Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

East and West Africa 1887-1900, 1 clasp, Dawkita 1897 (1592 Allassam Bichi) nearly extremely fine and very rare £2000-2500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Richard Magor Collection of Medals Relating to India and Africa, and other Fine Awards.

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One of approximately 45 ‘Dawkita 1897’ clasps issued for the gallant defence of that place under Lieutenant F. B. Henderson, R.N., Private Secretary and A.D.C. to the Governor of the Gold Coast; see Magor, pp. 56-68, for a full account of the action, and the footnotes to Lot 437.

Gordon states that a further order was placed for 50 Medals with the ‘Dawkita 1897’ clasp on 3 June 1909 and that they were delivered to the appropriate authority on the Gold Coast on 1 July that year, but little seems to be known about their fate.

Allassam (or Allasan) Bichi is on the original roll compiled at Accra in September 1898 by an Inspector of the Gold Coast Constabulary, the remarks column opposite his entry revealing that he ‘died in action’.

In his official despatch, Henderson noted ‘my loss out of 43 combatants at Dawkita amounted to 2 killed and 8 wounded. The enemy’s loss we estimated at about 400 and several horses.’