Beheaded Hong Kong prisoner of war hero’s George Cross bravery medal set to fetch HK$1.5 million at London auction
John Alexander Fraser was tortured and killed in a Stanley prisoner-of-war camp under the Japanese occupation, after serving as defence secretary and assistant attorney general in the colonial government. His medal is being placed under the hammer by his grandchildren
A top medal for bravery awarded posthumously to a hero of the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong who was beheaded for plotting an escape from a Stanley prisoner-of-war camp is to be sold at a London auction later this month and could fetch up to HK$1.5 million.
The George Cross, the highest honour awarded to soldiers in a non-combat situation, has been placed under the hammer by John Alexander Fraser’s grandchildren.
Among potential buyers are British billionaire Michael Ashcroft, a top donor and prominent supporter of the country’s Conservative Party and a philanthropist and backer of armed forces personnel and military veterans.
“Jock Fraser”, as he was better known to friends, served in Hong Kong’s colonial government as defence secretary and assistant attorney general. The Scotsman was among 33 people beheaded by the Japanese in 1943. He was accused of planning an escape and maintaining communications with allied forces. He was 47 years old.
Fraser’s award sits among 161 recipients of the George Cross since the honour was instituted in 1940, of which 86 have been posthumously awarded. Recipients of other similar awards which have since been phased out, including the Albert and Edward medals, have exchange these for a George Cross in recent decades, bringing the total number to 410.