Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Pair: Major H. A. Thorne, West African Regiment, late West India Regiment, who was mentioned in despatches for his services during the Gambia Expedition, January - March 1901

Ashanti Star 1896, unnamed as issued; Ashanti 1900, no clasp, high relief bust (Capt. H. A. Thorne. W. India Rgt.) minor abrasion to edge of last at 6 o’clock, generally good very fine (2) £500-600

Provenance: Seaby (sold as a pair), February 1977.

Henry Albert Thorne was born in December 1866, the son of H. E. Thorne of Barbados (the family having a vault on the island at St. John’s Parish Church), and was commissioned Second Lieutenant, West India Regiment, in January 1892. He advanced to Lieutenant the following year, and was posted with the 2nd Battalion to Sierra Leone in 1895. He was employed with the Army Service Corps on the Gold Coast, and arrived at Cape Castle in SS Londa, 18 December 1895. He was employed during the several minor expeditions in the northern territories of the Gold Coast, 1896-98, which were deemed necessary following the Ashanti campaign of 1895-96 (entitled to East and West Africa Medal, with ‘1896-98’ clasp).

Thorne advanced to Captain, and transferred to the 3rd Battalion in April 1898. Returning to the Ashanti, he was Specially Employed on the Gold Coast, 25 July 1900 - 29 December 1900. His duties during the campaign, in the reduction of the rebel forces south of Kumassi (after it’s relief), are revealed in The Ashanti Campaign of 1900 by Montanaro and Armitage:

‘In these punitive operations the honourable role of scouts and forward troops again fell to the Sierra Leone Police and again their skill in bush-warfare was proved.

It turned out that the stout rally made by enemy at Dtachi was due to their being led by Opoku, the second war captain, who fought against Major Beddoes, and who was among the killed. We had no casualties on our side. This was due to the excellent scouting of the Sierra Leone Frontier Police who, I have mentioned before, are thoroughly at home in the bush, and the dashing way in which the Central Africans, led by Brake, Johnstone-Stewart and Thorne, charged and pursued the enemy.’

Thorne served as Chief Transport Officer (graded as Deputy Assistant Adjutant General) for the Gambia Field Force, 30 December 1900 - 4 June 1901 (M.I.D. London Gazette 10 September 1901; entitled to Africa General Service Medal, with ‘Gambia’ clasp). He served with the Remount Department in South Africa in 1901, transferring as Captain and Adjutant, West African Regiment, in November 1901. He advanced to the local rank of Major, and ‘died in service’, 20 July 1903, whilst stationed in Sierra Leone.