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QSA and a Belgian Military Decoration, Leopold II, to 2nd Lt W S Sarney.


Picture courtesy of DNW

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 5 clasps, Paardeberg, Relief of Kimberley, Johannesburg, Rhodesia, Transvaal (No. 3776 Private W. Sarney 6th Dragoon Guards), neatly renamed; King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (No. 32242 Coy. Sergeant-Major W. S. Sarney), neatly renamed; 1914-15 Star (6760 Q.M. Sjt. W. S. Sarney, Dorset. R.); British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf (2 Lieut. W. S. Sarney); Delhi Durbar 1911, privately engraved naming, ‘8249 Cpl. W. S. Sarney, Madras V. Guards’; Belgium, Military Decoration, Leopold II, gilt, with distinguished service riband, mounted as worn, contained in an old A. H. Baldwin & Sons Ltd. case, polished overall, thus fine or better (7) £250-300

William Samuel Sarney, who originally arrived in France on 13 July 1915, as a Quarter-Master Sergeant in the 6th Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment, was subsequently commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 7th Battalion, East Surrey Regiment in August 1917.

Picture courtesy of DNW

Attributed to General Sir Ivo Lucius Beresford Vesey, K.C.B., K.B.E., C.M.G., D.S.O., The Queen’s Regiment.

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Military Division, silver-gilt and enamel, replacement ring suspension; The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, 1st type, Military Division, silver-gilt and enamel; The Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael & St. George, silver-gilt and enamel, ring suspension, enamel damage; Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., gold and enamel, enamel damage to reverse centre; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 5 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Rel. of Ladysmith, Transvaal, Laing’s Nek; King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps; 1914 Star, with clasp; British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf; Jubilee 1935; Coronation 1937; France, Legion of Honour, 4th Class, silver-gilt and enamel, rosette of ribbon; Belgium, Order of the Crown, 4th Class, silver-gilt and enamel, rosette on ribbon; Italy, Order of St. Maurice & St. Lazarus, with crown, silver-gilt and enamel, crown detached; Belgium, Croix de Guerre, mounted court style as worn, some other enamel damage additional to that stated above, generally very fine (15) £200-260

Mr djb, Sir ...

Whatever else could be said regarding the campaign medals of this truly massive group (wearing must have given the well-ordered General back strain!), surely the bars on the QSA and KSA are what Alec Purves mentions as items " supplied by military tailors to 'improve' the appearance " of both?

amb

Given that this group was only worn in mufti, very clearly the reverse was actually the case,

absentminded beggar wrote: Mr djb, Sir ...

Whatever else could be said regarding the campaign medals of this truly massive group (wearing must have given the well-ordered General back strain!), surely the bars on the QSA and KSA are what Alec Purves mentions as items " supplied by military tailors to 'improve' the appearance " of both?

amb

QSA with a Pollock Gold Medal


Picture courtesy of Dixons Medals

[CB CMG CBE]
Ashanti Star (unnamed)
QSA (3) CC OFS Tr (Lt Col)
BWM (Col)

Hugh Montgomerie Sinclair was born on 22 February 1855, son of the Rev. Canon W. Sinclair, Rector of Pulborough. He was educated at Malvern, Repton and Woolwich - where he was a Pollock medallist. Private Secretary to the High Commissioner of Cyprus, 1881-86; passed Staff College with Honours, 1890; served in the Ashanti campaign of 1895-96 and was mentioned in despatches and received the brevet of Lieutenant-Colonel; was Military Secretary to the G.O.C.-in-C., Bengal, 1899; A.A.G. in India, 1899-1901; served in South Africa during 1900, seeing action at Zilikats Nek and was mentioned in despatches; A.Q/M.G. Western District and Southern Command, 1903-07; Chief Engineer, Scottish Command, 1908-12.

He retired in 1912 but returned to service during the Great War, being Commandant of Railway Troops, R.E., Longmoor, 1914-19, for which he was again mentioned in despatches. For his many services he was awarded the C.B. in 1910, C.M.G. in 1917 and C.B.E. in 1919.

Colonel Sinclair died on 10 July 1924.

£2,985.

Pollock Medal:

Royal Military Academy, Pollock Medal, 2nd type, by B. Wyon, obverse: bust of Major-General Sir George Pollock facing left, in uniform, wearing the star of the Knight Grand Cross of the Bath and the Cabul Medal 1842, with the circumscription, ‘Pollock Cabul 1842’; reverse: ‘Royal Military Academy Pollock Prize, Founded by the British inhabitants of Calcutta to commemorate the eminent services of Major General Sir George Pollock G.C.B. and awarded to the Most Distinguished Cadet of the Season’, (Hugh Montgomerie Sinclair July 1874) minimum 22ct gold, 45mm., 63.89g

A QSA with a NSW LS&GC Medal


Picture courtesy of Noble Numismatics

Egypt (1) Suakin 1885 (304. Sergt.Maj: W.H.Coleman N.S.W.Arty)
QSA (4) CC OFS Tr SA01 (304 S.Major. W.H.Coleman, N.S.W.Art.)
New South Wales Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (trophy of arms obverse) (Bty:Sergt Major. W.Coleman. Permt.Arty)
Commonwealth of Australia Meritorious Service Medal (EVIIR) (No 1 Bat. Sgt. Maj. W.H.Coleman R.A.F.A 2nd M.D. 16.8.13)
Khedive Star

Ex Chris Thomas Collection. Previously ex Roxbury's Auction House Australia 1997 (lot 868).

William Hammond Coleman was born 15 Apr 1855 at Sofala, NSW, the son of a gold digger, and baptised in the Western Goldfields in the County of Wellington, NSW. He enlisted in the NSW Artillery in 1876 at the age of 21. In a statement made in 1906 recommending him for promotion, it was stated that Coleman had joined the regiment in 1876 attaining the rank of Battery Sergeant Major in 1883. In addition to Artillery work he rendered valuable service in connection with Equitation and Light Horse Schools, Staff Rides, Camps and other duties. He had a complete knowledge of Horse and Field Artillery work, both theoretical and practical, and was a first rate instructor and excellent horsemaster. He saw active service in the Soudan as Battery Sergeant Major in 1885 and likewise in South Africa in 1900-01 acting as Section Commander for about three months on column duty. On the return trip from South Africa he was Ship's Sergeant Major on the 'Harlech Castle' and was highly commended by the O.C. Ship, Colonel Antill.

Unfortunately his recommendation for promotion to Warrant Officer was not able to be effected because there was no vacancy for such rank in RAA of N.S.Wales. BSM William Coleman, known as 'Stripey', continued in his role as Battery Sergeant Major for many years right up until the Great War. He raised the Australian flag at Canberra on its naming ceremony on 12 March 1913.

It is of interest to know that during service in South Africa the casualties among horses was very great, particularly in non-regular units where the men were less experienced in caring for horses. However, in the Battery, the only horse to survive the war was that of BSM 'Stripey' Coleman.

William Hammond Coleman died on 27Aug1942 at the age of 87 and was buried at the Church of England Cemetery, Waverley, Sydney, NSW.

Estimate AU $10,000 or £4,700.