Zealand, the sovereignty of which had been ceded to Britain in 1840, a
year after the first settlers had established themselves. The trouble
arose mainly owing to the occupation of tribal land, although other
causes were alleged. The first outbreak took place in July 1844,
when a police magistrate and a number of settlers were killed, and a
powerful chief, Hone Heke, tore down the British flag at Kororareka--in
the north islands--took possession of the township and plundered it.
H.M.S. "Hazard," with a detachment of the 95th, was sent to quell the
disturbance and guard the place, but so persistent and successful
was Heke in his attacks that it was deemed advisable, in March 1845,
to abandon the settlement and embark the inhabitants for Auckland.
On the arrival of reinforcements from Sydney, the Union Jack was
again hoisted, and martial law proclaimed. A force consisting of the
58th Regiment, a detachment of the 96th, Seamen and Marines from the
"Hazard" and "North Star," and a number of natives under Colonel Hulme
of the 96th Regiment, then proceeded to Okaihau, where Heke had built
a Pah or fortification. Although only 18 miles inland, the troops
were four days in reaching their goal, and then the place was found
impregnable, and as no artillery accompanied the expedition, it was
forced to return, having lost 14 killed and 39 wounded. The expedition
being strengthened by reinforcements, another attempt was made to try
conclusions with Heke, who had entrenched himself at Oheawai. The 58th
Regiment, with detachments of the 96th and 99th, a number of volunteers
from Auckland, and 30 men from the "Hazard," in all 630 men with 250
natives and 4 guns, under the command of Colonel Despard, appeared
before Oheawai on June 23rd; the guns, however, proved useless for
the work, but breaches were made with a 32-pounder brought up by the
commander of the "Hazard." On July 1st an assault was made by 200
soldiers and seamen, but half the stormers were killed or wounded, and
they were compelled to retire. They consequently sat down in front of
the stockades, and when preparing to make another assault, on July
10th, they discovered that the enemy had evacuated their Pah. In
November 1845 more active measures were taken by the newly appointed
Governor, Captain (afterwards Sir George) Grey. A force of about
1,170 soldiers, volunteers, and seamen, with 450 natives, 4 guns, and
rocket tubes, were sent against the chiefs Heke and Kawiti. While a
friendly Maori chief, Macquarrie, kept Heke engaged at Ikorangi, the
main force attacked the Pah at Ruapekapeka held by Kawiti, which after
withstanding a siege from December 31st until January 10th, 1846, was
practically abandoned by the Maoris, and then taken with a loss of 13
men killed and 30 wounded. The chiefs were pardoned, and the war in the
North Island ended. Meanwhile trouble had been brewing in the South
Island, which was brought to a head by an attack in May 1847 on a party
of the 58th Regiment. A reprisal was made by the British attacking
the stockade of Rangihaeata, and dispersing the natives, 600 of whom,
however, on May 19th made an attack on the Wanganui settlement, and
maintained it for several hours until night fell, when they retired.
The place was held by 170 of the 58th, assisted by a gunboat. Early in
June an attack was made on a detachment of the 65th; but following a
sortie from the block-houses, held by the 58th, the Maori chiefs sued
for peace.
The regiments engaged were the 58th, 65th, 96th, 99th; Royal Artillery;
Royal Engineers; H.E.I. Co.'s Artillery; Royal Marines, and the crews
of nine of Her Majesty's ships, the names of which are recorded in the
naval section. The medal for the war was not authorised until March
1869.
=Medal for Peninsular War.=--It would appear strange that although a
medal was so readily awarded for Waterloo, no recognition was given to
the veterans of the Peninsular, and that they should have to wait until
1847 before a medal was issued as a record of, and reward for, their
services against the veteran troops of France. That they ultimately
received a decoration was due to the efforts of the veteran Duke of
Richmond, who, on July 21st, 1854, presented a petition in the House
of Lords, "requesting their Lordships' recommendation of them to their
Sovereign, that they may receive a decoration for the services they had
performed." The gallant Duke urged the claims of the junior officers,
non-commissioned officers, and men in simple but powerful terms,
while the Duke of Wellington, who had previously refused to present a
petition to King George, opposed the grant to the survivors of over
sixty battalions of the army who had, as he admitted, served under him
in six campaigns.
He appeared, according to the record of the debate, to have thought
only of the senior officers. "Have no rewards been bestowed upon
these officers?" he asked. "New modes were discovered and adopted of
distinguishing and rewarding the officers." Medals had been struck
and distributed to 1,300 officers, special brevets were issued, and 7
officers raised to the peerage, as the Duke of Wellington pointed out;
but he had no word of remembrance, no word of support for the thousands
of officers and men whose only rewards had been hardship and scars.
No word of commendation for the men who kept "grim Busaco's bloody
ridge," and ultimately hurled the veterans of Marengo and Austerlitz
into the ravine below; or for those who added laurels to Britain's
fame at Fuentes d'Onor (Fountain of Honour); the Fusiliers and their
brave companions in arms who fought so splendidly and so fiercely on
the heights of Albuera, where the 57th--the first battalion of the
Middlesex Regiment--gained their coveted _nom de guerre_, "Die Hards,"
for, as Napier states, "nothing could stop that astonishing infantry,"
which turned the day in the bloodiest battle of the war. It was indeed
a soldiers' battle, but the senior officers, as usual, received the
gold medal. What a case the Duke of Richmond had if only by stating
the result of this one battle, after which "1,800 unwounded men, the
remnant of 6,000 unconquerable British soldiers, stood triumphant on
the fatal hill." The Iron Duke must have forgotten the gallant storming
of the breaches at Ciudad Rodrigo, the success of which gained for him
his viscountcy; the storming of Badajoz, which caused him to weep at
the cost of the victory, and Orthes, where Picton's men climbed the
rough, rocky bank, and Colborne's 52nd undauntedly pressed forward
knee-deep in the marshy swamp and up the hill to the victory which
practically determined the Peninsular campaign.
In his efforts, however, to oppose and belittle the claims of the
petitioners for the Peninsular medal he incidentally and unconsciously
brought forward the claims of those who had fought in Egypt and on
the high seas, and at the battle of the Nile and Trafalgar, from the
"Glorious First of June" to the blockade of France and the Bay of
Biscay during the Peninsular War. As a result, we may assume, of his
arguments against the issue of what is known as the "Military General
Service Medal," when the claims came to be considered it was felt that
justice must also be done to the sister service, and the "Naval General
Service Medal" was likewise instituted on June 1st, 1847, when by a
General Order it was commanded that medals be struck and conferred
upon every officer and soldier who was present at any battle or siege
for which gold medals had been awarded. The medal was given to those
who had taken part in the Peninsular Campaign, Egypt, Italy, North
America, and in the East and West Indies; and although thirty-four
years had elapsed since the last battle, Toulouse, in 1814, over 30,000
applicants made good their claims to the medal. Only six applied for
fifteen bars, and of these two made good their claims, Private Talbot
of the 45th, and Private Loochstädt, formerly of the King's German
Legion. This medal is in Lord Cheylesmore's collection.
=The Military General Service Medal.=--The medal, 1⅖ in. in diameter,
bears on the obverse the diademed head of Queen Victoria, with VICTORIA
REGINA on either side of the head, and the date of issue, ~1848~,
underneath. On the reverse is depicted Queen Victoria, robed and
crowned, standing on a daïs in the act of placing a laurel wreath on
the head of the Duke of Wellington, who kneels on his left knee and
holds his field-marshal's baton in his right hand. By the side of the
daïs is the British Lion dormant; above is the inscription TO THE
BRITISH ARMY, and in the exergue ~1793-1814~. In the left-hand corner
of the exergue is the letter "w," the initial of W. Wyon, R.A., the
medallist. The medal depends from a straight clasp, which is attached
to the medal by a swivelled four-claw clip. The ribbon is 1¼ in. wide,
of dark crimson with blue edges. The recipient's name, rank, and
regiment are impressed in Roman capitals. It is noteworthy that the
bars, which are 1³⁄₁₀ in. by ⅒ in., are arranged in sets of three,
where the number warrants, the earliest date being nearest the medal.
Those awarded to the infantry are arranged ³⁄₄₀ in. apart until the
number exceeds six, when they are arranged, like those issued to the
cavalry, closely together.
The following regiments received the medal with bars--the bar for EGYPT
being granted by General Order dated February 11th, 1850; and as an
indication of the depletion of the ranks of those who fought in 1801, I
might mention that only three officers--Hill, Beaven, and Deane--of the
18th Royal Irish Regiment were alive to receive the Military General
Service Medal with the bar for Egypt.
[Illustration: English Crimea.
Turkish Crimea.
MEDALS FOR CRIMEAN WAR.]
EGYPT, 1801.--The 2nd and 3rd Foot Guards; 1st, 2nd, 8th, 10th, 13th,
18th, 20th, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 30th, 40th, 42nd, 44th,
50th, 54th, 58th, 61st, 79th, 80th, 86th, 88th, 89th, 90th, 92nd, and
96th Foot; 11th, 12th, and 26th Light Dragoons; Hompesch's Hussars; De
Rolls and Dillon's Regiments; Corsican Rangers; and the 2nd and 13th
Bombay Infantry.
MAIDA, July 4th, 1806.--20th, 27th, 35th, 58th, 61st, 78th, and 81st
Foot; 20th Light Dragoons.
ROLEIA, August 17th, 1808.--5th, 6th, 9th, 29th, 32nd, 36th, 38th,
40th, 45th, 50th, 60th, 71st, 82nd, 91st, 95th, and 97th Foot; 20th
Light Dragoons.
VIMIERA, August 21st, 1808.--2nd, 5th, 6th, 9th, 20th, 29th, 32nd,
36th, 38th, 40th, 43rd, 45th, 50th, 52nd, 60th, 71st, 82nd, 91st, 95th,
and 97th Foot; 20th Light Dragoons.
SAHAGUN, December 20th, 1808.--7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th Hussars; 3rd
Hussars, K.G.L., and two batteries of Horse Artillery.
CORUNNA, January 16th, 1809.--1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 9th, 14th, 20th,
23rd, 26th, 28th, 32nd, 36th, 38th, 42nd, 43rd, 50th, 51st, 52nd, 59th,
60th, 71st, 76th, 79th, 81st, 82nd, 91st, 92nd, 95th; 1st and 3rd
Batts. 1st Foot Guards; 7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th Light Dragoons; 3rd
Dragoons, K.G.L.; three batteries Royal Horse Artillery; five batteries
Royal Artillery; 1st and 2nd Light Battalions, K.G.L.
MARTINIQUE, February 24th, 1809.--7th, 8th, 13th, 15th, 23rd, 25th,
46th, 60th, 63rd, and 90th Foot; 1st West India Regiment, and the Royal
York Rangers.
TALAVERA, July 27th-28th, 1809.--2nd and 3rd Foot Guards; 2nd, 3rd,
4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 20th, 24th, 28th, 29th, 31st, 32nd, 36th, 38th,
40th, 42nd, 43rd, 45th, 48th, 50th, 52nd, 53rd, 60th, 61st, 66th, 71st,
79th, 82nd, 83rd, 87th, 88th, 91st, 92nd, 95th, and 97th Foot; 3rd
Dragoon Guards; 4th, 14th, 16th, and 23rd Light Dragoons; 1st Light
Dragoons, K.G.L.; 1st and 2nd Light Battalions, K.G.L.; 1st, 2nd,
4th, 5th, and 7th Line Battalions, K.G.L.; 1st Hussars; 2nd and 4th
Batteries Foot Artillery, K.G.L.
GUADALOUPE, January to February 6th, 1810.--1st, 13th, 15th, 25th,
46th, 60th, 63rd, 70th, 90th, and 96th Foot; Marine Artillery and
Naval Brigade; the Light Companies of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th
West India Regiments; the 8th West India Regiment; York Light Infantry
Volunteers; Royal York Rangers; Royal Artillery and Military Artificers.
BUSACO, September 27th, 1810.--1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 24th,
27th, 29th, 31st, 34th, 38th, 39th, 40th, 42nd, 43rd, 45th, 48th, 50th,
52nd, 53rd, 57th, 60th, 61st, 66th, 74th, 79th, 83rd, 88th, 95th, and
97th Foot; three batteries of Royal Artillery; and the 1st and 2nd
Light Batts. and the 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 7th Line Batts., K.G.L.; 4th,
14th, and 16th Light Dragoons; 2nd and 3rd Foot Guards.
BARROSA, March 5th, 1811.--1st, 2nd, and 3rd Foot Guards; 9th, 28th,
47th, 67th, 82nd, 87th, and 95th Foot.
FUENTES D'ONOR, May 5th, 1811.--1st, 4th, 5th, 9th, 24th, 30th, 38th,
42nd, 43rd, 44th, 45th, 50th, 51st, 52nd, 60th, 71st, 74th, 79th, 83rd,
85th, 88th, 92nd, 94th, and 95th Foot; 1st Dragoons; 14th and 16th
Light Dragoons; 1st Hussars, K.G.L.; 1st and 2nd Light Batts., K.G.L.;
1st, 2nd, 5th, and 7th Line Battalions, K.G.L.; 2nd and 3rd Foot Guards.
ALBUERA,[6] May 11th, 1811.--3rd, 7th, 23rd, 27th, 28th, 29th, 31st,
34th, 39th, 40th, 48th, 57th, 60th, 66th, and 97th Foot; 3rd Dragoon
Guards; 4th and 13th Light Dragoons.
[6] Spelt ALBUHERA on bars.
JAVA, August to September 18th, 1811.--14th, 59th, 69th, 78th, and 89th
Foot; 22nd Light Dragoons; Indian Native Cavalry, Infantry, and Bengal
Volunteers.
CIUDAD RODRIGO, January 19th, 1812.--2nd and 3rd Foot Guards; 5th, 7th,
23rd, 24th, 30th, 40th, 42nd, 43rd, 45th, 48th, 52nd, 60th, 74th, 77th,
83rd, 88th, 94th, and 95th Foot.
BADAJOZ, March 17th to April 6th, 1812.--2nd Foot Guards; 1st, 4th,
5th, 7th, 23rd, 27th, 30th, 38th, 40th, 43rd, 44th, 45th, 48th, 52nd,
60th, 74th, 77th, 83rd, 85th, 88th, 94th, and 95th Foot; 13th and 14th
Light Dragoons.
SALAMANCA, July 22nd, 1812.--2nd and 3rd Foot Guards; 1st, 2nd, 4th,
5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 23rd, 24th, 27th, 30th, 32nd, 36th, 38th, 40th,
42nd, 43rd, 44th, 45th, 48th, 51st, 52nd, 53rd, 58th, 60th, 61st, 68th,
74th, 79th, 83rd, 88th, 94th, and 95th Foot; 5th Dragoon Guards; 3rd,
4th, 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th, and 16th Light Dragoons; and the following
regiments of the K.G.L.: 1st Hussars; 1st and 2nd Light Battalions,
1st, 2nd, and 5th Line Battalions, and Artillery.
VITTORIA, June 21st, 1813.--2nd and 3rd Foot Guards; 1st, 2nd, 4th,
5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 20th, 23rd, 24th, 27th, 28th, 31st, 34th, 38th,
39th, 40th, 43rd, 45th, 47th, 48th, 50th, 51st, 52nd, 53rd, 57th, 58th,
59th, 60th, 66th, 68th, 71st, 74th, 82nd, 83rd, 87th, 88th, 92nd, 94th,
and 95th Foot; two squadrons 1st and 2nd Life Guards and Horse Guards;
1st Dragoons; 3rd and 5th Dragoon Guards; 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 12th,
13th, 14th, 16th, and 18th Light Dragoons; 15th Hussars.
PYRENEES, July 28th to August 2nd, 1813.--2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th,
11th, 20th, 23rd, 24th, 27th, 28th, 31st, 32nd, 34th, 36th, 39th, 40th,
42nd, 43rd, 45th, 48th, 50th, 51st, 52nd, 53rd, 57th, 58th, 60th, 61st,
66th, 68th, 71st, 74th, 79th, 82nd, 83rd, 87th, 88th, 91st, 92nd, 94th,
and 95th Foot; 13th and 14th Light Dragoons.
FORT DETROIT, August 16th, 1812.--Three hundred men of the 41st Foot;
Newfoundland Regiment; Canadian Militia, and 600 Indians; Royal
Artillery (30 men).
SAN SEBASTIAN, August and September 9th, 1813.--200 of the Foot Guards;
1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 20th, 23rd, 24th, 27th, 36th, 38th,
40th, 43rd, 47th, 48th, 51st, 52nd, 53rd, 59th, 68th, 82nd, 85th, 87th,
88th, and 95th Foot, and a Naval Brigade.
CHATEAUGUAY, October 26th, 1812.--Royal Artillery; Indians; Canadian
Fencibles; Canadian Militia; Voltigeurs; and Chasseurs.
NIVELLE, November 10th, 1813.--1st, 2nd, and 3rd Foot Guards; 1st, 2nd,
3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 20th, 23rd, 24th, 27th, 28th, 31st,
32nd, 34th, 36th, 38th, 39th, 40th, 42nd, 43rd, 45th, 47th, 48th, 50th,
51st, 52nd, 53rd, 57th, 58th, 59th, 60th, 61st, 62nd, 66th, 68th, 71st,
74th, 76th, 79th, 82nd, 83rd, 84th, 85th, 87th, 88th, 91st, 92nd, 94th
and 95th Foot; and the following regiments of the K.G.L.: 1st and 2nd
Light Battalions; 1st, 2nd, and 5th Line Battalions; 12th, 13th, 14th,
and 18th Light Dragoons.
CHRYSTLER'S FARM, November 11th, 1813.--49th and 89th Foot; Canadian
Fencibles; Canadian Militia; Indians; Voltigeurs; and Royal Artillery.
NIVE, December 9th to 13th, 1813.--1st, 2nd, and 3rd Foot Guards; 1st,
2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 20th, 23rd, 27th, 28th, 31st, 32nd,
34th, 36th, 38th, 39th, 40th, 42nd, 43rd, 45th, 47th, 48th, 50th, 52nd,
53rd, 57th, 59th, 60th, 61st, 62nd, 66th, 71st, 74th, 76th, 79th, 83rd,
84th, 85th, 87th, 88th, 91st, 92nd, 94th, and 95th Foot; 7th, 12th,
13th, 14th, 16th, and 18th Light Dragoons.
ORTHES, February 17th, 1814.--2nd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 11th, 20th, 23rd,
24th, 27th, 28th, 31st, 32nd, 34th, 36th, 37th, 39th, 40th, 42nd, 45th,
48th, 50th, 51st, 52nd, 57th, 58th, 60th, 61st, 66th, 68th, 71st, 74th,
82nd, 83rd, 87th, 88th, 91st, 92nd, 94th, and 95th Foot; 3rd, 7th,
10th, 13th, 14th, 15th, and 18th Light Dragoons.
TOULOUSE, April 10th, 1814.--1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 11th, 20th, 23rd,
27th, 28th, 31st, 32nd, 34th, 36th, 39th, 40th, 42nd, 43rd, 45th, 48th,
50th, 52nd, 53rd, 57th, 60th, 61st, 66th, 71st, 74th, 79th, 83rd, 87th,
88th, 91st, 92nd, 94th, and 95th Foot; 2 squadrons 1st and 2nd Life
Guards and Horse Guards; 1st Dragoons; 3rd and 5th Dragoon Guards; 3rd,
4th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 14th, 15th, and 18th Light Dragoons.
[Illustration: FIRST FRENCH MÉDAILLE MILITAIRE.]
[Illustration: SARDINIAN MEDAL.]
[Illustration: MEDAL FOR SECOND CHINESE WAR.]
Twenty-eight bars were authorised. Twenty-one for the Peninsular, three
for North America, two for services in the West Indies, one for Italy,
and one for Egypt, 1801, "to those who were still alive." The bars, it
should be noted, vary in their arrangement, some being farther apart
than others, those awarded to the cavalry being very close together,
and those to the infantry ³⁄₄₀ in. apart. If more than six are attached
they are placed quite close like those for the cavalry. The bars are
attached in sets of three, so that no rivets were used in the fixing of
two or three bars to a medal, the set being struck in one piece; six,
nine, or more bars were riveted together with very neat, small-headed
rivets.
=The India Medal, 1799-1826.=--The European veterans of the Indian
wars had been as badly treated in the way of war decorations as the
heroes of the Peninsular, but an effort to reward the survivors was
made public by the announcement on April 14th, 1851--forty-eight years
after the first battle, for which a bar was issued, was fought--that
the Queen had assented to the measure proposed by the Court of
Directors of the East India Company to grant a medal at their expense
to the surviving officers and soldiers of the Crown who were engaged
in the services in India from 1799 to 1826. On the obverse is the
diademed head of Queen Victoria with VICTORIA REGINA similar to that
on the obverse of the medals already described, and on the reverse a
seated figure of Victory, holding in her left hand, which falls by
her side, a chaplet of laurel, and in her right hand an olive branch.
In the background is a palm tree, and in front a trophy of oriental
arms. Above all is inscribed TO THE ARMY OF INDIA, and in the exergue
~1790-1826~ and W.W., the initials of the medallist, in small capitals.
The medal is 1⅖ in. in diameter, attached to a scroll suspender as
used with the Punjab and Sutlej medals; the bars are also of the same
design. The ribbon of pale-blue corded silk is 1¼ in. wide. The names,
etc., of the European recipients were impressed in capital Roman
letters, but most of those awarded to native officers and soldiers
were officially engraved in a light, slanting script.
=Bars Awarded.=--Twenty-one bars were issued with the medal: ALLIGHUR,
DELHI, ASSYE, ASSEERGHUR, LASWARREE, ARGAUM, GAWILGHUR, DEFENCE OF
DELHI, DEIG, CAPTURE OF DEIG, NEPAUL, KIRKEE, POONA, KIRKEE AND POONA,
SEETABULDEE, NAGPORE, SEETABULDEE AND NAGPORE, MAHEIDPOOR, CORYGAUM,
AVA, BHURTPOOR. Only four medals were issued with the single bar for
Seetabuldee and Nagpore, and one of these with edge impressed and
verification of award to a man of the 39th Native Infantry realised
£74 at auction. Nineteen only were issued for Assye, thirteen for
Gawilghur, twenty-six for Maheidpoor, forty-eight for Laswarree,
seventy-nine for Corygaum, but only a few of any of these to Europeans.
The Duke of Wellington's medal had three clasps; for ASSYE, ARGAUM, and
GAWILGHUR. Only thirteen with this combination were issued. A single
bar for Capture of Deig awarded to a Lieutenant-Colonel has realised
£50. An officer's four bar has realised £100, and a five bar £150. (See
sales prices.)
FIRST KAFFIR WARS
In 1834-5 the Kaffirs in South Africa became very troublesome and
necessitated the employment of armed force to subdue them, but the
first serious Kaffir war broke out in 1846 owing to the outrages
perpetrated by the Gaikas, and considerable fighting had to be done
before the Kaffirs, by this time armed with firearms, were subdued, and
Sandilli and his brother surrendered. In this campaign the following
regiments were represented: 6th, 27th, 45th, 73rd, 90th, 91st, and
1st Battalion Rifle Brigade; 7th Dragoon Guards; Royal Artillery;
Engineers, Sappers and Miners, also Cape Mounted Riflemen.
At the end of the year 1850 the Kaffirs were again in a turbulent
condition, and Sir Harry Smith, a Peninsular veteran whose record in
India I have indicated, summoned the chiefs to meet him, but Sandilli
ignored the invitation and was outlawed. Then began another protracted
war with the natives, during which several disasters befell the British
troops. In the Keiskamma defile misfortune overtook Colonel Mackinnon,
where with a force of 600 men, which included detachments of the 6th
and 73rd Regiments, he was ambuscaded. He, however, reached Fort Cox,
where the Governor, Sir Harry Smith, was surrounded by the dusky
hordes. He managed to get away with a flying escort, and safely reached
King William's Town. In June 1851 operations were conducted in the
Amatola and Wolf Valley with comparatively severe losses to the British
troops. In December the passage of the Kei was effected, despite
the enemy's ingenious attempt--a new method in warfare to them--at
constructing breastworks. Ultimately the chiefs of the Gaikas and
Seyolo requested peace upon terms which could not be conceded, and the
war was continued. In the spring of 1852 a determined advance was made
by the British against Sandilli's stronghold in the Amatola mountains,
from whence the 74th Highland Regiment, the "tortoises" as the Kaffirs
called them in allusion to the markings of their kilt, after much hard
fighting cleared them out. Sir Harry Smith was relieved of his command
at the Cape by Sir George Cathcart, and ultimately the Water Kloof was
cleared, and the Basutos under Moshesh defeated at Berea; Sandilli
again surrendered, and the recalcitrant natives were expelled from the
territory they had previously occupied.
The regiments represented in the campaign were the 2nd, 6th, 12th,
43rd, 45th; 2nd Batt. 60th Rifles; 73rd, 74th, 91st; 1st Batt. Rifle
Brigade; 12th Lancers; Royal Artillery; Engineers, Sappers and Miners;
Cape Mounted Rifles, Seamen and Marines.
=Loss of the "Birkenhead."=--The South African Wars of 1834-53 recall
the loss of the troopship "Birkenhead" on February 26th, 1852, when 9
officers and 349 men, drawn up in parade order on the deck, went to
a watery grave after placing the women and children, and sick, in the
boats. They were on their way out as drafts for the regiments engaged
in the third Kaffir war, which began at the end of 1850, and was not
terminated until March 1853. The German Emperor was so impressed with
the heroism of these British soldiers, who so calmly went to their
death, that he caused an account of their gallant conduct to be read to
every regiment of his army.
Those who took part in these wars were awarded a medal in a General
Order issued in November 1854, and although many of the recipients
had fought their battles twenty years previously, the medal, 1⅖ in.
in diameter, bore the date ~1853~ in the exergue, above which is an
admirably modelled lion, crouching under a mimosa bush; above all the
record SOUTH AFRICA. No bars were given with the medal, which was only
awarded to survivors, and the only way to distinguish the campaign for
which it was granted is by the name of the regiment indented on the
edge of the medal; but this means of identification is not possible in
medals issued to the Naval Brigade, for the rank only is frequently
given, as for instance, J. SHORE, STOKER. The diademed head of Queen
Victoria, as issued with the medal previously described, was used on
the obverse of this medal, which was suspended by a scroll clasp. The
ribbon is orange and watered, with two thick and thin stripes of dark
blue, leaving a narrow orange margin at the edge; the names, etc., were
indented on the edge in square Roman capitals. The illustration of the
medal is from a photograph of the one awarded to Captain (afterwards
Lieutenant-General) A. C. Bentinck of the 7th Dragoon Guards--father of
the present Duke of Portland.