Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Pair: Driver G. Higgs, 62nd Battery, Royal Field Artillery

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Modder River, Paardeberg, Johannesburg (19909 Dvr: G. Higgs, 62nd Bty: R.F.A.); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (19909 Dvr: G. Higgs. R.F.A.) mounted as worn, very fine (2) £180-£220

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Queen’s South Africa Medals for Belmont and Modder River.

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The 6 guns of the 62nd Battery were not present at Belmont, and joined the action at Modder River on 28 November 1899: ‘and spectacularly, they rumbled into battle west of the railway line the 62nd Battery which had covered the 62 miles from Orange River in 28 hours, at the cost of six horses dead in their traces, and forty later to be destroyed’ (Battles of the Boer War, by W. Baring, refers). The battery’s conduct in the battle was praised in Lord Methuen’s despatch of 1 December 1899.