Ordinary Commander of the Civil Division of the Order of the British Empire, C.B.E.; 1914-15 Star (732 PTE. B.D. WHITEAKER. R.WAR.R.); British War Medal (732 PTE. B.D. WHITEAKER. R.WAR.R.); Victory Medal (732 PTE. B.D. WHITEAKER. R.WAR.R.) sold with corresponding WWI miniature medals, a cased medallion from The Western College Harrogate engraved to B.D. WHITEAKER FOR CONDUCT 1907, along with a Queen Mary Christmas 1914 tin containing pips and assorted civilian badges. Together with the original warrant for the C.B.E.
Brian Dutton Whiteaker was born in Manchester on 4 August 1894. He served with various battalions of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment in WWI, being sent to France on 21.11.1915. He was Wounded in Action on 25 June 1918 and was discharged to the Reserve in 1919. But it was in civilian life that hen was to make his indelible mark - as a Newspaperman, Journalist and Editor of a number of publications, for which he was awarded the CBE in the New Year Honours LG of 1962 as the former Editor of the Wolverhampton Express and Star.
According to the 1939 Register he was the Editor of an evening newspaper living in Windmill Lane, Wolverhampton, Tettenhall, Staffordshire.
An obituary which appeared in the Express and Star of October 4, 1978 recounted his life's work and contribution to society at large:
"Mr Brian D Whitaker, editor of the Express and Star for 23 years until his retirement in 1960, died suddenly yesterday, aged 84. Mr Whiteaker succeeded the late Mr Whittick as editor in December 1937. Born in Manchester, Mr Whiteaker was educated at Harrogate and at Woodhouse Grove School, near Bradford. His first journalistic post was with the now defunct Harrogate and Claro Times. He came to the West Midlands in 1912 as a junior reporter on the County Advertiser. He served with the 3rd Birmingham City Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment in the first world war and was severely wounded in the Somme battle and gassed near Mieville in 1918. After the war Mr Whiteaker joined the Dudley Chronicle, and moved in August 1919 to the Express and Star.
Before his appointment as editor he served as reporter, temporary sub-editor, leader writer, special commissioner, writing over the initials U.U., and for nine years, news editor. He was also art critic. He was a director of The Midland News Association, publishers of the Express and Star, from 1956 to 1962. He had been president of the Guild of British Newspaper Editors and chairman of the county committee of the Staffordshire Society. He was keenly interested in art and was a member and exhibitor of the Wolverhampton Society of Artists. He leaves a widow."
Sold with some research. Medals are in good condition unless otherwise indicated.
