New Zealand 1845-66, reverse undated (1329 Sergt. H. Hitchins, A.H. Corps.) officially engraved naming, nearly very fine £300-350 Sergeant Henry Hitchins is confirmed on the medal roll of Army Hospital Corps. Of the approximate 60 medals issued to this Corps, as few as 6 are known to have been on the market. The Army Hospital Corps was sent to New Zealand in 1861 and detachments based at Auckland were then seconded to Infantry Regiments. It also manned the Military Hospitals established at Auckland, New Plymouth, Napier, and Wanganui, as well as smaller facilities at the front, for example at Tauranga, after Gate Pa. The New Zealand Wars were the first conflicts where the wounded from various regiments were treated at one facility. Prior to this, soldiers were cared for by their own regiment's medical personnel. The last of the Corps left New Zealand in 1870. £300-£350
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Pair: Sergeant C. T. Benzoni, Army Hospital Corps, later Acting Under-Secretary for Public Works at Wellington china 1857-60, 2 clasps, Canton 1857, Taku Forts 1860 (Ordy. Chas. Thos. Benzoni, Medical Staff Corps) officially impressed naming, the clasps neatly soldered together; New Zealand 1845-66, reverse undated (-ergt. Charles Benzoni, Army Hospital Corps) officially impressed naming, first letter of ‘Sergt.’ obscured by suspension claw, the edge a little rubbed but as issued, both medals contained in their original named card boxes of issue together with War Office registered packet for the second, this addressed to the recipient ‘Care of Colonel Gorton, Inspector of Stores Office, Wellington, New Zealand’, the packet creased and the boxes with some damage, otherwise toned, extremely fine (2) £1000-1200 ‘Few Public Servants past or present can have lived the varied and exciting life of Charles Thomas Benzoni. Born in London in 1835, he was educated at a private school in St. Albans, Hertfordshire. For a time he worked with T. and T. Gates, Bat a d'or et Fabricants, de Baudruche Anglaise, in London. Later he entered the Imperial Service during the Crimean War, and was attached to the Army Medical Department. After that he was a member of Lord Elgin's expedition to China, but was wrecked in the H.M.S. Transit in the Straits of Sunda. Eventually the force was diverted to the Bengal Presidency, consequent on the Indian Mutiny. Benzoni was subsequently employed in China on gun-boat duties on the Canton River. Later he was present at the destruction of the forts at Taku, in the Gulf of Pi-tchi-li. Returning to England he studied in the General Surgery at Aldershot. He volunteered and proceeded to Canada with the Guards and Rifle Brigade. After returning to England he was sent to New Zealand and served with Lieutenant-General Cameron's force in the Waikato campaign. Later he followed mining and journalistic pursuits in Auckland until 1870, when he was appointed Field Quartermaster in the expedition against Te Kooiti in the Patatere district. on 20 January 1870 he commenced duty as Officer in Charge of Stores, Auckland and on 17 October following he became Chief Clerk, Stores Department, Wellington. A leading article in the Evening Post of 27 March 1873 contained rather trenchant criticism of his action in keeping notes about the conduct of one of his officers, the subject of an inquiry. in the latter part of 1872 when immigration activities were handed over from the Public Works to the Crown Lands Department, the first Chief Clerk of the Department, H. J. H. Elliot, was also transferred. On 10 March 1873, Mr Benzoni took up his position. On 22 March 1879, he was promoted to Assistant-Undersecretary. John Knowles, the First Under-Secretary, retired on 31 March 1883, and Benzoni became Acting Under-Secretary. Later that year C. Y. O'Connor, an Inspecting Engineer, who was deputy to W. N. Blair, Engineer-in-Charge of the South Island, was appointed Under-Secretary. In December 1884, Benzoni applied for 6 months leave of absence which was granted from 1 January, but on 5 February he acknowledged a letter dispensing with his services after expiration of his leave of absence. in September 1885 Benzoni was elected a member of the Wellington City Council but resigned in April 1887. The same year he was appointed Clerk of the Friendly Societies' Registry Office and in 1892 he became Deputy-Registrar of the Friendly Societies.’ Ref: By Design, Rosslyn J. Noonan, p. 280, ‘Some Early Public Works Personalities’. £1000-£1200
The mounted group of seven miniature dress medals attributed to Lieutenant-Colonel M. W. R. de Courcy, Indian Army, 34th Baron Kingsale and Premier Baron of Ireland distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., gold and enamel, complete with top bar; Tibet 1903-04, no clasp; India General Service 1908-35, 3 clasps, Abor 1911-12, Afghanistan N.W.F. 1919, Waziristan 1921-24; British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf; Delhi Durbar 1911, silver; Serbia, Order of the White Eagle, 5th Class badge with swords, silver, gold and enamel, mounted court style as worn, in Spink, London leather case, second fine, others very fine and better (7) £300-350 Michael William Robert de Courcy was born on 26 September 1882, the eldest son of Michael Constantine de Courcy, the 33rd Baron Kingsale (created 1223) and Baron of Ringrone. He was educated at Dulwich College; Kelly College, Tavistock, and Sandhurst. In the latter he passed out first and was awarded the King’s Medal and the Anson Memorial Sword. He was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Connaught Rangers in October 1902. Transferring to the Indian Army in August 1904 and serving with the 32nd Sikh Pioneers, he was promoted to Lieutenant in January 1905; Captain in October 1911 and Major in October 1917. He served in the latter part of the Tibet Expedition, 1904, then in the Abor Expedition, 1911-12, for which he was mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 16 July 1912). Serving during the Great War, 1915-18, he was Brigade-Major of the 6th Infantry Brigade in Mesopotamia. For his services he was three times mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 19 October 1916, 14 November 1916 and 15 August 1917) and awarded the D.S.O. (London Gazette 25 August 1917) and the Serbian Order of the White Eagle, 5th Class with swords. Major de Courcy then served in the Marri Operations for which he was mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 18 May 1920), the Afghan War of 1919 for which he was again mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 3 August 1920), and the Waziristan Campaign of 1921-24. In 1922 he was appointed D.A.Q.M.G. Eastern Command, India. He retired from the Indian Army as a Lieutenant-Colonel in 1931 and in the same year succeeded his father as the 34th Baron (by some reckonings 29th Baron) Kingsale, Baron of Ringrone and the Premier Baron of Ireland. Baron Kingsale died on 21 October 1965 and was succeeded by his only surviving grandson, John. Sold with some copied research. £300-£350
Waterloo 1815 (Thomas Morris, 2nd Battn. 73rd Regnt. Foot) naming re-engraved in contemporary large capitals, with replacement silver ball mount and straight bar suspension, some edge bruising and contact marks, nearly very fine £400-500 Private Thomas Morris was born at St. George’s, Middlesex, on 15 August 1795. A Gunmaker by occupation, he joined the Loyal Volunteers of St. George, Middlesex on 11 May 1812. He enlisted into the 2nd Battalion 73rd Foot at Colchester on 29 May 1813. In the Waterloo Campaign he served with No.6 (Grenadier) Company and was slightly wounded in the left cheek and right arm in the battle. Promoted to Corporal on 17 October 1815, he was transferred to the 1st Battalion on 4 May 1817. Remaining with the Depot Company in Britain, he was discharged on 20 November 1818. Although discharged without a pension, he was later granted 6d/day from 27 March 1860. he was the author of Recollections of Military Service in 1813-14-15. This, a minor classic, was first published in 1845 and later appeared in a number of successively expanded editions. He writes of the occasion he was wounded: ‘Our situation now was truly awful; our men were falling by the dozens every fire. About this time, also, a large shell fell just in front of us, and while the fuse was burning out, we were wondering how many of us it would destroy. When it burst, about seventeen men were either killed or wounded by it; the portion which came to my share, was a piece of rough cast-iron, about the size of a horse bean, which took up its lodging in my left cheek; the blood ran copiously down inside my clothes, and made me rather uncomfortable.’ sold with a 1967 edition of his Recollections of Military Service, edited by John Selby. £400-£500
Army of India 1799-1826, 1 clasp, Ava (Lieut. G. Casswell), short hyphen reverse, officially impressed naming, minor edge bruising and contact marks, very fine £1400-1800 Commander George Caswell entered the Royal Navy in 1808 as a Second Class Volunteer on board H.M.S Parthian, and that same year fought his first action when his ship engaged three men of war. He assisted at the capture of the noted privateer La Nouvelle Gironde, 5th May 1809, and was employed subsequently at the bombardment of Flushing. Appointed Midshipman 1810, he transferred to H.M.S. Christian VII and then to H.M.S. Caledonia in which he served until September 1814, during the latter period he took part in two engagements with the French fleet off Toulon, 5th November 1813 and 13th February 1814, also serving on shore at the reduction of Genoa. Caswell was promoted Lieutenant in 1815 and, then serving in H.M.S. Minstrel, he returned home in her, and was paid off in December of that year; he was appointed First Lieutenant of H.M.S. Champion in December 1824, serving in her during the Burmese War. He attained the rank of Commander in 1846. Sold with copied research. £1400-£1800
China 1842 (P. A. Helpman, Lieut. H.M.S. Columbine), with replacement silver mount and contemporary gold swivel straight bar suspension, with gold buckle and brooch bar, edge bruising, very fine £750-850 Philip Augustus Helpman entered the Royal Navy on 19 July 1821; passed his examination in 1828 and obtained his first commission on 26 March 1839, following service aboard the gig Fair Rosamund and an attack on a pirate brig off Benin. On 3 January 1840 he became an Additional- Lieutenant of the Wellesley, on the East India Station; and on 19 Jan. 1841, was there appointed to the Columbine. He served in the China campaign, where, besides sharing in the actions of May 1841 against Canton, he served on shore in those of March 1842 against Tsekee, and further participated in the attack of 16 June on the batteries at Woosung. For his services in the campaign Helpman was advanced to the rank of Commander on 23 December 1842. On 20 Feb. 1846 he was appointed Coast Guard Inspecting Commander at Sunderland and placed on Retired Pay on 5 February 1858. king John VI of Portugal's Jewel: Portrait Badges Awarded to Officers of H.M. Ships Windsor Castle and Lively for a 'Nasty Occurrence'. Ref K. Douglas-Morris Naval Medals 1793-1856, p. 209 records the names and ranks of all officers aboard H.M. Ships Windsor Castle and Lively on 13 May 1824, and therefore probable recipients of King John VI of Portugal's 'Portrait Badges'. Philip Helpman is shown as Midshipman on the Windsor Castle with a footnote for his entitlement to the China Medal 1842. Whilst the Portuguese Jewel is not known to Helpman, other ‘Portrait Badges’ are known to other Midshipmen on the Windsor Castle and it is therefore possible that Helpman also received one. Sold with copied research. £750-£850
Sir Harry Smith’s Medal for Gallantry 1851 (Henry Evans, C.M.R.) fitted with silver clip and bar suspension, good very fine, very rare and one of the finest named examples recorded £6000-8000 First recorded for sale by Debenhams in July 1898, and in the Day Collection, Sotheby 1913. when the Eighth Kaffir War started in December 1850, Sir Harry Smith was Governor and Commander-in-Chief at the Cape. Early in the campaign he was blockaded in Fort Cox, inland from Kingwilliamstown, by Gaikas under Chief Sandilli. Attempts to relieve the Fort were unsuccessful and the future of the beleaguered garrison appeared none too rosy. But there were wider issues than the survival of the garrison itself. The war had just started, and the fact that the Governor was being cooped up by 'the uncivilised Kaffirs' was adversely affecting the Colony's morale and could only result in the defection of additional tribes. Sir Harry therefore decided to make a break for it, and, escorted by about 250 men of the Cape Mounted Riflemen (a unit which at that time was predominantly Cape Coloured), succeeded in getting through the Kaffir lines, and reached Kingwilliamstown in safety. The story goes that he was so impressed by the showing of the C. M. R. on this side, and by other feats of the Cape Colonial troops during the campaign, that before he was replaced by Sir George Cathcart in April, 1852, he decided to show his high regard for the men under his command by awarding a special medal. £6000-£8000
Abyssinia 1867 (W. Canham, O.S., H.M.S. Dryad) suspension refixed, good very fine £800-1000 William Canham is confirmed as one of the 100 officers and men of the Royal Navy who served ashore with the Naval Rocket Brigade which included 10 men from H.M.S. Dryad. The Rocket Brigade was formed under Commander T. H. B. Fellowes, H.M.S. Dryad and was engaged at the battle of Arogee, and at the taking of Magdala. the battle on Arogee plateau, beneath the rising rock mass leading through Fahla to the fortress of Magdala, took place on 10 April 1868. The First Brigade approached this plain by two steep routes, with the 4th Regiment committed to a most difficult perpendicular track, and the Rocket Brigade and baggage train allowed the easier but still precipitous King’s Road. Unfortunately the wrong column arrived first, to come under artillery fire from the heights of Fala, and to the sight of thousands of would-be plunderers rushing down from the rocky slopes across the plateau. The Commander-in-Chief was on the spot to see this scene, and promptly directed the Rocket Brigade to form up on a commanding position, dismount their batteries and open fire on the enemy. Commander Fellowes later reported that: ‘Such was the ease with which the rocket tubes could be handled and brought into action, that the Royal Naval Brigade were enabled to return the first shot..’. £800-£1000
South Africa 1877-79, 1 clasp, 1879 (Lieut. C. H. B. William, Oxford Mil.) very fine and probably unique to this regiment £800-1000 Lieutenant Charles Henry Bennett Williams was attached to the 94th Foot in South Africa and appears on the medal roll for that regiment (as ‘William’ not ‘Williams’). he was the 5th son of Sir Hugh Williams, Bart., of Knowlton Hall, Ellesmere, and was appointed Sub-Lieutenant in the Oxford Militia in 1874, becoming Lieutenant in 1876. He was seconded in 1879 for service in South Africa, first with Lonsdale’s Horse and subsequently with the 94th Foot. He served in the Zulu war and operations with Sekukuni and the storming of his stronghold. He became a Captain in 1884, Hon. Major in 1889 and resigned his commission in 1895. £800-£1000
Afghanistan 1878-80, no clasp (Lt. H. W. Seymour, 16th Bo. N.I.), mounted as worn, nearly extremly fine £250-300 Henry William Seymour was born on 7 March 1857. First commissioned with the 68th Foot in September 1875, he was appointed a Lieutenant in the Bombay Staff Corps in October 1878 and promoted to Captain in September 1886 and Major in September 1895. He served in the Afghan War during 1880 as A.D.C. to Major-General Sir R. Phayre; was present at the defence of Kuch and was slightly wounded on 16 August 1880 (the published medal roll lists him as killed). Despite this, he later served in the Sudan Expedition and was awarded the medal with clasp for Suakin 1885. Sold with some copied service details. £250-£300
East and West Africa 1887-1900, 2 clasps, Witu 1890, Gambia 1894 (T. V. Brough, Lg. Smn., H.M.S. Boadicea) fine scratch on ‘Queen’s’ cheek, very fine £340-380 Ex Douglas-Morris Collection, DNW October 1996. born in West Derby, Lancashire, on 10 December 1865, George Brough first entered as a Boy 2nd Class aboard H.M.S. Boscawen on 1 January 1881, and was advanced to Boy 1st Class during February 1882. He then served aboard H.M. Ships Garnet, 1882-86, where he was advanced to Ordinary Seaman in December 1883 and to Able Seaman during June 1884; Excellent, 1886-88; Boadicea, 24 April 1888 to 23 June 1891, where he was made a Leading Seaman in March 1889 and earned the first of his African awards; Satellite, 9 January 1894 to 6 August 1897, where he was made a Petty Officer 2nd Class in 1894. He reverted to Leading Seaman in 1895, finishing up as an Able Seaman in April 1896, Excellent, 1898-99 and Majestic, 1899-1901, from which vessel he was invalided from the service on 4 January 1901. On four occasions he lost one Good Conduct Badge and three times was sentenced to serve time in the Cells, hence not eligible for a L.S. & G.C. Medal. Only 5 medals with this combination to the ship. £340-£380
The B.S.A. Co. Medal to Trooper F. L. Vogel, Salisbury Horse, formerly Assistant Secretary to Dr. L. S. Jameson and a member of Major Wilson’s heroic patrol, killed in action at Shangani River, 4 December 1893 british South Africa Company Medal 1890-97, reverse Matabeleland 1893 (Troopr. F. L. Vogel, Salisbury Horse); together with a second medal, originally fraudulently named to Vogel, since erased and now marked ‘Forgery’, nearly extremely fine (2) £1400-1800 ex Upfill-Brown Collection, BDW December 1991. trooper Frank Leon Vogel was one of the gallant men forming Major Wilson's heroic party. He was the second son of the Hon. Sir Julius Vogel, K.C.M.G., and was born on October 21st, 1870, at Auckland, New Zealand. After being educated at Charterhouse he went, in 1890, into the London Office of the British South Africa Company. He left England for South Africa on April 4th, 1891, and became a trooper in the Mashonaland Mounted Police at Tuli. When this force was disbanded, in 1892, he went into the Survey Department at Salisbury, and subsequently became Acting Assistant-Secretary to Dr. L. S. Jameson. When the war broke out he volunteered, was enrolled in the 'B' Troop of the Salisbury Horse under Captain Borrow, and during the campaign served the Maxim gun attached to his troop, under Lieut. Llewellyn. He left Salisbury with the column, but returned alone two or three weeks afterwards on business. Rejoining his troop two or three days after they left Fort Charter, he marched with the column, and was in all the engagements on the way to Bulawayo, serving the Maxim gun, besides volunteering for special scouting expeditions. He was one of the small party sent out in search of Captain G. Williams, and also one of the expedition on which Captain Campbell was killed. He served the Maxim at the engagement on the Shangani River on the 25th of October, and also at Imbembesi on the 1st November, where he had a narrow escape, one bullet passing through his hat. He reached Bulawayo safe and sound on November 4th, and on the 10th wrote his last letter to his relatives, being then evidently in high spirits, and regarding the campaign as over. He left Bulawayo on the 14th, and remained with Major Forbes throughout the patrol which ended at Shiloh; thence again, as a volunteer, he accompanied the force under Major Forbes to the Shangani River, where under Captain Borrow, he joined Major Wilson, with whom he was killed. frederick Burnham, the American scout, later Chief of Scouts under Lord Roberts, was the last man to leave the beleaguered patrol before their final stand at Shangani River. In his book 'Scouting on Two Continents' he describes a discussion of the senior officers with Wilson before that fateful day on the 4th December, 1893: 'It had now stopped raining. Captains Judd, Kirton, Fitzgerald, Greenfield and Brown gathered with us round Wilson. The first three were experienced colonials, and Wilson asked each what he thought to be the best move. 'Kirton, with a bitter smile, said: "There is no best move." Fitzgerald said: "We are in a hell of a fix. There is only one thing to do, cut our way out. Judd said: "This is the end. Picking up the threads of the grim story, we are told by Majors Forbes and Sir John Willoughby that, after crossing the river and following the king's spoor, Major Wilson and his men reached a series of scherms, or temporary encampments protected by felled bush or trees. These scherms were filled with Matabele, who, however, offered no resistance, probably because they did not know the strength of the whites, or believed them to be but the advance guard of a larger body. So the Patrol rode on till they reached the royal scherm, within which the king's wagons were dimly visible in the gathering gloom. Here a halt was called, and Lobengula summoned to surrender. The reply was an ominous rattle of arms within the reed fence, while parties of Matabele, rifle in hand, came hurrying up from the rear. With so small a force nothing could be done, and the Patrol withdrew into the bush, Captain Napier and Troopers Robertson and Mayne being sent for reinforcements. These in due time appeared in the form of Captain Borrow with eighteen mounted men. A miserable night was passed under arms in the drenching rain, and when day at length dawned, Major Wilson decided to make one more dash for the king, with the tragic result, which will not soon be forgotten in South Africa. From the start the Patrol was outnumbered, and almost as soon as the attack began, Ingram, Burnham, and Gooding had to be sent to cross the river, if that were possible, to ask for further support. That support, however, never arrived, and Burnham's first breathless remark to Major Forbes, after reaching the main body, was 'I think I may say we are the sole survivors of that party.' The Shangani had risen in flood, added to which Major Forbes was himself attacked in force on the way down to the river. Either of these circumstances was enough to prevent the arrival of succour in time to save the doomed men to whom the last chance of escape was lost. To the end, however, there was no thought of surrender, no request for quarter. They resolved to show the Matabele that the white man could play a losing as well as a winning game. Taking cover behind the dead bodies of their horses, with an iron calmness they fought on for two long hours, pouring a destructive fire into their encircling foes, and coolly singling out the Indunas for their aim. One by one, however, they sank under the heavy fire from the bush, but many of the wounded continued, so the natives say, to re-load and pass their rifles to their uninjured comrades. Again and again the Matabele would issue from their cover to attempt a conclusive charge, but again and again were repulsed with a well-directed fire; upon which Wilson and his men would wake the echoes with an undismayed, defiant cheer. But at last the end came. Of the thirty-four valiant men whose hearts beat high with hope and courage as they rode behind their leader in the early dawn that morning, only one remained erect; the rest lay prone, dead or dying, upon that 'field of honour.’ The name of the one man who stood at bay against an army of Matabele will never be known; his remains could not be identified. But the natives tell that, picking up several rifles and bandoliers, this hero amongst heroes made his way to an ant-heap some twenty yards from where the rest lay stretched upon the earth. From that point of vantage he checked, single-handed, several rushes of the Matabele with a cool and deadly fire. At length, shot through the hips, he sank on his knees, but continued to load and fire until he succumbed to his wounds. Then, and not till then, the Matabele came out from the bush, but on reaching the hallowed circle where the Patrol lay side by side, were fired upon by several of the unconquerable wounded who were still alive. So great had been the terror and demoralisation inspired by the desperate bravery of the Patrol, that when the revolvers rang out the natives turned and fled precipitately into the bush; and it was not till several hours later-'when the sun was right overhead' -as the Matabele tell the tale-that they again ventured to leave their cover. But by this time death had mercifully come to the wounded, and as the native warriors gazed upon the forms of their fallen foes there was silence’. sold with copied research. £1400-£1800
India General Service 1908-35, 3 clasps, Afghanistan N.W.F. 1919, Mahsud 1919-20, Waziristan 1919-21 (Lt. A. Williams, 2/41/Dogras) good very fine £80-100 Williams was first commissioned on the Indian Army Reserve of Officers in August 1917 and was appointed a Company Officer in the 2/41st Dogras in April 1918. £80-£100
South Atlantic 1982, with rosette (AB(M) P. M. Orr, D181887X H.M.S. Plymouth), mounted court style as worn, extremely fine £800-1000 H.M.S. Plymouth was a ‘Rothesay’ Class type 12 anti-submarine frigate of 2,800 tons, launched at Devonport in 1959 and commissioned in 1961. Heavily involved in the Falklands War, she sailed with tanker R.F.A. Tidepool and destroyer H.M.S. Antrim to South Georgia with Royal Marines and S.A.S. aboard. She then provided cover for the aircraft carriers and amphibious vessels and was one of the first Royal Navy ships to enter San Carlos Water. On 21 May 1982 she went to the assistance of the frigate H.M.S. Argonaut that had suffered bomb damage. On 8 June she was attacked by five Mirage aircraft. In the ensuing action she managed to destroy two and damage two others but was hit by four bombs and numerous shells; five men were injured in the attack. After emergency repairs she returned to the fleet and was able to provide gunfire support to the land forces. She returned home on 21 June. During the course of the Falklands War she had steamed 34,000 miles, fired 900+ 4.5 inch shells and destroyed five aircraft. H.M.S. Plymouth was decommissioned on 28 April 1988 and was preserved, being open to the public at Birkenhead since 1992. able Seaman Orr received a Commendation from the Commander of Task Force 317: ‘Able Seaman (M) Orr was the Aimer of the GWS 20 action Sea Cat aimer crew. From 21 May to 8 June 82, they displayed good teamwork and skill against frequent enemy attacks, operating from their exposed position aft. They successfully shot down several enemy aircraft and damaged others. Target presentation was minimal owing to the close proximity of land and very low level attacks. Able Seaman Orr contributed greatly to the air defence of H.M.S. Plymouth, and I commend him for his courageous performance throughout the period of operations’. sold with copied Certificate of Commendation and ship history. £800-£1000
The extremely rare badge of the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert bestowed upon Blanche Julia, Dowager Countess of Mayo, upon her appointment as Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria in 1872 the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert, 3rd Class badge (1880-1902) [2nd Class when awarded in 1872], comprising a shell cameo of the conjoined busts of Queen Victoria and Prince Consort, signed J. Ronca of Chelsea, surrounded by a gold border set with twenty half pearls and four diamonds, surmounted by gold and enamel crown set with rubies, emeralds and diamonds, small gold loop for suspension, mounted on Lady’s bow as worn, contained in a later case with gold blocked inscription, minor scratches to cameo, otherwise extremely fine and of the highest rarity £12000-15000 provenance: Sotheby March 1995. the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert was instituted by Queen Victoria in 1862 as a private family award to commemorate Prince Albert. A second class was added in 1864, and the Order was extended to four classes in March 1880, but limited to the Sovereign and forty-five ladies. The first two classes were reserved for Royal Ladies [the second class being specifically for those of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters who were not British princesses], the third class for the Mistress of the Robes and Ladies of the Bedchamber, and the fourth class for Women of the Bedchamber. The fourth class badge did not have a cameo portrait but comprised the entwined ciphers of VR and A, set with brilliants and half-pearls, surmounted by a gold and enamel crown set in diamonds. The Order ceased to exist in May 1902, but its members survived into the present reign. Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, the last surviving member of the 1st Class, died in 1962, and Queen Victoria’s last surviving granddaughter, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, the last surviving recipient of the 2nd Class, died in 1981. approximately 34 Ladies were awarded the 2nd Class (3rd Class from 1880) of the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert during the period of its existence from 1862 until the death of Queen Victoria in 1901. Insignia from this Order very rarely comes on the market and some price comparisons from three decades ago make surprising reading. A 3rd Class badge sold at Sotheby in June 1973 for £4200, whilst in the same sale the Victoria Cross group to Colonel J. C. Daunt sold for £2300 [Magor Collection, DNW July 2003, £126,500]. Another 3rd Class badge was sold by Sotheby in February 1975 for £6500, on which occasion the Victoria Cross group to Major John Cook realised £3700 [Ritchie Collection, DNW September 2004, £94,300]. the Honourable Blanche Julia Wyndham was born on 21 November 1826, daughter of the 1st Baron Leconfield. She married in 1848 to the 6th Early of Mayo, later Viceroy of India, who was assassinated in February 1872. She was appointed to the 2nd Class of the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert on 11 May 1872, to coincide with her appointment as a Lady of the Bedchamber to the Queen. She became an Extra Lady of the Bedchamber in 1874 and remained as such until the Queen’s death in 1901. In 1878, she was appointed one of the founding Companions of the Imperial Order of the Crown of India, established to commemorate the Queen becoming Empress of India (see Lot 524). The Dowager Countess of Mayo died on 31 January 1918. £12000-£15000
The Companion of Honour group of three awarded to Harold Arthur, Viscount Dillon, first Curator of the Tower of London Armouries, Chairman of the Trustees of the National Portrait Gallery, President of the Royal Archaeological Institute and of the Society of Antiquaries, Trustee of the British Museum and of the Wallace Collection, a leading authority on the history of arms and armour and medieval costume the Order of the Companions of Honour, G.V.R., neck badge, silver-gilt and enamel, the reverse inscribed ‘Harold Arthur Viscount Dillon 1921’, with length of neck ribbon; Jubilee 1897 (Harold Arthur Viscount Dillon PSA, PRIA); Coronation 1911, unnamed as issued, good very fine (3) £2500-3000 Ex Hayward’s Gazette, December 1975. harold Arthur Lee Dillon was born on 24 January 1844, and was educated at a private school at Eltham, Kent, and at Bonn University. He joined the Rifle Brigade in 1862, was promoted to Lieutenant in 1866, and served in India and Canada during the Fenian troubles of 1868-71. He left the regular army in 1874, but was promoted to Captain in the Oxfordshire Militia and eventually retired with the rank of Major in 1891. In the following year he succeeded his father as the 17th Viscount Dillon of Costello-Gallen. on leaving the army Dillon became interested in modern military subjects such as equipment and dress, which eventually led him to the history of arms and armour and medieval costume. Dillon traced hundreds of illuminated manuscripts and illustrated works and made a series of brass rubbings. When he would enter a gallery he would focus only on those paintings with military themes, concentrating on sword hilts, armour and horse trappings, and skillfully copied them. his first works were published shortly after he left the army. These articles related to his home, Ditchley in Oxfordshire and described flint tools excavated from the area and objects from the collections in the house. He published many articles on the subjects of arms and armour and military history which appeared in academic journals such as the Archaeological Journal and Archaeologia as well as journals of popular and military general interest such as Antiquary and Colburne's United Service Magazine. He would also write on the subjects of arms and armour in pictures, on monuments and in Shakespeare, on tournaments, military equipment, soldier's arms, equipment and life. His first major undertaking was a revised edition of F. W. Fairholt's two volume Costume in England, published in 1885. Three years later he published a paper on the sections of the great 1547 Inventory of the possessions of Henry VIII. In his writings Dillon focused on the defensive and offensive characters of armour rather than as a work of art. many of his articles appeared under his own name, but he would sometimes use the pseudonym 'Armadillo.' The animal was so closely linked with Lord Dillon that the designer of a commemorative medal produced for the National Portrait Gallery used an image of an armadillo for the reverse of a medal bearing the portrait of Lord Dillon. although Dillon was associated with the Tower of London Armouries from 1892, serving as the consultant scientific expert, he was not officially appointed curator of the Armoury until 1895. He was tasked with producing an accurate and up to date catalogue of the collection. As curator he was able to reduce historic inaccuracies that had built up over the previous years. In 1827 Samuel Meyrick had brought expert knowledge to the collection, but it had then fallen into the hands of the War Office storekeepers and unfortunately most his work was lost. Labels were misplaced, and suits wrongly mounted and erroneous traditions had been established for public amusement. his research led him through the State Papers, especially those of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, in which he discovered interesting and valuable details about the making and issue of arms and armour. Dillon dismantled nearly every piece of armour in the collection to see how it was worn and the reason for certain constructional details. Most of the pieces were those of Henry VIII. Dillon even tried them on himself to see how the rivets and the joints of the harness worked and discovered that many of the suits had been wrongly assembled This exercise enabled him to rectify countless inaccuracies. He also examined the internal mechanisms of the crossbow, pistol and gunlocks. in 1910 Dillon's Illustrated Guide to the Armouries was published, being a summary catalogue of the arms and armour as he had arranged and exhibited them, and the various manuscript inventories of the collection. Dillon carried out a complete reorganisation of the collection in preparation for the new catalogue, and made a detailed examination of all the major pieces as well as identifying a number of those with important historical associations, and corrected inaccuracies. The catalogue was more in the format of a guided tour rather than a systematic catalogue. dillon considered his task to be one of preserving and studying a closed collection rather than expanding it and spreading knowledge of it outside the Tower. His two significant acquisitions for the collection were a pistol of Prince Charles, purchased in 1898 and a part visor of King Henry VII found in St James' Palace in 1906. One of his most valuable contributions was the Armourer's Album which appeared for sale in Paris and by Dillon's efforts was purchased and preserved in the Victoria & Albert Museum. The album contained a number of watercolour drawings of suits of armour of the Elizabethan period that were made at Greenwich, many of which were in the Tower, together with the names of the owners, which proved invaluable for establishing provenance and for identifying pieces in the Tower, Windsor and other private collections. lord Dillon contemplated retiring in 1909, but finally retired from his post of Curator in 1912, and handed the Armouries over to Charles Foulkes. Dillon left the Armouries on its way to becoming a modern museum. A catalogue had been completed, a programme of inspections of loans had been established, and regular inventory checks were carried out. Armour and weapons were displayed according to the techniques of the day, with labels and a guidebook describing the displays. he received an honourary degree of Doctor of Civil Law from the University of Oxford and the Order of Companion of Honour by the King in 1921. Dillon served as a trustee to the British Museum, secretary to the Royal Commission on Westminster Abbey, President of the Royal Archaeological Institute of the Wallace Collection, Trustee and Chairman of the Board of the National Portrait Gallery, Honourary Member of the Armourers and Brasier's Company of London, Fellow of the British Academy and Antiquary of the Royal Academy. Harold Arthur Lee Dillon died on 18 December 1932. The group is sold with a ‘Souvenir Album of the Tower of London, with Historical and Descriptive Notes by The Viscount Dillon P.S.A.’ £2500-£3000
An extremely rare first issue Victorian Royal Marine M.S.M. dated ‘1848’ on obverse and with dated edge awarded to Sergeant W. Maxwell, R.M. royal Marine Meritorious Service Medal, V.R., dated ‘1848’ below bust (Serg. W. Maxwell, R.M. 16. Jan: 1849) officially engraved naming, fitted with silver ribbon brooch, toned, nearly extremely fine £1600-1800 Ex Fevyer Collection, Spink November 1998. the first 16 Royal Marine Meritorious Service Medals were issued with the ‘1848’ obverse and ‘16 Jan 1849’ engraved on the rim. There were probably only 39 issued with the ‘1848’ obverse of which 20 are known, 8 with dated rim and 12 without the dated rim. william Maxwell, Sergeant Schoolmaster, Chatham Division, served 27 years. His annuity of £10 commenced on 24 April 1849. He probably died between December 1850 and December 1852. £1600-£1800
Four: Colour Sergeant Daniel Burgess, Royal Marine Light Infantry crimea 1854-56, 1 clasp, Sebastopol (-. Burgess, R.M. H.M.S. Agamemnon) depot impressed naming, initial illegible through edge bruising; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., V.R., wide suspension (Dl. Burgess, Cr. Sergt. R.M. H.M.S. Cadmus 21 Yrs.); Royal Marine Meritorious Service Medal, V.R. (Daniel Burgess, Col.Sergt. 53rd Co. R.M.L.I.) officially impressed naming; Turkish Crimea 1855, Sardinian issue, unnamed, all cleaned and lacquered, the first with contact marks, therefore good fine, otherwise generally very fine (4) £1200-1500 ex Douglas-Morris Collection, DNW February 1997. daniel Burgess was born in Harwich, Essex, circa 1827, and was aged 19 years 6 months when he enlisted for the Chatham Division on 3 February 1847. He served afloat for 14 years of his total servitude of 21 years aboard H.M. Ships Asia (1845-51), Agamemnon (1852-56), Russel (1858-1862), and Cadmus (1864-68). During this period he received promotion to Corporal in September 1856, Sergeant in April 1859 and ultimately to Colour Sergeant in September 1866. He was amongst the men selected to receive the L.S. & G.C. medal when H.M.S. Cadmus paid off in June 1868, and was pensioned to shore on 20 July 1868. His M.S.M. Annuity commenced on 15 June 1895. £1200-£1500
Four: Colour Sergeant James Roach, Royal Marine Light Infantry china 1857-60, 2 clasps, Fatshan 1857, Canton 1857, unnamed as issued; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., V.R., wide suspension (Js. Roach, Colr. Sergt. 47th Co. R.M.L.I. 21 Yrs.); Royal Marine Meritorious Service Medal, E.VII.R. (James Roach, Colr. Sergt. Plymo. R.M.L.I.) officially impressed naming, cleaned, nearly extremely fine (3) £1000-1200 ex Douglas-Morris Collection, DNW February 1997. only about 40 Edward VII Royal Marine Meritorious Service Medals were awarded, of which 13 are known extant. only one man, John Cree, received the award of the Royal Marine M.S.M. between George Hancock (known Victorian issue) and James Roach. Since the type of medal despatched to Colour Sergeant John Cree, R.M.L.I., on 8 February 1904 is unknown, this award to James Roach is either the first or the second Edward VII Royal Marine M.S.M. to be issued. james Roach was born in Kingsbridge, Devon, and enlisted in the Plymouth Division aged 19 years on 4 June 1852. He was drafted to H.M.S. Sybille in June 1853 and served ashore in China with the Royal Marine Battalion during 1857 prior to being disembarked in his home port in May 1858. He was promoted to Corporal in May 1858, to Sergeant in November 1861, and to Colour Sergeant in April 1869. His twelve years of service afloat was above average for a Marine, a period which included service aboard H.M. Ships Assurance (1864-68) and Implacable (1870-72). He was pensioned and discharged to shore with 21 years servitude on 19 June 1873, and not unusually was awarded his L.S. & G.C. medal without gratuity after he had left the service, retrospectively approved on 23 May 1874. £1000-£1200
Four: Sergeant William Slater, Royal Marine Artillery baltic 1854-55 (W. Slater R.M.A. H.M.S. Cruizer) contemporary engraved naming; China 1857-60, no clasp (W. Slater R.M.A. H.M.S. Encounter) depot impressed naming; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., V.R., wide suspension (Wm. Slater, Sergt. 16th Co. R.M.A. 21 Yrs.); Royal Marine Meritorious Service Medal, E.VII.R. (Wm. Slater, Sergeant 16th Co. R.M.A. 9 May 1908) officially impressed naming, the first two with contact marks, very fine, otherwise extremely fine (4) £1000-1200 l.S. & G.C. medal awarded February 1872 without Gratuity. only about 40 Edward VII Royal Marine Meritorious Service Medals were awarded, of which 13 are known extant. Sold with copies of relevant pages of Medal Roll for the Second China Wars for H.M.S. Encounter and Baltic for H.M.S. Cruizer. £1000-£1200
Royal Marine Meritorious Service Medal, G.V.R., Coinage head (Ch. 885 W. J. Hake, Cr. Sgt. R.M. 11 Jan. 1936) officially impressed naming, nearly extremely fine £400-500 approximately 17 George V Coinage head Royal Marine Meritorious Service Medals were awarded, of which 8 are known. william John Hake was born on 23 March 1860 at Greenwich, Kent, and enlisted in the Royal Marines on the 26 May 1875, at Chatham, aged 15 years 2 months, as a Drummer. He earned his first Good Conduct Badge in March 1880 and was to earn four more during his service, the last being awarded in March 1899. His record shows Embarked, Time Only from 6 July to 1 August 1881 when he was Paid Off to Flora (Tender) until March 1884, the last period from 28 February 1884 recorded as ‘Mail Steamer Passage to England’. He was promoted to Sergeant, Chatham Division, in March 1884 and embarked on the Rover in September 1885 until posted to Head Quarters, Chatham, from November 1888 where he was promoted to Colour Sergeant in October 1890. He embarked on St Vincent in November 1892 before returning to Head Quarters, Chatham Division, in November 1894, where he remained until discharged due to length of service on 22nd March 1899. He then enrolled in the Royal Fleet Reserve until ‘Completed’ in March 1905. He continued to attend Annual Drills until finally discharged on 22 March 1910 ‘Having attained the age of 50 years’. He married on 29 December 1880, and received his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal on 25 February 1889. £400-£500
Four: Colour Sergeant Robert Langham, Musician, Royal Marine Light Infantry british War and Victory Medals (Ch.15823 Mus. R. Langham, R.M.L.I.); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 2nd issue with fixed suspension (Ch.15823 Sgt. R. Langham, R.M.L.I.); Royal Marine Meritorious Service Medal, G.VI.R., 2nd issue (Ch.15823 C.Sgt. R. Langham 28.2.1951) the first three mounted as worn, nearly very fine, the last extremely fine (4) £250-300 Robert Langham was born on 2 April 1893, in London, and was a schoolboy when he enlisted in the Chatham Division of the Royal Marines on 1 April 1908, a day before his 15th birthday; he re-engaged on 13 March 1923. He served in the 13th Coy, Chatham Division, from enlistment until discharge on 1 April 1932, after total servitude of 24 years of which 3 years 1 day was under age. Ranked as Bugler until 5 April 1910, he was promoted to Private (ranked as Musician) from 30 March 1912. He was elevated to Corporal only in October 1922 but quickly to Sergeant in October 1923. His final promotion was to Colour Sergeant on 20 September 1930. He was Band Sergeant from July 1929 to April 1932. At discharge, his character was rated as Very Good and he was in possession of 3 Good Conduct Badges. Upon discharge he became Pensioner No. 10969 with intended residence in Dursley, Gloucestershire. his Record of Service shows that he ‘Served with the Expeditionary Force in France from 2nd April to 11th June 1917’, and was paid a War Gratuity of £29 on 2 October 1919. He was also awarded a Long Service and Good Conduct Gratuity from 5 June 1929. He received the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal on 4 June 1924. In 1951 over 250 pensioners on the register were awarded the M.S.M. but without annuity and no more names were added. Sold with full research. £250-£300
A scarce first issue Victorian Army M.S.M. dated ‘1847’ on the edge awarded to Quartermaster T. C. Fitzgerald, 94th Regiment army Meritorious Service Medal, V.R., dated ‘1847’ on edge (.... Thos. Colley Fitzgerald, 94th Regt. 1847), rank erased, some edge bruising, very fine £400-500 Sergeant-Major Thomas Colley Fitzgerald, 94th Foot (Connaught Rangers), was awarded the M.S.M. with an annuity of £20 on 5 December 1847. Having been commissioned as a Quartermaster on 23 January 1847 he never drew his annuity. his M.S.M. was one of the first 107 produced with the date ‘1847’ impressed on the edge. Sold with some copied research. £400-£500
Pair: Serjeant J. Heppleston, Royal Artillery china 1857-60, 2 clasps, Taku Forts 1860, Pekin 1860 (Bombr. John Hepplestone, No.4 B. 13th Bde. Rl. Arty.), officially impressed naming; note spelling of surname; Army Meritorious Service Medal, V.R. (Sgt. J. Heppleston, R.A.), first with suspension tightened/refixed, edge bruising, contact marks, good fine; second nearly extremely fine (2) £400-500 Sergeant John Heppleston, Royal Artillery, awarded the M.S.M. and an annuity of £10, 1 April 1902. The recipient who served in the Crimea and Second China Wars was the recipient of one of the last M.S.M’s. bearing Queen Victoria’s head. Heppleston died c.1908. Sold with some copied research. £400-£500
A rare George VI issue ‘Crowned Head’ M.S.M. group of four awarded to Squadron Serjeant-Major M. E. Swan, 1st Dragoons queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 6 clasps, Tugela Heights, Orange Free State, Relief of Ladysmith, Transvaal, Laing’s Nek, Cape Colony (2852 Serjt., 1Dgns.) ‘Laing’s Nek’ clasp a contemporary copy; King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps (2852 Serjt., Rl. Dragoons); Army L.S. & G.C., E.VII.R. (2852 Sq. Sjt. Maj., 1st Dragoons); Army Meritorious Service Medal, G.VI.R., 2nd issue, ‘crowned head’ (Sq. S. Mjr., 1-Dns.), mounted as worn, first two with some edge bruising and contact marks, nearly very fine and better (4) £1200-1400 The Army L.S. & G.C. was announced in Army Order 189 of 1905; the M.S.M. in Army Order 44 of 1942. Only about 55 G.VI.R. ‘Crowned Head’ M.S.M’s. were awarded. £1200-£1400
A unique New Zealand M.B.E. and Long Service group of nine awarded to Captain and Quartermaster A. Mathieson, New Zealand Permanent Staff, late Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, M.B.E. (Military) Member’s 2nd type breast badge, silver; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 4 clasps, Modder River, Paardeberg, Driefontein, Transvaal (6533 Corl., A. & S. Highrs.), correction to service number; King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps (6533 Corpl., A. & S. Highrs.); War Medal 1939-45, unnamed; New Zealand Service Medal 1939-45, unnamed; Jubilee 1935, unnamed; New Zealand Long and Efficient Service Medal (W.O.1, N.Z.P.S.); Army L.S.& G.C., G.V.R., 3rd issue, New Zealand (W.O.1, N.Z.P.S.); New Zealand Meritorious Service Medal, G.VI.R., 2nd issue, ‘Crowned Head’ (W.O.1, N.Z.P.S.), the group unmounted, some with edge bruising and contact marks, nearly very fine and better (9) £1200-1500 Ex Matthew Taylor Collection, Christies November 1990. m.B.E. New Zealand Gazette 10 June 1943. ‘Captain and Quartermaster Archibald Mathieson, New Zealand Permanent Staff, of Timaru’. archibald Mathieson was born on 7 June 1881 at Kaysmuir Duns in the Parish of Duns, Berwickshire. He was the son of John William Mathieson, a Journeyman Mason born in Dumfries, and Margaret nee Dunholm, born in Coldingham, Berwickshire. A Draper by occupation, he joined the 2nd Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers at the age of 15 years, and three years later on 4 May 1898 he was attested for the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders. On 27 October 1899 he was posted to active service in South Africa and took part in the battles at Modder River, Paardeberg, and Dreifontein. From South Africa (in 1902) he was posted to India for the next 4 years 8 months but his records do not give details of that service, except for receiving a bounty for the extension of his services to complete 12 years with the Colours. He was promoted to Corporal on 10 February 1906. He was posted back to South Africa on 19 December 1906. He was permitted to extend his service to complete 21 years on 1 September 1909 and was promoted to Lance-Sergeant on the same day. He returned to England on 27 January 1910 and took his discharge on 25 November 1910 after 12 years 206 days service. his parents had migrated to New Zealand c.1905 and he arrived to join them in 1911 and apparently took up farming for a short while in Timaru. During the First World War he served with the New Zealand Temporary Staff on 1 September 1915-24 May 1920 but was unable to be passed fit for active service due to bouts of asthma. He remained, however, at Trentham and Featherstone Camps, training personnel in musketry skills for the Expeditionary Force, Archibald joined the New Zealand Permanent Force on 20 July 1920. He was promoted to Staff Sergeant Instructor on 25 May 1923, to WO 2 on 25 May 1926, and Warrant Officer in July 1929. mathieson was recommended for the New Zealand Long and Efficient Service Medal in September 1931, receiving it on 20 July 1932 in Christchurch. He was recommended for the award of the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal on 31 January 1934, which was approved on 20 February, and received it on 11 June 1934. On 6 May 1935 he received the Silver Jubilee Medal for the 25th Anniversary of the reign of King George V. In June 1940, after nearly 11 years as W.O. 1, he was promoted to Temporary Lieutenant and Quartermaster. Both the Award Notice and Defence Headquarter List for his New Zealand Meritorious Service Medal are annotated ‘now Lieutenant and Quartermaster’. This award was approved on 4 July 1941 and he received a piece of the ribbon issued on 21 September 1941 but it was almost 20 months before the medal was issued on 23 February 1943. captain and Quartermaster Archibald Mathieson was made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (M.B.E.) in the King's Birthday Honours List of 1943. He was at that time holding a clerical and administrative appointment in the Permanent Staff at Timaru. He was discharged in Timaru as a consequence of reaching the age of retirement on 14 August 1946, and was posted to the Retired List on the same day. He retired to his home at 15 Lough Street, Timaru and died there soon after on 5 September 1947 in his 67th year. Sold with a quantity of copied research. £1200-£1500
Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., Anchor obverse (William Page, Quarter Master, H.M.S. Cyclops, 24 Years) good very fine £600-700 William Page entered the Royal Navy as William Dawson and the first eight years of service were not entered into his record until later in his service. His medal and gratuity were awarded on 12 May 1843. He was born at Portsmouth, Hampshire, and served as William Dawson from Charlestown, Cornwall, from February 1816 until August 1824. He was discharged on 16 May 1843, paid off with a record of excellent conduct, and subsequently became an Outpensioner from Greenwich. During his service as ‘Dawson’, he served aboard the Helicon, Tees, Active, and Driver; and as ‘Page’ aboard the Kangaroo, Victory, Melville, Cleopatra, Pique and finally the Cylcops. His L.S. & G.C. was approved on 12 May 1843. £600-£700
Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (No. 17 A/S. C. L. Kannemeyer, S.A. Div. R.N.V.R.) very fine £120-140 In History of the RNVR, South African Division by Commander Sereld Hay, published by Juta and Co Ltd in South Africa, No. 17 C. L. Kannemeyer, A.B., is listed in Appendix iii, p. 182, for Capetown under ‘List of Men at Outbreak of Hostilities’ [First World War]. £120-£140
Four: Stoker Petty Officer J. Reid, South African Naval Service, late Royal Marine Light Infantry 1914-15 Star (18905 Pte., R.M.L.I.); British War and Victory Medals (Ch.18905 Pte., R.M.L.I.); Permanent Forces of the Empire L.S. & G.C., G.V.R. (No N.20014 S.P.O., S.A.N.S.) first three pitted, fine; last with light contact marks, good very fine, scarce (4) £250-300 £250-£300
Efficiency Medal (2), G.V.R., New Zealand (C.S. Maj. G. W. Rump, N.Z.A.S.C.); another, G.VI.R., 1st issue, New Zealand (W.O.II C. Osborne, N.Z.T.S.), last with edge bruising nearly very fine, the first nearly extremely fine (2) £140-180 Medal to Rump awarded by GO 330 of March 1935. One of 105 Efficiency Medals with the suspender ‘New Zealand’ awarded during 1933-37. £140-£180
New Zealand Volunteer Service Medal, E.VII.R., 1st issue (Capt. E. C. W. Powell, Blenheim Rifle Vols. (1903)) edge bruising, very fine £200-250 Colonial Auxiliary Force Officers’ Decoration New Zealand Gazette 14 December 1916. ‘Rev., C.F. 3rd Cl., N.Z. Chap. Dept.’ Colonial Auxiliary Force Long Service Medal New Zealand Gazette 17 July 1911. Approximately 100 of the first type medal were produced. the Reverend Edward Charles Woolridge Powell attained the the rank of Chaplain 3rd Class on 11 November 1917. He was attached to the New Zealand Base in France and to No.1 New Zealand Field Ambulance. He was struck off the strength on 22 March 1919. In addition to the above two Colonial Auxiliary Force awards and the New Zealand Volunteer Service Medal (awarded in 1903), he was awarded the New Zealand Long and Efficient Service Medal in 1907 and the British War and Victory Medals. Sold with some copied research. £200-£250
Pair: Quartermaster Serjeant W. Pettigrew, 77th Foot army L.S. & G.C., V.R., 3rd issue, small letter reverse (1151 Qr. Mr. Sergt., 77th Foot), signs of brooch mounting on rev.; Army Meritorious Service Medal, E.VII.R. (Q.M. Sjt., 77th Foot), first with slight edge bruising, about very fine and better (2) £260-300 William Pettigrew was born in the Parish of Kilarney, near the town of Saint Field, Co. Down. A Weaver by occupation, he attested for service with the 96th Foot at Glasgow on 25 March 1851, aged 21 years. He served as a Private in the 96th until 31 October 1854 when he volunteered to join the 52nd Foot. With the regiment he served during the suppression of the Indian Mutiny, receiving the medal with clasp for Delhi in the rank of Corporal to which rank he was promoted in March 1857. Promoted to Sergeant in November 1857, he was reduced to Private in June 1859. In October 1864 he volunteered for service with the 77th Foot and was promoted to Corporal in the same month, Serjeant in June 1865, Colour Serjeant in October 1865 and Quartermaster Serjeant in July 1866. Pettigrew was discharged at Portland on 27 July 1872 having served nearly 19 years in India. His intended place of residence on discharge was Mill Street, Warwick. He was awarded the M.S.M. and an annuity of £10 in July 1907. He died on 13 May 1913. sold with copied discharge papers. £260-£300
Eight: A. Twynam, a servant of the Royal Household royal Household Faithful Service Medal, G.V.R., ‘1910-1930’ (A. Twynam); Coronation 1911, silver; Russia, Medal for Zeal, Nicholas II, small silver medal; Spain, Order of Isabella the Catholic, Medal of the Order, bronze; Sweden, Royal Household Medal, Gustaf V, silver; Portugal, Coronation Medal 1889, Carlos, bronze; France, Third Republic, Medal of Honour, silver; Italy, Kingdom, ‘Ricordo’ Medal, Victor Emanuel III, silver, all unnamed except first, mounted court style as worn, good very fine and better (8) £450-550 £450-£550
The mounted group of four miniature dress medals attributed to Colonel E. A. Burrows, Royal Artillery order of St. Michael and St. George, gold and enamel, with gold buckle on ribbon; Jubilee 1897, silver; India General Service 1854-95, 1 clasp, Burma 1885-7; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 6 clasps, Tugela Heights, Rel. of Ladysmith; Laing’s Nek, Orange Free State, Belfast, South Africa 1901, mounted as worn, first with slight enamel damage, very fine and better (4) £80-100 Edmund Augustus Burrows was born on 19 March 1855, the son of Canon Burrows of Rochester, Kent. He entered the Army in 1875 and was appointed a Lieutenant-Colonel in 1900. He was awarded the C.M.G. in 1900 and the C.B.E. in 1919. Latterly a J.P. for Buckinghamshire and living at The Manor House, Long Crendon, Thame, he died on 19 May 1927. For his son’s full-size medals, see Lot 1214. £80-£100
Memorial Plaque 1914-18 (2) (George Lockwood; Harold Beaumont) first in card envelope of issue, extremely fine; last badly pitted, fine (2) £40-60 Lance-Corporal George Lockwood, King’s Yorkshire Light Infantry, entered the France/Flanders theatre of war on 13 April 1915. Subsequently commissioned and serving with ‘E’ Company, 10th Battalion King’s Yorkshire Light Infantry, he was killed in action on 3 November 1917, aged 22 years. He was buried in the St. Sever Cemetery, Rouen. He was the son of George and Mary Ann Lockwood of 4 Edward Street, Wakefield, Yorkshire. Sold with original commemorative scroll, in card tube addressed to ‘Mrs D. Lockwood, Ivy Cottage, Crookham, Hampshire’. £40-£60
War Diary, a note book, 200 x 166mm. (approx.), handwritten in ink, the day by day recollections of Lieutenant B. Marden, 9th Lancers, for the period, 15 August 1914-1 May 1915, spine worn and repaired, covers worn, contents in good condition £200-300 Basil Jock Newton Marden was born on 17 February 1893. Commissioned into the 9th Lancers on 4 September 1912, he was appointed a Temporary Lieutenant on 15 November 1914 and attained the rank of Captain on 26 October 1915. With the 9th Lancers aboard the Welshman, he entered the France/Flanders theatre of war on 16 August 1914. In action at Mons, Marne and Aisne; he received a wound to the head in the action at Paissy, 20 September. Recovering, he returned to the 9th Lancers based near Wulverghem on 30 October. In action at Ypres, he was shot, receiving a bullet wound to the head, 19 November. Invalided to England on 22 November, he recovered but remained in England for the rest of the war, latterly on attachment to the 7th Reserve Regiment of Cavalry. The twice wounded recipient is mentioned three times in the regimental history - The Ninth Queen’s Royal Lancers 1715-1936, by Major E. W. Sheppard. The diary, written some time after the events described, provides a lively account of a young cavalry officer during the early months of the war, describing his troop movements, fellow officers, casualties, recreation, food, war rumours etc. ‘Introduction. This book is intended to be the account of the personal adventures, ideas and feelings of a lieutenant of the 9th Lancers ....’ ‘Aug. 15. At last we are off ... arrive Southampton at 2.30p.m. and amuse ourselves as best we can on the dock until the following morning. Pater, who is R.T.O. at Southampton spends the afternoon with me on the dock’. ‘Aug. 24. In the early morning, we are attacked by apparently several divisions ...’ ‘Sept. 20. Turn out at 4.30 & rush off to Paissy to help the ‘feet’ - move round sky-line to draw gun-fire away from heroes’ who are about to bolt - good mark to the General - rather skilfully done - only one horse hit. Sent off with eight men as intercommunication between English right and French left .... am shown remains of last intercommunication patrol (R.H. Gds) officer killed - 3 horses - 4 men! This, I suppose, is to cheer me up! .... The run forwards was the most dangerous show as everyone fired as they ran, in any direction. Once there I fired at a few easy ‘masses’ until a silly fool hit me in the head. I tied it up with a tommy’s handkerchief ...’ ‘Nov. 5. Rearrange squadron & pay men - offer of armoured car rejected. ... We wander around about digging trenches etc & being sniped at & finally at dawn sleep in a farm; that is, we just collapse on the ground! Some French batteries make an infernal row in the yard - but I am soon asleep!’ ‘Nov. 18. Shelled lightly today - in the evening ‘C’ Squadron relievs the 4 D.G. in the Chau. (Chateau) stables. I didn’t expect this - a nasty dangerous place - the Chau. itself was destroyed yesterday by a minewerfer - on entering stables thro’ shell-hole we fall over what we imagine to be sacks of potatoes - they are corpses really - 120 dead Germans and over a week old - they provide some good souvenirs. The attached plan shows my dispositions [map attached] ...In the trench on the right the R.E. hurled out coils of loose barbed wire and we had an abattis made of trees ...’ ‘Nov. 19. The enemy became v. active with hand-grenades - one nearly gets me - & badly wounds 2 men, whom I had placed in the top front room. I fire 8 pistol shots ‘rapid’ at the sight of a match, struck to light one. No corpse there next day, tho’ the match goes out. When these grenades get bad, I send for another troop from Alan (Graham) & keep them in room with fixed bayonets for 2 hours sitting on dead Huns! When dawn arrives I post snipers at each hole - and we bag 10 to 15 Germans - I personally get 3 - my first separate & sure bag of the war! Alan comes on & in despite of my telling him that the front window was dangerous, we go & peep thro’ an iron loop-hole we had hoisted there. Then we both get hit by one bullet in the head ... ‘Lord I’m hit’. ‘So am I!’ And off we crawl downstairs on hands and knees, pouring with blood. I feel dizzy & cannot do much good - so we send back for some 4 D.G. officers to relieve us ...’ £200-£300
Defective medals (12), Khedive’s Star 1882, rev. impressed, ‘75 2148’, badly worn; Afghanistan 1878-80 (6718 Gunr. A. Jones, H/1st Bde. R.A.), lacks suspension, signs of brooch mounting to obv., scratched, bad edge bruising; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902 (2), no clasp (524 Tpr. D. Hillhouse, Johannesburg M.R.), this correctly named but with replacement suspension fitted, with scratches and edge bruising; another (2955 Pte. A. Fairlie, 1 Cam.’n. Hdrs.), renamed; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902 and King’s South Africa 1901-02 (4695 Cpl. E. Hawkins, 1 Batt. S. Stafford Regt.) both lacking suspensions, both renamed; King’s South Africa 1901-02, no clasp (2758 Pte. H. Findlay, 2/Sco. Rif.), suspension slack, renamed; British War Medal 1914-20 (5) (Lieut. A. Aitkin; 20285 Pte. T. Powell, Som. L.I.; 27969 Pte. A. W. Richardson, North’n. R.; 5256 A. Cpl. G. Talbot, Suff. R.; 10058 Pte. H. E. Tubby, K.R. Rif. C.) ‘Powell’ renamed; first B.W.M. with loop suspension, others lacking suspensions, sold as found (12) 100-150 Medal to ‘2148’ awarded to 2148 Private G. Gillingham, Gordon Highlanders, entitled to the Egypt Medal with clasps for Tel-el-Kebir, Suakin 1884, El-Teb-Tamaii, The Nile 1884-85. medals to ‘Aitken’, ‘Powell’, ‘Talbot’, and ‘Tubby’ with copied m.i.c., the latter two entitled to the Silver War Badge. £100-£150
Pair: Quartermaster Sergeant W. Walton, 43rd Regiment indian Mutiny 1857-59, no clasp (Colr. Serjt., 43rd Light Infantry); Army L.S. & G.C., V.R., 3rd issue (969 Qr. Master-Sergt., 43rd Foot), both with silver brooch bars, first with slight scratch to ‘Queen’s’ cheek, very fine (3) £400-450 William Walton was born in Cambridge. A Butcher by occupation, he attested into the 43rd Regiment at Cambridge on 27 August 1853, aged 18 years. With them he served in the East Indies for 12 years, 6 months, which included service in the suppression of the Indian Mutiny. Attaining the rank of Quartermaster Sergeant in September 1868, he was subsequently awarded the L.S. & G.C. Medal with a gratuity of £10. He was discharged in 1875 having completed his second period of limited engagement. Sold with Silver Cased Hunter Pocket Watch, by Charles Frodsham, London, inscribed, ‘Presented by the Sergts. 43rd Lt. Infty. to Qr. Mr. Sergt. W. Walton as a token of esteem after 21 years service’, hallmarks for London 1874, complete with key (condition of internal workings unknown), in case. Also with copied service papers. £400-£450
Five: Serjeant H. J. Evans, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry india General Service 1895-1902, 2 clasps, Punjab Frontier 1897-98, Tirah 1897-98 (3902 Pte. E. Evans, 2nd Bn. Oxf. Lt. Infy.), note initial; 1914 Star (3902 Sjt., 2/Oxf. & Bucks. L.I.); British War and Victory Medals (3902 Sjt., Oxf. & Bucks. L.I.); Army L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (3902 Sjt., Oxf. & Bucks. L.I.); together with a mounted set of five miniature dress medals, first with edge bruising and some contact marks, nearly very fine and better (10) £240-280 £240-£280
Four: Serjeant R. L. Wood, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, killed in action, 21 October 1914 queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, South Africa 1902 (6753 Pte. R. S. Wood, Oxford. L.I.), note initials; 1914 Star, with copy clasp (6753 Sjt., 2/Oxf. & Bucks. L.I.); British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf (6753 Sjt., Oxf. & Bucks. L.I.); Memorial Plaque (Robert Leslie Wood), in card envelope, first with edge bruising, very fine; others extremely fine (5) £400-500 M.I.D. London Gazette 17 February 1915 (French). robert Leslie Wood was born and lived in Ewell, Surrey, and enlisted in London. Serving with the 2nd Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, he entered the France/Flanders theatre of war on 14 August 1914. He was killed in action on 21 October 1914, aged 32 years. Having no known grave, his name is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial. He was the son of Thomas and Emily Wood of Mount Pleasant, Ewell. Plaque in original envelope addressed to ‘Mr T. Wood, Mount Pleasant, West Street, Ewell, Surrey’. sold with a newspaper cutting mounted on card, ‘‘For all say Bob died a gallant death.’ This is a sentence in a letter which has been received describing how died a born son of Ewell, Sergt. R. L. Wood, whose mother lives at Mount Pleasant. The deceased was a much respected non-commissioned officer of the 2nd Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry. He had been in the army 14 years and saw service in the South African war. .... The writer obtained his information from a lance-corporal in deceased’s regiment, who said: ‘The 2nd Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry Regiment was ordered to advance, and Bob, with his platoon, was going behind the hedge, when he got wounded in the leg. Although they told him to fall out, he still kept on. ‘Come on lads!’ he said. ‘I am not done yet; its no good staying here.’ He got them through the hedge, into the firing line, and fell shot through the heart. They all say Bob died a gallant death in bringing his men up as he did under a terrible fire. There is no need to try to express my sorrow to you. It is some small comfort to know he died a brave man.’ In another letter the same writer says that the lance-corporal ... helped to bury Sergt. Wood near the spot ‘where he died a gallant death’....’ £400-£500
Family group: three: Private J. Stallard, 2nd Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, killed in action at Nonne Bosschen Wood (Nun’s Wood), Ypres, on 11 November 1914 1914 Star, with copy clasp (7425 Pte., 2/Oxf. & Bucks. L.I.); British War and Victory Medals (7425 Pte., Oxf. & Bucks. L.I.); Memorial Plaque (James Stallard), in card envelope three: Private J. W. Stallard, 2nd Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, killed in action at Nonne Bosschen Wood (Nun’s Wood), Ypres, on 11 November 1914 1914 Star, with clasp (8303 Pte., 2/Oxf. & Bucks. L.I.); British War and Victory Medals (8303 Pte., Oxf. & Bucks. L.I.) victory Medal 1914-19 (A-3584 Pte. G. S. Stallard, K.R. Rif. C.) extremely fine (8) £750-850 James Stallard was born in Hockley, Warwickshire, and living at Stantonbury, Buckinghamshire, enlisted at Oxford. Serving with the 2nd Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry he entered the France/Flanders theatre of war on 14 August 1914. He was killed in action at Nonne Bosschen Wood, near Ypres, on 11 November 1914, aged 28 years. Having no known grave, his name is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial and on the Stantonbury Memorial. Before the war he had been a well known boxer; known amongst his comrades in India as ‘The Mad Mullah’. john William Stallard was born in Birmingham, and living at Stantonbury, Buckinghamshire, enlisted at Oxford. Serving with the 2nd Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry he entered the France/Flanders theatre of war on 14 August 1914. He was killed in action at Nonne Bosschen Wood, near Ypres, on 11 November 1914, aged 26 years. Having no known grave, his name is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial and on the Stantonbury Memorial. He was the husband of Mrs Stallard, of 48 Grafton Street, Northampton. Before the war he had worked at Messrs. Smith, Major & Stevens, of St. James’s, Northampton. george Sydney Stallard, entered the France/Flanders theatre of war as a Private in the King’s Royal Rifle Corps on 19 May 1915. Later in the year he was wounded, suffering deafness and injuries to his back and hips. Invalided to Lord Derby’s Hospital in Warrington, he was subsequently discharged because of his injuries. Entitled to the 1914-15 Star. james, John William and George Sydney Stallard were the sons of James and Florence Stallard of 67 St. Mary Street, New Bradwell, Buckinghamshire. sold with framed commemorative scrolls for James and John William Stallard; copy m.i.c’s. for the three brothers; and a quantity of copied research, including extracts from The Wolverton Express. An extract from The Wolverton Express dated 16 October 1914, reprinted extracts from a letter from John William to his parents, dated 24 September. ‘I beg the finish of this war, and it is war - hell cannot be worse. It is just like waiting for death, but still, we are lucky enough to escape so far, and can safely say it is a game of luck, and trust luck will be with us to the end. .... We are not against a lot of farmers but against a nation of fighting material. One of the most touching events I have seen in this war was in Belgium, in our advance and retirement on and from Mons. .... At one large house, as we advanced on Mons, the family were just leaving, and with eyes much swollen by crying, one young girl, about 22 or 23, unable to hold herself in check, ran forward at the sight of our troops and before we were aware of her intentions, had kissed several of us on both cheeks. That sort of thing tends to touch even the hardest of hearts. The people of Belgium behaved to us splendidly. Never to my dying day shall I forget their kindness. .... the Germans ... They looted everything and everywhere; hardly a house escaped their evil work .... but as we got further, instead of household things lying about, it was the Germans themselves lying in all directions. At first it appears rather a ghastly sight - but one has to get used to more than this - things I am not allowed to speak of. .... Still, it is surprising how the boys keep up their spirits. It is beautiful to see and hear them; there is plenty of life in them. We are all the same; set faces one minute, joking and laughing the next. ... Jack and I are still side by side. We are both all gay. The Winter will be awful, I bet, it is terrible at nights now ....’ £750-£850
Four: Serjeant S. C. Jiggins, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, late Army Cyclist Corps british War and Victory Medals (117 Pte., A. Cyc. Corps); India General Service 1908-35, 1 clasp, Burma 1930-32 (5376800 Sjt., Oxf. & Bucks. L.I.); Army L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 3rd issue, Regular Army (5376800 Sjt., Oxf. & Bucks. L.I.), mounted as worn, edge bruising, first two worn; others nearly very fine and better (4) £100-140 £100-£140
Indian Mutiny 1857-59, 1 clasp, Delhi (Capt. C. Jones, 1st Bn. 60th Rifles) nearly extremely fine £700-800 M.I.D. London Gazette 4 February 1859. ‘... On Captain C. Jones, commanding Her Majesty’s 1st battalion 60th Rifles, and his officers and men, I cannot bestow too much praise. In bringing Captain Jones’s name to his Lordship’s notice, I am sorry to be obliged to add, that he received a severe contusion from a round shot, just as it was getting dusk. On Captain Jones being wounded, the command of the regiment devolved on Captain McQueen. ...’. - the despatches of Brigadier C. W. Troup, Commanding Moveable Column. conyngham Jones was first commissioned as an Ensign with the 60th Rifles on 25 February 1848. He was advanced to Lieutenant in October 1852 and Captain in May 1856. Serving in the suppression of the Indian Mutiny from 3 June 1857, he served at the battle of Budlee ke Serai and the taking of the heights before Delhi. In the subsequent siege operations he was severely wounded on 23 June 1857 at Hindu Rao’s house, Delhi. He then served in the campaign in Rohilcund in 1858, including the actions of Bugawalla and Nugena, relief of Moradabad, the action on the Dojura, the assault and capture of Bareilly, the attack and bombardment of Shahjehanpore, the capture of the fort of Bunnai, pursuit of the enemy along the left bank of the River Goomtee, the destruction of the fort of Mahomdee, the attack and destruction of Shahabad, and the action at Bunkagong. During the campaign in Oudh, 1858-59, he served in the action of Pusagaon, commanded the 1st Battalion 60th Rifles at the battle of Rissoolpore, and the attack and capture of Fort Mittowlie. For his services he was mentioned in despatches and awarded the brevet of Major. Sold with copied research and photograph. The published casualty roll states that Captain C. Jones, 1st Battalion 60th Foot, was severely wounded at Umballa, 19 June 1857. £700-£800
Afghanistan 1878-80, 1 clasp, Ahmed Khel (Captain Geo. Hewitt Trotman, 2/60th Foot) edge bruise, very fine £350-400 George Hewitt Trotman was born on 12 January 1837. He purchased his first commission in May 1857 and was advanced to Lieutenant in August 1859 and Captain in January 1869. Serving in the Afghan War from October 1878 until July 1880, he took part in the advance on and occupation of Kandahar and Kelat-i-Ghilzai and was present at the battle of Ahmed Khel, the surrender of Ghazni and the action at Arzu. He was promoted Major in June 1880 and retired with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in October 1887. He was later ranked as an Honorary Colonel. Sold with copied research and photograph. £350-£400
dame Truelove's Tales, Now First Published as Useful Lessons for Little Misses and Masters, and Ornamented with Appropriate Engravings, 1817 frontis., engd. plts., (frontis. and last leaf torn), orig. mor. backed printed paper bds.; Aldin (C.) Old Manor Houses, 1923, cold. plts., orig. cl.; Jones' Views of the Seats, Mansions, Castles, &c of Noblemen and Gentlemen, 1829, 4to., engd. plts., hf. mor., (rubbed); Price (F.G.H.) The Marygold by Temple Bar, 1902, 4to., orig. cl. gt.; with A Quantity of Other Volumes (qty.)
Henry Jones Thaddeus (Irish, 1860-1929) A portrait of the Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia, aged four, oil on canvas, signed and dated 1886 left centre, with the Romanov arms upper right, the canvas 97 x 66 cm (38 x 26 in), in a gilt gesso rococo frame. Note: An old label on the stretcher identifies the subject as Grand Duchess Olga, younger daughter of Tsar Alexander III and sister of Tsar Nicholas II. In fact, the subject is Elena, the daughter of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, Alexander III's younger brother, and therefore Nicholas II's first cousin. Born in 1882, she married Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark and died in 1957. Thaddeus painted her at her father's house in Cannes and his memoirs record her as being 'a bright-eyed, fascinating child, but rebellious and hot-tempered'. He recounts how one day during the sitting she 'pouted the whole time', before attacking her nanny and then Thaddeus himself with a paper-knife.
A Boer and First World War family group. Volunteer Long Service and Good Conduct (Edward VII) medal to Lt. Col. C. C. Braithwaite 2/V.B. Bedford Regiment. Group of eight:- QSA with Cape Colony, Wittebergen and South Africa 1901 clasps (Lieut. A. Braithwaite Bedford Reg.) First World War trio (Capt. later Major E/AFR.O.D.), Second World War medal and Defence medal. 1911 Coronation medal and Territorial Decoration (Edward VII) un-named.
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