Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 5 clasps, Cape Colony, Driefontein, Johannesburg, Diamond Hill, Wittebergen (367 Trpr. C. Campion, Ceylon M.I.) clasps loose on ribbon, nearly extremely fine £500-600

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Fine Collection of Boer War Medals.

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Charles Campion was the fourth son of Colonel W. H. and Hon. Mrs Campion, of Danny, near Hurstpierpoint, Sussex, and a nephew of Lord Hampton. Educated at Eton. He entered the Boer War as a Trooper with the Ceylon Mounted Infantry. He then served with Brigadier-General Broadwood’s Column, after which he served as a Superintendent of Police in Pretoria and then joined the 69th Company Imperial Yeomanry as a Lieutenant. As such he was killed in action at Vlakfontein, 29 May 1901, aged 24 years. He was buried in Krugersdorp and his name is commemorated on the memorial to the fallen at Kandy, Ceylon.

The action at Vlakfontein, 29 May 1901, brought forth claims that several wounded British officers and men were murdered by the Boers in cold blood. A note with the lot suggests that Campion was one such - having been wounded in the fingers, a sergeant was binding up the wound when three Boers rode up and shot both of them in the head. With copied research, including roll extracts confirming clasps.