The Second World War and later group of six medals awarded to Lt-Col John White Balfour, King's Own Scottish Borderers and King's African Rifles. 1939-45 Star, Africa Star, Burma Star, Defence Medal, 1939-45 War Medal mounted to bar; and an Africa General Service Medal with 'Kenya' Clasp, awarded to '1 J. W. BALFOUR', with matching miniatures mounted to bar.

Lt-Col John White Balfour (born 28th May 1906 - died January 1996) was a career service soldier who fought with the King's Own Scottish Borderers during the Second World War. He then transferred to the King's African Rifles to fight in the Madagascar campaign and took an Italian surrender on the Kenya/Ethiopia border.

After the war, Balfour joined the Colonial Service in Kenya and on 22nd March 1959, was made District Commissioner of Lamu District, Coast Province. A Calgary Times newspaper article dated 14th March 1963 refers to an injury he sustained in a skirmish: 'A District Commissioner was speared in the arm Wednesday in a clash between a police riot squad and 200 tribesmen in Kenya's tense northern frontier district, police reported. Police said Commissioner Lt-Col J.W. Balfour, 56, was not seriously injured." The spear was thrown by a Somali who was agitating for an independent Somaliland. Balfour was the District Commissioner at Moyale, Northern Kenya at the time and remained in Kenya until its independence.

Provenance: Family descent.