Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Five: Private C. Wilkins, Seaforth Highlanders, late Royal Berkshire Regiment

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal (3172 Pte., 2 Rl. Berks. Regt.); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps (3172 Pte., Rl. Berks. Regt.); India General Service 1908-35, 1 clasp, North West Frontier 1908 (7825 Pte., 1st Bn. Sea. Highrs.); Army L.S. & G.C., E.VII.R. (7825 Pte., S’Fth. Hdrs.); Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Silver Merit Medal, Carl Eduard, mounted as worn, contact marks, some edge bruising, nearly very fine (5) £300-350

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of British Groups with Foreign Awards.

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Charles Wilkins was born in Oxford. A Labourer by occupation and a member of the 5th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment, he attested for full-time service with the regiment at Oxford on 2 March 1891. With them he served in Bermuda, December 1893-December 1895; Nova Scotia, December 1895-October 1897 and the West Indies, October 1897-November 1898. He was transferred to the Seaforth Highlanders and posted to South Africa in January 1900-May 1901 and September 1901-October 1902, being invalided to England during the interim. He was then sent to Egypt, October 1902-November 1903 and India, February 1903-November 1909. In October 1909 he was awarded the Army L.S. & G.C. Wilkins was discharged in March 1912.

The Colonel-in-Chief of the Seaforth Highlanders from 1905 to 1914 was H.R.H. Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He visited the Home Service battalion and the Depot Seaforth at Fort George on a number of occasions and presented his state’s Silver Merit Medal to selected officers and other ranks of the regiment. The award to Private Wilkins is confirmed in his service papers.

With copied service papers, roll extracts and other research.