Orders, Decorations and Medals

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, no clasp (A Begg, Sto., H.M.S. Philomel) small impressed naming, nearly extremely fine £140-180

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Boer War Medals to the Royal Navy.

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Alexander Begg was born in North Berwick, Haddingtonshire on 10 May 1877. Formerly employed as a Labourer he enlisted into the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class on 22 April 1896 and was advanced to Stoker in September 1897. He served on the 3rd class cruiser Philomel, October 1899-March 1902, during which time he qualified for the above medal - being one of 152 awarded to the ship. He was promoted to Stoker 1st Class in July 1906 and to Leading Stoker in the following month when on Berwick. He was discharged as time expired in April 1908 and joined the Royal Fleet Reserve. Recalled for duty in August 1914, he was posted to the armoured cruiser Hogue. Serving on her, he was killed in action on 22 September 1914 when his ship was torpedoed and sunk by the U.9 off Ymuiden in the North Sea. The Aboukir, together with her sister ships the Hogue and Cressy, part of the 7th Cruiser Squadron, were engaged in blockade and patrol duties in the southern part of the North Sea. At 6.30 on 22 September 1914 the Aboukir was torpedoed by the U-9. Believing that the ship had struck a mine, the Hogue and Cressy stopped to rescue the survivors, oblivious of the danger lurking beneath the waves. While the rescue work was in progress two torpedoes from the U-9 hit the Hogue. The submarine then surfaced and was for a short time engaged by the Hogue’s guns until the cruiser began to turn over and sink. Shortly after the Cressy was sent to the bottom. Some 1,400 men were lost in the triple disaster. Leading Stoker Begg’s name is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. Sold with copied service paper.