Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 1 clasp, South Africa 1902 (9243 L. Corpl. T. Lewis, 2nd Regt. 10th N.Z. Cont.), areas of corrosion to obverse and reverse fields, possibly as a result of acid cleaning, otherwise good fine £140-180

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Barrett J. Carr Collection of Boer War Medals.

View
Collection

Tom Eldridge Lewis, who was born in London, England in 1879, was working as a miner at Pahiatua, Wairarapa at the time of his attestation for the 10th N.Z. Contingent. He is believed to have been embarked in the S.S. Norfolk in April 1902 and, as a Lance-Corporal in ‘F’ Squadron, 2nd Regiment, saw brief service before the end of hostilities.

In August 1914, Lewis attested for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and was drafted as a Private to No. 12 (Nelson) Company of the Canterbury Regiment. Embarked for Egypt and thence for Gallipoli, he was wounded by a gunshot to his stomach on 7 August 1915 and died of wounds aboard the hospital ship Gascon two days later - he was buried at sea; sold with copied research and small portrait photograph.