Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Four: Private C. B. Hearns, Natal Mounted Rifles, later 4th Infantry and 7th and 5th South African Horse

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 7 clasps, Cape Colony, Elandslaagte, Defence of Ladysmith, Orange Free State, Transvaal, Laing’s Nek, South Africa 1901 (296 Tpr. C. B. Hearns, Natal M.R.); 1914-15 Star (Pte. C. B. Hearns 4th Infantry); British War and Bilingual Victory Medals (Pte. C. B. Hearns. 5th. S.A.I.) very fine (4) £400-£500

Provenance: Dix Noonan Webb, March 2011.

Charles Bertram Hearns was born in King Williamstown in 1875, and served during the Boer War in the Natal Mounted Rifles, the Volunteer Composite Regiment, and in the Commander-in-Chief’s Bodyguard, for which he was awarded the Queen’s medal with seven clasps including those for Elandslaagte and the Defence of Ladysmith.

Following the outbreak of the Great War he attested as Private 8004 in the 4th Infantry (’C’ Company, 1st Eastern Rifles) on 10 October 1914. He embarked on S.S. Colonial for Central Force on 2 March 1915 and was discharged on 9 July 1915. He re-attested as Rifleman 5367 in the South African Mounted Rifles (Training Depot, Tempe) on 30 June 1915 but was discharged on 9 July 1915. Hearns then re-attested as Private 3923 in the 7th South African Horse. He disembarked at Kilidini on 8 May 1916, transferred to the 5th South African Horse on 22 October 1916 and thence to the South African Engineering Corps at Morogoro on 13 November 1916. Receiving treatment for malaria at Dar es Salaam in April 1917, he was subsequently discharged at Robert’s Heights because of the disease on 4 November 1917, as being permanently unfit for tropical service and temporarily unfit for non-tropical service.

Sold with copied service papers, medal roll extracts, and other research.