar, Civil .Secretariat, United Provinces.
- Delhi Durbar Medal 1911. Silver: WO 100/400 per Government of India Railway Department
- Indian Volunteer Forces Officers Decoration. GV issue: Gazette of India 5 June 1915
- Volunteer Long Service Medal (India & Colonies). ED VII issue: Gazette of India 556 of 1907 

Note: The London Gazette M.B.E. publication notice shows recipients surname as Low (sic) - the correct surname being Lowe
 
Frederick Lowe's earlier award of the EDVII issue VLSM was - from June 1915 - was no longer permitted to be worn in uniform by the recipient, this by order of  'Army Regulations, India, Volume IX - Regulations for the Volunteer Force' (1909) specifically stated:

Quote,

An officer in possession of the Volunteer Long Service Medal may retain it, when  awarded the Volunteer Officer's Decoration, but will not be allowed to wear it.

Unquote. 

Frederick Edward Lowe, only child of Thomas Lowe (a native of London, Middlesex, England, who joined the Bengal Presidency Army of the Honourable East India Company on, 3 June 1853, and was posted to the 'Artillery' in which corps he held the regimental number 5063, became Staff Sergeant 1st Company 5th Battn Artillery, and invalided to Chunar per GOCC 26 Oct 1859. Joined Invalid Battn 8 Dec 1859) and Mary Lowe (nee Holton), was born at Chunar Cantonment, in Mirzapur District, Uttar Pradesh, India on 1 September 1868, and where he was baptised, on, 9 September 1868. Frederick accepted an appointment as a Civil Servant, and by 1907, was employed in Allahabad - capital of the United Provinces of Agra & Oudh  - where he held the position of as a 'Registrar' at the Secretariat of the United Provinces. On, 11 January 1909, Frederick (40) married Lilian Elizabeth Madden  (21) at, St. Joseph's Cathedral, Allahabad, India, 18 September 1898 

On retiring from his appointment with the Indian Civil Service, Frederick Edward Lowe and family relocated to the United Kingdom sometime in the 1920's, where in retirement the Lowe's settled in London, England. At the time of the compilation of the 1939 National Register for England & Wales, Frederick is recorded therein residing with his wife, and their 2 x daughters, Maureen Lowe (born India 1912) & Patricia Joan Lowe (born India, 1913) at their house  located at, 66 Ederline Avenue, Norbury, London, England, with Frederick shown described as 'Civil Service Retired'. Frederick Edward Lowe M.B.E., V.D., is recorded to have died at his aforementioned Norbury, residence address on, 4 July 1945

Naini Tal Volunteer Rifles: The origins of the Naini Tal Volunteer Rifles dates back to the raising of the unit in 1871. Naini Tal, was a hill station located in the Kumaon Division of the United Provinces of British India. In 1909 a mounted company was amalgamated with the Dehra Dun Mounted Rifles to form the United Provinces Horse Northern Regiment. The Naini Tal Volunteer Rifles became the 10th Naini Tal Company in 1917 (of the India Defence Force) and was restyled the Naini Tal Rifles in 1920, in which year the Auxiliary Force India, or A.F.I. was established. In 1925 the unit was amalgamated with the United Provinces Horse Northern Regiment to become The Bareilly Contingent. The Bareilly Contingent was stood-down with the disbandment of the Auxiliary Force India on the eve of Indian independence on, 14 August 1947

A Famous Naini Tal Volunteer Rifles Volunteer: By far the most famous, and well known, members of the Naini Tal Volunteer Rifles (and later Bareilly Contingent), was the legendary Eurasian crack-shot, Tiger-hunter, turned author and conservationist, 'Jim Corbett' (1875-1955) - see his best selling books 'Man-Eaters of Kumaon'  (1944), who as a school cadet was affiliated to the unit at age of just 10 years. He learned to shoot using a .450 Martini carbine provided by the unit. Years later, Jim later served variously as a volunteer member of the Naini Tal Volunteer Rifles / and the descendent Bareilly Contingent (Jim Corbett was awarded his VSLM Army Order 245 of 1925, and IVD per Gazette of India 6 August 1927 - as an Officer he had been appointed to the Naini Tal Rifles on 1 October 1920). Considering the many years Frederick Lowe, served with the Naini Tal Volunteer Rifles, and lived & worked in Naini Tal & the Kumaon district, Frederick Lowe would almost certainly have known 'Jim' Corbett 

A very scarce seen medal group to an Officer of the Naini Tal Volunteer Rifles (A.F.I.)

The MBE & IVD never mounted, and virtually in pristine condition, the IVD with brilliant bright gilding

Cases of issue with wear & scuffs a/f

Condition: Medals mostly about EF

Code: 26037