Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Five: Warrant Officer Class 2 J. Hewitt, Welsh Regiment, who was wounded in the Boer War and the Great War

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 4 clasps, Relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg, Driefontein, Belfast (2836 Dmr. J. Hewitt, Welsh Regt.); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (2836 Dmr. J. Hewitt, Welsh Regt.); 1914-15 Star (2836 Sjt. J. Hewitt, Welsh R.); British War and Victory Medals (2836 W.O. Cl. 2 J. Hewitt, Welsh R.), the first two with contact marks, edge bruising and polished, thus fine, the remainder rather better (5) £320-380

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Medals to Welsh Regiments formed by the Late Llewellyn Lord.

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Joseph Hewitt, who was born in London in July 1875, enlisted in the Welsh Regiment as a boy recruit in July 1890, aged 15 years. Drafted to the 1st Battalion as a Drummer, he witnessed active service in South Africa from November 1899 until May 1902, and was wounded at Leeuwkop on 22 April 1900, in which action ‘the operations were suddenly overtaken by an appalling darkness which turned out to be a flight of locusts.’

Having then been advanced to Corporal in March 1904 and to Sergeant in October 1914, he was serving in the 1st Battalion in India at the time of the outbreak of hostilities. He subsequently embarked for France in mid-January 1915 and was wounded by a gunshot in the left arm and side at Ypres on the 19th of the following month. Hewitt next served in the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force in the period October 1915 to December 1916 and, following a turn of duty on the Home Establishment, joined the 3rd Battalion as Company Quarter-Master Sergeant in late 1917. He was discharged at Shrewsbury in April 1919 and died in May 1965; sold with an original photograph and copied research.