Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Five: Gunner R. Denny, ‘Q’ Battery, Royal Horse Artillery, whose name was entered in the Ballot for the ‘Sannah’s Post’ Victoria Cross

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Relief of Mafeking, Orange Free State, Transvaal (12096 Gnr. R. Denny., Q.B., R.H.A.); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (12096 Gnr: R. Denny. Pom Poms Sec: R.A.); 1914-15 Star (94964. Gnr. R. Denny. R.F.A.); British War and Victory Medals (94964 A-Bmbr. R. Denny. R.A.) mounted as worn, light contact marks, nearly very fine and better (5) £600-£800

Robert Denny was born in Levington, Ipswich, and joined the Pom Pom Section, ‘Q’ Battery, Royal Horse Artillery on 1 February 1900. Resulting from De Wet’s ambush of General Broadwood’s Brigade at Korn Spruit (Sannah’s Post), ‘Q’ Battery Royal Horse Artillery behaved with great gallantry and managed to save four of its guns from an apparently hopeless situation. The conduct of the battery was praised by Brigadier-General Broadwood in his report on the action. As a result of this report, Lord Roberts took the unusual step of ordering the battery to ballot for the Victoria Cross, to choose one officer, one non commissioned officer, one gunner and one driver to receive the coveted award, there being no other fair way to choose four from so many who performed so heroically on that day. As a result, Major Edmund John Phipps-Hornby, Sergeant Charles Edward Haydon Parker, Gunner Isaac Lodge, and Driver Horace Henry Glasock were each awarded the Victoria Cross. Consequently, Denny’s name would have been in the ballot for the Victoria Cross to the ‘Gunner’.

Sold with a photograph of the recipient taken in front of a Pom Pom gun on the velt.