Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria including the collection to Naval Artificers formed by JH Deacon

Five: Lieutenant-Colonel A. C. H. Kennard, London Regiment, late Rifle Brigade

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 4 clasps, Cape Colony, Laing’s Nek, Belfast, Orange Free State (Captain, Rifle Brigade); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (Captain, Rifle Brigade); 1914-15 Star (Major, 19/Lond. R.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaf (Lt. Col.), the first two with tailor’s copy clasps and impressed in ‘Cape-style’ upright capitals, contact wear, generally very fine or better (5) £200-300

Auberon Claud Hegan Kennard was born in May 1870 and was educated at Eton and New College, Oxford. Gazetted to the Rifle Brigade as a 2nd Lieutenant in April 1894, having previously held a commission in the 1st London Volunteer Rifle Corps, he was briefly posted to Aldershot prior to sailing for India to join the 3rd Battalion.

During the Boer War Kennard served on the Staff as a Brigade Signalling Officer, duties that led to his participation in operations in Natal between March and June 1900, including the action at Laing’s Nek; in the Transvaal, east of Pretoria, between July and November 1900, including the actions at Belfast and Lyndenberg; and finally in the Guerilla War operations through to May 1902. Interestingly, his Queen’s South Africa Medal was returned in February 1905 for the addition of the clasps for ‘Cape Colony’ and ‘Orange Free State’, these having been erroneously omitted at the time of original issuance.

From 1906-09 Kennard served as Adjutant of the London Rifle Brigade, following which he joined the 2nd Battalion back in India. Placed on retired pay in 1910, he was elected to the London County Council but had barely taken up office when the outbreak of hostilities found him back in uniform, on this occasion as a Major in the 19th Londons, with whom he went to France. Subsequently advanced to Lieutenant-Colonel, he fought on the Somme with the 1/1st London Regiment and afterwards commanded the 2/1st out in Egypt, and was mentioned in despatches in December 1918. The Colonel died at his residence in East Grinstead, Sussex in November 1951, aged 81 years.