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Hello All. Just thought I would update on this topic.

Decided to search again on the internet to see if any new information had come up and found that on the 14 May 2025 Reginald Danbury Davies medals were put up for auction and sold. Unfortunately, I missed the auction given it was in London and honestly thought the medals were no longer in existence so wasn't really looking out for them. A shame as, I would have loved to have bought them for my elderly father who is his only surviving grand nephew.

From the medal descriptions it would seem that he was indeed in the 2nd Devon's and with the rank of Lance-sergeant and is also the same person shown in the QSA records posted in this topic (No. 5342). As to the difference in the record and the medal claps, the supposed desertion, and what not, I cant explain (perhaps some more knowledgeable persons here can shed some light) and I take it the other records of his service and medals have been lost. Interestingly, there is no OBE which was mentioned in numerous newspaper articles, and his obituary, though I have never been able to find evidence of an OBE award or his supposed Legion of Honour.

From the auction entry found here: https://www.noonans.co.uk/auctions/archive/past-catalogues/793/catalogue/989327/?offset=320

Victory Medal 1914-19, with copy M.I.D. oak leaves (Lt. Col. R. D. Davies.) mounted court-style for display purposes alongside a representation of his full entitlement, viz. Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., with two Additional Award Bars, and integral top riband bar, this a good Museum-quality copy; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 5 clasps, Tugela Heights, Orange Free State, Relief of Ladysmith, Laing’s Nek, Belfast (5342 L/Sgt. R. D. Davies. 2nd. Devon. R.) renamed; King’s South Africa 1901-02, 1 clasp, South Africa 1901 [sic] (5342 L/Sgt. R. D. Davies. 2nd. Devon. R.) renamed; British War Medal 1914-20, erased; Coronation 1902, bronze, unnamed as issued.

Does anyone have any advice as to whether it is possible to contact the auction house for purchaser details in an effort to try and buy the medals, or is this usually not advisable/possible?

Drayke, by all means contact Noonans. I bought last year something on auction and was contacted by them with the request whether I was prepared to let it go (they offred a higher price than hammer) to someone who had been unaware that the item had been offered for sale. So it is not uncommon. Everhard

Thanks for that Everhard. I sent an email through to the auctioneer to see if something would be possible.

Out of curiosity, what would be the reason for the listing to show re-named and erased on the medals. Does this mean a forgery or can it be a more official reason. Additionally, the medal set seems to be different to those on him in the photos posted in my first post with what seems to be a missing medal.

Drayke, I am not a medal man and there are plenty other members of this site who are better equipped to answer your query. Nonetheless I can imagine various reasons for erasing/replacing a name: Saving the embarrassment of being seen selling off family heritage, making a stolen medal saleable, correcting a spelling error, an effort to erase the memory of an ancestor for one reason or other or completing a set that was broken up to give aunt Matilda her due share of the inheritance and where Matilda turned the original into a brooch which she then lost while fly-fishing in the Zambesi river.

Thanks for the response Everhard.

I will await to see if any other members have any info on the issue.