Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria. Including a superb collection of medals to the King’s German Legion, Police Medals from the Collection of John Tamplin and a small collection of medals to the Irish Guards

Six: Doctor E. H. Tweedy, Assistant Colonial Surgeon at Kumassi during the siege and one of the Governor’s party in the break out from Kumassi, later Principal Medical Officer in Sierra Leone

East and West Africa 1887-1900, 1 clasp, 1897-98 (Asst. C. Surgeon, G.C. Constby.); Ashanti 1900, 1 clasp, Kumassi, high relief bust (Dr., A.F.F.); 1914-15 Star Trio (E. H. Tweedy) together with companion set of six miniatures, both sets mounted as worn, nearly very fine or better (12) £900-1200

Edward Herbert Tweedy (LRCSI & LM, LRCPI & LM) appears to have first registered as a Civil Surgeon in 1892 at the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin. He was appointed a Medical Officer in the Gold Coast in 1897, and served in the Northern Territory Expedition 1897-98 (Mentioned in despatches, medal with clasp).

Doctor Tweedie was Assistant Colonial Surgeon at Kumassi in 1900 and with Captain Davidson-Houston, acting Resident, greeted the Governor, Sir Frederick Hodgson, and Lady Hodgson on the outskirts of Kumassi on 25th March. During the siege that followed the ‘daily issue of rations was carried out with great care and scrupulous fairness by Dr Tweedy and Mr Grundy, one of the mines officials, who had to keep a remarkably sharp look out for attempts on the part of the soldiers to snatch an extra biscuit or two.’

With the besieged garrison in imminent danger of starvation, Sir Frederick and Lady Hodgson finally, on the 23rd June, together with 24 Europeans, including Dr Tweedy, a force of some 600 native soldiers and over a thousand non-combatants, left Kumassi. They left behind them a small garrison of two officers and and a medical officer with about a hundred men, who were relieved by the relief force under Brigadier-General Sir J. Willcocks on the 15th July. Willcocks took away the sick and wounded and again left behind a small garrison. This was in turn relieved by the force under Colonel A. P. Burroughs on the 5th August.

Doctor Tweedie was mentioned in the despatch of Major A. Morris, Commanding Kumassi Garrison, dated 12 July 1900, London Gazette 4 December 1900: ‘Assistant Colonial Surgeons E. H. Tweedy and A. J. Chalmers displayed much zeal and energy in their manifold duties.’

On the outbreak of the Great War Doctor Tweedy was Deputy Principal Medical Officer, Gold Coast, and took part in the Togoland Expedition in 1914. By the end of the war he was Principal Medical Officer, West African Medical Staff, in Sierra Leone.