Impressive and Large Uniform and Headdress Collection of Major Thomas Vivian Upton M.B.E, Royal West Kent Regiment, Formerly Indian Army Garhwal Rifles, Awarded the MBE For Service in the Malyan Crisis, uniforms consist of his wartime four pocket officers service dress tunic with bronze OSD regimental collar badges, regimental buttons, medal ribbons for MBE, WW2 service in Italy and General Service medal; 2x officers post WW2 period battle dress blouses complete with the original insignia; officers wool greatcoat; officers regimental mess dress; White mess tunic and blue four pocket patrol tunic. The headdress in the grouping consists of two ‘Bombay Bowler’ type foreign service helmets from his time in the Indian army, Garhwal rifles green field service cap, officers dress cap with silvered (not able to remove to check for hallmarks) cap badge, officers khaki service dress peaked cap with bronze OSD badge, military college pill box hat, Malayan service jungle warfare headdress, boxed officers service dress peaked cap, plus other items of accoutrements. eing sold by order of the family of Major Upton.amily have provided the following information: born in Cairo in 1920. His father was serving with the 11th Hussars in Egypt at the time. The family returned to UK c.1926 and following his schooling he was admitted to Sandhurst. What should have been a 2-year course there was shortened due to imminent war. He chose to join the British Army in India and sailed from Tilbury. He completed his Sandhurst course in India. He then went to North Africa and from there served in various theatres of war with the Garhwal Rifles until joining the Royal West Kent Regt. with whom he was deployed to Italy. He fought at the battle of Monte Cassino and then fought in various battles all the way up to Northern Italy. His subsequent service included the Malayan Emergency (where he was awarded his MBE), Greece, Suez and Cyprus. He retired from the Army in 1958 and after various civilian jobs, worked as a retired officer with the MOD. He died in 2010.BE London Gazette 30th October 1953. Recommendation for the award, ‘This officer arrived in Malaya with the battalion in 1951 in command of D company which he has continued to command for 2 ½ years. During this long period his company has had the greatest number of kills of all companies in the battalion. The credit for this is due almost entirely to Major Upton himself who has directed his company throughout with outstanding efficiency, enthusiasm and determination. His planning of operations has been of the highest order and he has successfully trained his subordinates from the immense experience of jungle fighting that he has completed with the result that his company has the reputation of being the best anti-bandit company in the battalion. On platoon operations that promise to be sticky Major Upton invariably goes out himself and it is impossible to estimate the number of patrols and ambushes he has personally commanded. Of the 22 kills made by his company Major Upton was in personal command at 6 of them. In particular he planned and organised the operation on the SUNGAI RENING estate in February 1953 where of 3 bandits sighted, one was killed, one died later of wounds and one was captured. Information taken from the captured bandit led directly to 6 further kills by the battalion within a fortnight. Major Upton’s firm, yet sympathetic leadership, combined with his personal enthusiasm for jungle fighting, has continuously inspired his company throughout the long period he has commanded it.’