British and World Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

British South Africa Company Medal 1890-97, reverse undated, 1 clasp, Mashonaland 1890 (Tpr. Jessop, E. B.S.A. Police) edge bruising, otherwise good very fine and scarce £800-1000

Only 200 medals were issued for Mashonaland 1890, 110 to the B.S.A. Company Police.

Edwin Jessop was born in about 1868 at Chelmsford Road, Ilford, Essex, and had served in the Bechuanaland Border Police. He attested for the British South Africa Company‘s Police on 24 November 1889, served in “B” Troop in the Pioneer Column of 1890, and was discharged from “C” Troop on 20 October 1891. It is thought that he then went prospecting. He later found the Thistle-Etna Mine near Gatooma, but was bought out by Gibb and Mrs Elliott. At one time he farmed some land in the Hartley District. He was made a freeman of the City of Salisbury in 1935, at that time being a prominent member of the mining community at Gatooma as a mining contractor on the Thistle-Etna. Edwin Jessop died at Gatooma in 1942.