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Auction: 19001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 632

(x) An unusual campaign group of three awarded to Able Seaman A. W. Badge, Royal Navy, who, having been wounded in the Gambia in 1894 when landed as a Bluejacket, became a founder member of the Royal Canadian Navy in 1910

East and West Africa 1887-1900, 1 clasp, Gambia 1894 (135780 A. W. Badge. A.B. H.M.S. Magpie); China 1900, no clasp (135780 A. W. Badge. A.B. H.M.S. Undaunted); British War Medal 1914-20 (A. W. Badge. Service With the Royal Navy), official replacements, nonetheless good very fine and a rare combination (3)

Alfred William Badge was born in December 1870 at Stoke Damerel, Devon, and entered the Royal Navy in December 1885. His Service Record displays rather mixed character, being sentenced to 40 days hard labour on Bodmin Moor in 1892.

Serving afloat with the 165ft screw gunboat Magpie from May 1893, he would be landed ashore as a Bluejacket for the Gambia 1894 operations. Serving with the column under Captain E. H. Gamble of the Raleigh, their work initially was a great success, advancing and destroying a number of heavily stockaded villages under the control of Foday Sillah. However, running low on water they attempted to retreat to Madina Creek to be taken off by the boats. Low water left the force to be sniped and attacked from three sides. Magpie's Sub-Lieutenant F. Meister would be one of 7 from the ship to be killed in action. Badge and another 5 men were wounded in action (46 'Gambia 1894' clasps issued to the ship). Transferring to Undaunted in March 1897, Badge was advanced to Leading Seaman in October 1897. His good conduct did not last for he was committed to the cells for 14 days in February 1899 and disrated to the rank of Able Seaman before service off China during the Boxer Rebellion.

Discharged from the Royal Navy in January 1901, Badge would become a founder member of the Royal Canadian Navy in 1910, being assigned service number 122. He appears numerous times in local Devon newspapers during the 1920's often the result of alcohol, on one occasion refusing to appear at court by sending '...a letter pointing out that he had served in three Wars' (Exeter and Plymouth Gazette 19 July 1929, refers). Medals replaced on 9 April 1926; sold with copied service record and research.

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Sold for
£700