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A close-up of the medals to Downing, courtesy of Spink.

From Lusted c 1973

DCM VR (Sgt W J Park CIV)
QSA (4) CC Joh Witt DH (Sgt W J Park CIV)
BWM & VM (Pte ACC)

17 DCMs to the CIV. £135.

Downing's group sold for £4,400 (hammer) this afternoon.

Picture courtesy of Liverpool Medals

DCM Ed VII
QSA (6) Belm MR Paar Drie Joh DH
KSA (2)
Army LS&GC GV (Sergeant George Frederick Walker, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment)

Born in Preston in 1874, joining his local Regiment the Loyal North Lancs aged 18 on 22nd July 1893.

He served with distinction during the Boer War, earning 6 battle bars to his Q.S.A. also being mentioned in Lord Robert’s despatch to the Secretary for War of 4th April 1901, being awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal.

He was awarded his LS&GC in 1912 and was finally discharged having completed his long service on 20th July 1914 aged 40.

Unfortunately for him the war broke out but he did not have to go abroad, serving at Home as Regimental Sergeant Major from 28th September 1914 until 8th February 1919 so this is his full entitlement.

£2495.

Picture courtesy of DNW

DCM Ed VII (74816 Sjt: J. Tatton. 92nd Coy. R.G.A.);
QSA (3) CC OFS Tr (74816 Sgt. J. Tatton, 15th Coy. S.D., R.G.A.);
KSA (2) (74816 Serjt: J. Tatton. R.G.A.);
BWM (74816 W.O. Cl. II. J. Tatton. R.A.);
Army LS&GC Ed VII (74816 C.S. Mjr: J. Tatton. R.G.A.);
MSM GVI (74816 W.O. Cl. I. J. Tatton. D.C.M. R.A.)

DCM London Gazette 27 September 1901. MID London Gazette 10 September 1901. MSM awarded under terms of Army Order 98 of 1953 without annuity.

‘On the night of the 18th November [1900] the telegraph wires on each side of Balmoral were cut, and explosions in both directions indicated that the railway line had been tampered with. At 3.30 a.m. on the 19th November firing began on South West Hill, which was occupied by “A” Company, consisting of Captain Finch Hatton, Second-Lieutenant Trueman, and forty-nine non-commissioned officers and men. The firing continued for half an hour, and then it was seen the Boers had captured the hill. Fire was now opened by the Boers on the camp, on the north by two guns and a pom-pom, and by a large party of Boers in the Poort. Other parties attacked the post at East Railway Bridge, and an attack by about 100 was made on South Hill, which was reinforced by the Mounted Infantry of the King’s Liverpool Regiment. The Railway Station was shelled, a pom-pom shell damaging one of the telegraph instruments. Gun and pom-pom shells were also directed to the 6-in. howitzer, in the gun-pit in the camp, and as the tents were in the rear of it, they were riddled with shrapnel bullets. No casualties, however, occurred from the Boer shells. The 6-in. howitzer, the only gun in camp, ably handled by Sergeant Tatton, R.G.A., did excellent work. One shell placed on South West Hill, soon after it was captured, killed two Boers and wounded three others, but failed to burst, or it would have done much more damage. Another shell put one of the Boer guns out of action, and another obliged the pom-poms to retire. In all 48 shells were fired in various directions during the six hours the attack lasted, and to those who know what a howitzer of this size is like, the hard work can be imagined.’

‘On the night of 18th May [1901] a party of Boers tried to cross the line three miles east of Balmoral. The Ganger’s Hut being engaged with them, the 6-inch howitzer was ordered to fire two shells, as the Boers were within range of it. On the first shot being fired the shell burst in the howitzer and blew it to bits, some of the pieces being found nearly a mile away; two of the gunners were killed on the spot and ten wounded [including Sergeant Tatton]. Had the howitzer not been inside the gun pit, the casualties must have been much heavier. Captain Mairis had a narrow escape. The wounded gunners were sent to hospital at Pretoria the next day, and the two gunners killed were buried in the little cemetery near Lindeque’s Farm, everyone off duty attending the funeral, also the band and drums; Lieutenant-Colonel Backhouse read the funeral service.’

The catalogue does not say anything about his Great War service and whether the BWM is his full entitlement.

Hi
I bought the Tatton group in 1983.

I disposed of it at the previous City Coins Auction (Sept 2017).
It was subsequently sold at Kaplan's, and now pitches up at DNW.
Quite some movement after being dormant for 35 years!!
Henk
PS Nostalgic about the £/ZAR rate of exchange in the "Old South Africa" of the time!
H