A Great War M.C. group of seven awarded to Captain H. T. Onyett, British South Africa Police

Military Cross, G.V.R., unnamed; 1914-15 Star (Sjt., B.S.A. Police); British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf (Capt.); War Medal 1939-45; Jubilee 1935; Coronation 1937, these unnamed, mounted as worn, very fine and better (7)
£1400-1800

Harry Thomas Onyett was a member of the 1st Cadet Battalion King’s Royal Rifle Corps in England before moving to Southern Rhodesia. In 1909 he attested for the British South Africa Police. On the outbreak of war, he proceeded on active service as a Serjeant with No. 1 Column, B.S.A.P. to Caprivi Zipfel, German South West Africa. During 1915 he was serving with No. 3 Column in the same area before being appointed Company Sergeant-Major and serving with No. 3 Column B.S.A.P. on the border of German East Africa. In 1916 he was commissioned a Lieutenant in the B.S.A. Police and served with the Southern Rhodesia Column in General Northey’s attack on the Southern area of German East Africa. Until the end of the war he was in action in that theatre of war. In 1917 he was promoted to Captain and was attached to the Rhodesia Native Regiment as Chief Officer Commanding the Machine Gun Company.

He was awarded the Military Cross for bravery at Mkapira, 30 October 1916, ‘for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. With a small party he captured an enemy entrenched position held by 150 rifles and three machine-guns.’ - one of only 15 M.C’s. awarded to the B.S.A. Police. He was in addition twice mentioned in despatches, by Brigadier-General Sir E. Northey on 22 November 1917 and by Lieutenant-General Sir J. L. Van Deventer on 3 June 1919.

In 1919 he returned to Southern Rhodesia on demobilisation of the S.R. Column and proceeded to England where he trained in Intelligence Staff duties. He later returned to Southern Rhodesia and resumed his service in the B.S.A.P. as Lieutenant and Assistant District Superintendent. Thereafter he was stationed at Gwanda and Bulawayo and became District Superintendent in 1926, serving at Gwanda, Hartley and Umtali with the rank of Major, and then at Bulawayo once more as a Major. In 1929 he organised and mobilised a force of 600 Special Constables at Bulawayo on the occasion of the Rand Strike. He served in the Eastern Division of the Southern Rhodesia Defence Force for five years and as Commandant of the Police Depot for another three years. He retired as Assistant Commissioner of the British South Africa Police in 1940 and settled in the Vumba Mountains.

One of 60 British issued 1914-15 Stars to pre-war regulars of the B.S.A.P. One of only 12 Jubilee 1935 medals and one of 21 Coronation 1937 medals issued to the B.S.A.P. With copied research.