Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The British War Medal awarded to Major E. O. A. Newcombe, D.S.O., Royal Engineers, who commanded the Nile gunboat Abu Klea during the Battle of Omdurman, and was four times Mentioned in Despatches

British War Medal 1914-20 (Major E. O. A. Newcombe.) good very fine £200-£240

D.S.O. London Gazette 1 January 1917.

Edward Osborne Armstrong Newcombe was born on 30 August 1874, and was educated at Bath College and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. Commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on 25 July 1893, he served with the Egyptian Army during the Sudanese campaigns of 1896-98. Appointed to command the gunboat Abu Klea, part of the Nile Gunboat Flotilla under Commander C. Keppel, R.N., he helped ensure the successful delivery of supplies to Kitchener’s army before the Battle of Omdurman on 2 September 1898, and subsequently took part in the battle, being Mentioned in Despatches (London Gazette 30 September 1898). For his services in the Sudan he was awarded the Ottoman Order of the Medjidie, 4th Class, and the Order of the Osmania, 4th Class, as well as receiving both the Queen’s and Khedive’s Sudan Medals.

Newcombe subsequently served on the Staff in South Africa during the Boer War, and was present during the operations in the Orange Free State; operations in the Transvaal including the actions at Diamond Hill and Belfast; and operations in the Cape Colony and Orange River Colony. For his services he was again Mentioned in Despatches (London Gazette 29 July 1902), and was awarded the Queen’s South Africa Medal with clasps Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Diamond Hill, and Belfast; and the King’s South Africa Medal with both date clasps.

Returning to the Sudan, Newcombe was appointed Traffic Manager, Sudan Government Railways in 1906, and held this appointment for the next 20 years. At the outbreak of the Great War he was a Major on retired pay, but re-entered active service on 24 October 1914. The efficiency and zeal with which he ran the Sudan’s railways was a pivotal factor in Britain’s ability to rush troops to crisis zones, particularly East Africa and the Suez Canal, and for his services during the Great War he was again twice Mentioned in Despatches (London Gazettes 25 October 1916 and 5 June 1919), was awarded the Egyptian Order of the Nile, 3rd Class (London Gazette 6 November 1917), and was created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order.

Note: The recipient’s Medal Index Card confirms that this is the recipient’s sole campaign medal for the Great War.