Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Pair: Private H. Barnes, King’s Royal Rifle Corps

Egypt and Sudan 1882-89, undated reverse, 1 clasp, El-Teb-Tamaai (4573 Pte., 3/K.R. Rif. C.); Khedive’s Star, 1884, unnamed, second with contact marks, very fine and better (2) £180-220

Henry Barnes was born in Portsmouth. A Labourer by occupation, he attested for the Army at Portsmouth on 1 September 1874, aged 18 years, 2 months. Posted to the 15th Regiment as Private 426, he was transferred to the 59th Brigade, 74th Regiment as Private 59/543, in September 1876 and to the 50th Brigade, 57th Regiment as Private 50/1871 in May 1879. Served in the Straits Settlements, November 1876-January 1878; Hong Kong, January-May 1878, and South Africa, June-December 1879. Transferred to the Army Reserve in September 1880. He rejoined the Colours to complete 12 years in June 1881 and was posted to the King’s Royal Rifle Corps as Rifleman 4573. With them he served in Egypt, May 1883-July 1885. Barnes was discharged on 1 September 1885 due to a medical condition. For his services he was awarded the above medals plus the clasps ‘Abu Klea’ and The Nile 1884-5’ (the published roll lists his number as ‘5473’) and the South Africa Medal 1877-79 (medal and clasp ‘1879’ listed on service papers; medal and no clasp in published roll). Mentioned in Rifleman & Hussar, by Col. Sir Percival Marling, Bt., V.C., p.106, during the Suakin campaign 1884:

‘About 9 p.m., just as I (Marling) was dropping off to sleep, I heard one of my men called Barnes come in and lie down about 10 yards from me, and a sleepy voice said, “Hullo, Barney, where have you been?” And I heard Barnes reply, “I’ve been snipe-shooting, and got five of em, “ meaning Fuzzie-wuzzies.’

With copied service papers and other research.