Description
Highly interesting Great War Gallantry medal group. Major John James Munro served on multiple war fronts and, furthermore, was a renowned and well published academic and scholar and Shakespeare expert. Military Cross Citation reads – Exceptionally good work in connection with the maintenance of communication during the Gaza operations in March and April 1917 and consistently good work throughout.
His Medal Index Card records his initial theatre of war as Gallipoli with further reference to Alexandria Egypt which links to his later career, OBE and the Egyptian Cartouche Miniature. His M.C. is also noted on the MIC.
He was Deputy Inspector-General of Telegraphs, Egyptian Government in 1927 (n.b the Egyptian Miniature Cartouche mentioned below). His OBE was confirmed in the London Gazette 3rd June 1927 (pp3615) as follows: Major John James Munro, Deputy Inspector General of Telegraphs, Egyptian Government.
His Obituary – source – “Major John Munro,” The Times (London), October 30, 1956
John James Munro was born in England in 1883 and graduated from Christ Church, Oxford in 1913.
During World War I he served in the Royal Corps of Signals in Gallipoli and Palestine and was awarded
the Military Cross. After the war he worked in the telephone and telegraph industry in Egypt and then
in London. Munro resumed his literary work on Shakespeare following his retirement in the 1940s. He
authored and edited multiple works on Shakespeare and wrote a biography of Frederick James Furnivall,
the second editor of the Oxford English Dictionary. Munro died in London in 1956 at age 73.
This fine medal group consists of the OBE (gilt version) (Civilian), Military Cross, 1914/15 Star named to 2nd LIEUT. J. J. MUNRO. R. E. British War Medal, Victory Medal pair named to: MAJOR J. J. MUNRO, swing mounted. The group also comes with an Egyptian decoration miniature.
The rare Egyptian miniature cartouche, made by Elkington, carries the French text on the reverse as follows: INSTITUT INTERNATIONAL DE STATISTIQUE XVII SESSION DE CAIRE MCMXXVII (Cairo 1927) 
Of interest to the researcher further information is available on-line regarding correspondence of John James Munro at the Archives and Manuscripts Department – John J. Burns Library, Boston College, USA –
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