TOPIC:

Picture courtesy of Noonan's

QSA (3) Cape Colony, Orange Free State, South Africa 1902, unofficial rivets between state and date clasps (6115 Pte. W. Brinkley. Rifle Brigade.)

William Henry Brinkley, a Carman from Marylebone, Middlesex, attested into the Rifle Brigade Militia on 11 November 1901 and served in South Africa during the Boer War from 21 December 1901 to 3 October 1902.

Picture courtesy of Noonan's

QSA (3) Natal, Tugela Heights, Relief of Ladysmith (9876 Pte. J. Riley. Rifle Brigade.)

John Riley served with the Composite Battalion of the Rifle Brigade and the King’s Royal Rifle Corps in South Africa during the Boer War.

Noonan's say the lot is sold with copied medal roll extracts, with entitlement for the Natal clasp originally annotated ‘Yes’ before being crossed out; the Natal clasp was not awarded to men who had received any other clasp for action in the Natal, and so as a recipient of the Tugela Heights and Relief of Ladysmith clasps Riley would have been precluded from receiving the Natal clasp.

WO100/211p157

Picture courtesy of Noonan's

QSA (5) Cape Colony, Tugela Heights, Relief of Ladysmith, Transvaal, Laing’s Nek (7121. Pte. E. Cording. Rifle Bde.) engraved naming

Edmund Cording was born in Walbrock, London, on 5 October 1860, and attested originally for the King’s Royal Rifle Corps, underage, on 24 February 1877, claiming to be 19 years and 4 months. He served with the 4th Battalion in India, and was discharged on 23 June 1883, after 7 years and 42 days’ service. He re-enlisted in the 17th Lancers under the alias of Lewis Edmond Arundell on 23 August of that year, but deserted just four days later; captured, he was imprisoned by General Court Martial and forfeited all previous service. Re-enlisting under a different alias, that of Victor Alleyn Faust, in the Ordnance Store Corps on 20 June 1884, he served with them for a further 3 years and 29 days, before once again deserting, and then enlisted under his real named in the 2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade, on 19 July 1887. This final enlistment was clearly more to his liking, for his conduct over the next twelve years, both at home and in India, was deemed to be very good. On 1 February 1899, under a general amnesty then in place, he confessed to his previous service and desertion from the Ordnance Staff Corps, and received a Queen’s pardon, with his previous service of 3 years and 29 days being credited to his service record.

Cording served with the 1st Battalion, Rifle Brigade, in South Africa during the Boer War from 27 October 1899 to 27 February 1901 (also entitled to a South Africa 1901 clasp), and subsequently served briefly in Malta in 1904. He was discharged on 16 November 1904, after 27 years and 264 days’ service, with his conduct being described as ‘exemplary’. He did not, however, receive a Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.

He died in Portsmouth in 1932.

Picture courtesy of Morton and Eden

[ Queen's Sudan ];
QSA (3) Defence of Ladysmith, Laing’s Nek, Belfast (3072 Pte. E. Russell. Rifle Brigade);
[ KSA (2) ];
[ Khedive Sudan ]

Ernest Russell of the 2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade served initially in the Sudan during the Khartoum campaign of 1898 and then during the Second Boer War.

Picture courtesy of Spink

Queen's Sudan (3726 Pte M. Hearley 2/R.Bde:);
QSA (3) Defence of Ladysmith, Laings Nek, Belfast (3726 Pte M. Hearley, Rifle Brigade);
KSA (2) (3726 Pte M. Hearley. Rifle Brigade.);
1914-15 Star (B-795 Sjt M. Hearley. Rif:Brig:), the number double struck;
British War and Victory Medals (B-795 A.W.O. Cl. 2. M. Hearley. Rif. Brig.);
Khedive's Sudan 1896-1908, unnamed as issued,

Maurice Hearley was born at Shoreditch, London in 1877 and enlisted at 4 May 1895 at London, being posted to the 2nd Battalion. His first overseas posting was to Malta on 24 September 1897 and from there the Battalion was ordered to Egypt on 12 July 1898 for service in the Sudan. They formed part of Gatacre's British Division at the Battle of Omdurman on 2 September 1898, stationed of the left of the British line.

The defeat of the Mahdi resulted in the British withdrawal from the country and the Rifle Brigade was posted to Crete on 21 September 1898. They were still there the next year when tensions with the Boers reached fever pitch and the Battalion was posted to South Africa accordingly on 2 October 1899.

The war began on 11 October and the Battalion was rushed to join the British army in Ladysmith, finding themselves cut off there by the Boer advance. They were in action during the action at Waggon Hill, reinforcing the Manchesters, Gordons and Imperial Light Horse there. They later saw heavy fighting at the Battle of Belfast, seeing high casualties in the process.

Hearley was later posted to Egypt on 2 September 1902 and from their finally sent home to Britain on 18 March 1903. He served there until he was finally discharged on 3 May 1907. Returning to the colours on the outbreak of the Great War, he re-enlisted on 25 August 1914 with the Rifle Brigade.

Entering the war in France on 20 May 1915 with the 8th Battalion, they saw action at Delville Wood in 1916, Arras and Passchendaele in 1917 and the Hundred Days in 1918.

Hearley survived the war and was finally discharged on 25 February 1919.

The Boer War DCM trio to Sgt J H Brooke is here.