TOPIC:

Ian,

That's a great combination of awards and a fascinating history to accompany it. I know what you mean about the pitting on the QSA but, as you say, the medals must have been worn in many occasion.

A great contribution to this thread. Over a cup of coffee a few days ago I went through this thread from start to finish and think it is one of my favourite of all threads.

Best wishes
David

Ian

That must be an exceedingly rare combination of medals. Thank you for showing it. I agree with David that this is the best of threads and it is a pleasure to see new additions of the quality of your latest one.

Regards
Brett

It is quite common to see the Second Cruiser Squadron Medal for the tours of SA and South America but not frequently in a group:


Picture courtesy of Wellington Auctions

QSA (0) (AST. PAYR. J.S. PLACE. R.N. H.M.S. MONARCH.), 1914-15 Star; (FT. PAYR. J.S. PLACE, R.N.), BWM and VM (FT. PAYR. J.S. PLACE. R.N.); Second Cruiser Squadron Medal for the Goodwill tour of South America and South Africa in 1908, with 8 Clasps for: Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, Simonstown, Capetown, St. Helena, Rio de Janeiro, Monte Video, unnamed as issued.

John Spencer Place was born on 20th February 1875 in Warrington, Lancashire. Place joined the Royal Navy on 15th January 1892, and was posted as an Assistant Clerk aboard the battleship H.M.S. Victoria from 21st January 1892, before being posted shortly afterwards to the battleship H.M.S. Collingwood from 29th January 1892, returning to Victoria from 11th April 1892, seeing service in the Mediterranean, but was fortunate to be posted to the Orlando Class armoured cruiser H.M.S. Immortalite from 19th May 1893, as on 22nd June 1893, Victoria collided with Camperdown during fleet exercises, and sank with the loss of 358 men drowned out of a complement of 583 crew on board. Place was then posted to the cruiser H.M.S. Blenheim from 26th May 1894 and promoted to Clerk, being then posted ashore for service at Sheerness Barracks from 16th January 1896, where he was commissioned as an Assistant Paymaster, this being an officer's rank, and was then posted aboard the ironclad masted turret ship H.M.S. Monarch from 26th January 1897 being present aboard her during the Boer War when she was serving as Guardship at Simon's Town, receiving the Queen's South Africa Medal 1899-1902, without clasp. Following his service during the Boer War, Place was posted to the Torpedo School H.M.S. Defiance from 7th May 1901, followed by the sloop H.M.S. Cormorant from 6th February 1902, and whilst aboard her was promoted to Paymaster on 6th December 1904. Place was then posted to the cruiser and depot ship H.M.S. Forth from 20th May 1905, seeing service aboard another depot ship H.M.S. Thames during this period, and was then posted to the Devonshire Class armoured cruiser H.M.S. Antrim from 4th June 1907, he was then aboard her during the Second Cruiser Squadron Goodwill tour of South America and South Africa in 1908, for which he received the special commemorative medal with 8 clasps for visits to Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, Simonstown, Capetown, St. Helena, Rio de Janeiro, and Monte Video, before being promoted to Staff Paymaster on 6th December 1908. Place was posted to the Astraea Class armoured cruiser H.M.S. Fox from June 1910, and from 5th October 1912 was posted ashore to attend a course at the shore base H.M.S. President, and having passed was then promoted to Fleet Paymaster, the equivalent rank to Commander on 6th December 1912, and was then posted aboard the Town Class light cruiser H.M.S. Southampton and was present aboard her at the outbreak of the Great War as part of the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron, and would have been present at the First Battle of Heligoland Bight on 28th August 1914, and at the Battle of Dogger Bank on 24th January 1915, before being posted to the Queen Elizabeth class battleship H.M.S. Barham from 2nd July 1915. Barham was commissioned in August 1915, joining the 5th Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet based at Scapa Flow as flagship on 2nd October 1915. On 1st December 1915 Barham collided with her sister ship H.M.S. Warspite, with both ships receiving considerable damage, Barham was however repaired by 23rd December 1915. Place was present aboard Barham when she was flagship to Admiral Hugh Evan-Thomas and the 5th Battle Squadron, attached to Admiral Beaty's battlecruiser fleet. During the battle Barham fired 337 15-inch shells and 25 6-inch shells during the battle. The number of hits cannot be confirmed, but it is believed that she and her sister ship H.M.S. Valiant made 23 or 24 hits between them, making them two of the most accurate warships in the British fleet, however Barham received six hits during the battle, five from 12-inch shells and one from an 11-inch, suffering casualties of 26 killed and 46 wounded, with Fleet Paymaster Place being killed in action at Jutland on 31st May 1916, being possibly the only man of this rank killed in action during the battle. Place who was the son of the late Mr and Mrs E. Place, of Warrington, Lancashire, and husband to Clara Winifred Place, of 2, Warrender Park Terrace, Edinburgh, was buried at sea, and his name was commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.

Hi,
I was rather pleased with my haul from the latest City Coins auction. Among other 'treasures' I acquired a QSA ( no clasp) to Tpr G C Willey, Christiana DMR and his AGS ( Somaliland 1902-04) as a Corporal in the Somaliland Burgher Corps. As there were only about 100 medals issued, they are rather hard to find, so I was happy ( maybe the wrong word - lets say 'prepared') to go some on it and was run pretty much to my limit.
As a collector of medals to the various campaigns involving South Africans, I have now ticked another box.
Regards
Mike

Hello Mike,
The AGS is a very nice medal and it is always good to see it with a QSA, I think you should be very pleased with this particular lot, sadly, medals are getting very expensive things these days.
Regards Frank

mike rowan wrote: Hi,
I was rather pleased with my haul from the latest City Coins auction. Among other 'treasures' I acquired a QSA ( no clasp) to Tpr G C Willey, Christiana DMR and his AGS ( Somaliland 1902-04) as a Corporal in the Somaliland Burgher Corps. As there were only about 100 medals issued, they are rather hard to find, so I was happy ( maybe the wrong word - lets say 'prepared') to go some on it and was run pretty much to my limit.
As a collector of medals to the various campaigns involving South Africans, I have now ticked another box.
Regards
Mike

Mike,

I hadn't realised the Somaliland Burgher Contingent was so small. His AGS is verified on W)100/100p376. The roll was signed Johannesburg, 20 Jan 1905. Medal issued 9 Mar 1905.

I make it about 96 medals issues to the SBC (excluding the Imperial troops who would have had their madals named to the parent unit).

WO100/100p368 list some men and gives their unit as the Somaliland Boer Contingent. Presumably this was an error?

Interestingly, the unit was commanded by the well-known Lieutenant-Colonel W F Bonham, Essex Regiment.

DSO VR, QSA 4) CC OFS RoL Tr (Capt., Essex Rgt.), KSA (2) (Cpt., D.S.O., Essex Rgt.), erasure after rank, AGS 1902 (1) Somaliland 1902-4 (Bt. Major, D.S.O., Essex Regt.). DSO LG 26 June 1902. MID 8 February 1901, 10 September 1901.

Walter Floyd Bonham was born on 3 January 1869, the eldest son of Edward Bonham, and was educated at Charterhouse and at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He was gazetted into the Essex Regiment in April 1889 and was promoted to Lieutenant in Septemeber 1891 and Captain in January 1900. He served in South Africa during 1899-1902. On attachment to the 2nd Battalion Devonshire Regiment he had fought at the battle of Colenso, 12 December 1899. Cut-off in a donga close to the abandoned guns of the 66th Battery with his commanding officer, some gunners and other Devons during the heavy fighting, he was taken prisoner-of-war by the Boers. He was imprisoned in the State Model School, Pretoria, along with other captured officers (including Winston Churchill). After his release he was appointed Assistant Provost Marshal, Pretoria, in July 1900, serving under the Military Governor, General Maxwell and Provost Marshal , Major R. M. Poore, D.S.O. Twice mentioned in despatches, he was created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order in 1902 for his services as the Assistant Provost Marshal at Pretoria, 1900-02, in duties which involved the raising of the National Scouts and Bushveldt Carbineers and also the investigations into Lieutenants ‘Breaker’ Morant and Peter Handcock in 1901 which led to their court-martials and executions.

When the Somaliland Burgher Corps was raised by Lieutenant-Colonel Kenna, V.C., Captain Bonham became the Commanding Officer and in August 1903 was awarded the brevet of Major.

Bonham was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in July 1904 and appointed Military Attache at the British Embassy in Paris. However, his promising diplomatic career was cut short when he died at Argeles in the Pyrenees on 15 May 1905.