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Auction: 17003 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 701

A rare and interesting Great War East Africa operations French M.M. group of three awarded to Corporal R. Davis, 25th (Legion of Frontiersmen) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (a.k.a. 'Driscoll's Tigers'), who was decorated for his gallantry in bringing in the famous explorer and hunter, Captain Frederick Selous, D.S.O., after he had been mortally wounded at Beho-Beho on 4 January 1917: Davis's graphic account of Selous's demise was afterwards published in The Times

British War and Victory Medals (GS-32607 Cpl. R. Davis, R. Fus.); France, Medaille Militaire, the reverse of the suspension contemporarily engraved, 'Pt. R. Davis, 25th R.F., G.E.A., 4.1.1917', enamel work largely lacking, polished overall, nearly very fine (3)


French M.M. London Gazette 31 August 1917.

Reginald Davis was landed in East Africa as a reinforcement to the 25th (Legion of Frontiersmen) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, most likely in early 1916. It was in December of the following year that he wrote to the editor of The Times:

'Sir,

I notice in The Times dated December 9 an article on Captain Selous, and I beg to state that as I carried the late Captain Selous out of the action when he was mortally wounded at Beho-Beho, in German East Africa, at about 11 a.m., January 4, 1917, I can give a graphic description of his death. He was not killed instantaneously, as I fought over him for fully ten minutes. He was shot in the head, but this wound was not the cause of his death; this wound was caused by a splinter some half an hour previous to the action fought on the hills outside the village of Beho-Beho, and when Captain Selous was asked if he was wounded he stated that it was nothing very much and insisted on going on. He went over the ridges of Beho-Beho and was kneeling near a small tree, and was seen after the action had been in progress about 15 minutes to drop his rifle. I immediately went over to him and stayed with him for fully ten minutes before he received his fatal wound, and then I carried or dragged him to the rear of a small hill and there he died. His boy, Ramizani, who had been with him some considerable years, cried when he saw the Captain dead, and stood upright on top of the ridge in the face of terrible German machine-gun fire and brought out of a tree the black sniper who wounded Captain Selous. For helping Captain Selous and another officer I was recommended to the British Government by my Colonel (D. P. Driscoll, D.S.O.), and received from the French Government the Medaille Militare.

Captain Selous was killed some 60 miles from Kissaki, and about 12 miles from the Rufugii River, and buried in the village of Beho-Beho, together with six others of his battalion.

I remain yours faithfully,

R. Davis, Corporal 32607

25th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers.'


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£480