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Auction: 17001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 95

(x) A rare Bluejacket's East & West Africa Medal awarded to Petty Officer 2nd Class R. J. Hill, Royal Navy

East and West Africa 1887-1900, 3 clasps, Gambia 1894, Benin River 1894, Brass River 1895 (R.J. Hill, P.O.2.Cl, H.M.S. Widgeon.), nearly extremely fine

22 East and West Africa Medals with these three clasps were issued to the Royal Navy.

Robert James Hill was born at Stonehouse, Devon on 9 August 1860 and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in January 1876.

Advanced to Petty Officer 2nd Class in September 1893, he joined H.M.S. Widgeon in the same month, from which ship he was landed for services in the Naval Brigade in West Africa.

Thus his part in the Gambia 1894 operations (40 clasps to ship); Benin River 1894 operations (42 clasps to ship); Brass River 1895 operations (71 clasps to ship), and, in 1895-96, the M'wele operations, in which 20 of Widgeon's men were employed.

Hill, who was advanced to Petty Officer 1st Class during his time in Widgeon, was pensioned ashore at the end of 1898, when he enrolled in the Royal Fleet Reserve.

Recalled on the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, he served in the armed merchant cruiser Cedric until February 1915. Otherwise employed at shore establishments, including an appointment at the torpedo school Defiance from December 1915 until July 1916, he was invalided in February 1917. Hill did not qualify for the L.S. & G.C. Medal on account of four breaks in his 'Very Good Conduct' assessments; sold with copied service record and medal roll verification.


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Sold for
£2,000