LONDON.- Spink announced November’s auction of Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals and Militaria taking place in London on the 20th. Within this sale are three incredible pieces that have both intriguing and exciting stories. These superb items are sure to make the auction charged with expectation.

First among these rare and exciting items is lot 69, a 1972 'Foreign Service' O.B.E., 1944 Special Operations Executive (SOE) Saboteur's M.M. Group of Ten to Captain L.P. Fernandez. Fernandez himself performed incredible feats and trained countless agents, before parachuting in to join Major Francis Cammaerts' Jockey Circuit in occupied France. Working with the Maquis and Italian partisans during the summer of 1944, Fernandez executed a series of crippling operations on the Germans. After the war he was engaged by the Foreign Service for intelligence work throughout Africa and the Middle East.

Not only are his direct military actions worthy of note, but he also had a great hand in shaping the career of one of the most interesting women of the Second World War, Violette Szabó, G.C. Fernandez believed that ‘they had great mental stamina and excelled at slipping into a role and “living” a cover story’. Indeed, Szabó carried out a series of successful missions in 1944 before she was captured by the Germans and tortured and executed by the Gestapo. After the war she was posthumously awarded the George Cross. In 1958 Fernandez was employed as a Military Advisor for the film Carve Her Name With Pride In which Virginia McKenna portrayed Violette Szabó. Amongst the crash course in SOE tactics, Fernandez taught the actress how to fire a Sten gun. Lot 69, estimated: £20,000 – 30,000

Hot on Fernandez’ heels is lot 72, a Scarce Second War Fighter Ace's 1943 D.F.C., 1942 ' Immediate' D.F.M. Combination Group of Nine to spitfire pilot, Warrant Officer, Later Flight Lieutenant, H.W. 'Chas' Charnock, Royal Air Force. He was an exceedingly good pilot, and even a Desert Ace; having shot down five enemy aircraft over North Africa. During one incident, Charnock single-handedly engaged 30 enemy aircrafts and took two of them down. However in this incedent, Charnock did eventually succumb to the overwhelming numbers and was shot down. He came down, scalded with oil on his head and arms, got out of his burning aircraft and managed to persuade a hostile Arab to guide him the 11 miles back to safety. Charnock had lost nearly 4 pints of blood during his ordeal; however, he still managed to convince a Medical Officer that he was physically capable of an almost immediate return to opperational flying. Within 13 days he was back in the cockpit, yet Charnock had to tie his hand to the throttle before every take off due to his still-healing injuries. Finally the truth was established - but not before he had accounted for a 'One-Handed' victory by shooting down another Me. 109 (Messerschmitt Bf 109, commonly called the Me 109, is a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid-1930s). Eventually he was forced to take time off for his injuries. Lot 72, estimated: £15,000 – 20,000

Concluding this trio of high-value lots is lot 116, the historically important Army Large Gold Medal to Lieutenant General Sir George Prevost, a man who dedicated thirty four of his forty eight years to the British Army. He was most well-known as 'The Defender of Canada' – a title he gained during his position as The Governor General and Commander in Chief of British North America, 1811-1815. As the Commander in Chief of British North America, Prevost bore a very heavy weight of responsibility. For the first two years of war, his objective was “to hold the line” and he held it well and was inextricably linked to almost every major action of the war of 1812. He was accredited with holding '… after the Duke of Wellington... one of the most important commands in the British Empire during the Napoleonic Period... Sir George Prevost became responsible for defending a group of North American Colonies that stretched as far as Paris did from Moscow. He also came to eventually command one of the largest overseas forces employed by the British during the Napoleonic Wars'. Lot 116, estimated: £35,000 – 45,000.