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Auction: 20001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - conducted behind closed doors
Lot: 67

South Africa 1877-79, 1 clasp, 1877-8-9 (H. Pilley. Cooks Mte. H.M.S. "Active".), toned, nearly extremely fine

Harry Pilley was born on 11 July 1855 at Cheltenham, the son of Henry and Jemima Pilley of 19 Winchcombe Place, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Rather than follow his father in the tailoring trade, Harry enlisted into the Royal Navy on 1 January 1873 and was posted as Boy 1st Class to Vanguard. Transferred to Royal Adelaide and Duke of Wellington as Cook's Mate 2nd Class on 6 May 1876, his service papers note 'run' whilst based at Portsmouth. Fined £18, he was transferred to Lewes gaol for 90 days on 29 November 1876, before being released and sent to the corvette Active from 19 April 1877-25 October 1879.

According to the London Gazette of 7 November 1879, 173 men from this ship served ashore in South Africa as part of the Naval Brigade, including seamen, Marines, Kroomen and medical attendants. Attached to No. 1 column commanded by Colonel Charles Pearson, 100 seamen from Active saw action at the Battle of Inyezane and successfully drove off an attacking force of Zulus with rockets, Martini-Henry rifles and a Gatling gun (London Gazette 11 March 1879, refers).

Advancing to Eshowe on the same day as the disastrous defeat at Isandlwana, Pearson's Column was besieged for two months until relieved on 3 April. During the campaign, Active's crew suffered one man killed and nine wounded in action, whilst nine died of disease during the siege and one man drowned whilst crossing the Tugela. Returning home in 1879 to allow Active to be rearmed and refitted, Pilley returned to the Duke of Wellington but was invalided to the naval hospital at Haslar on 2 April 1880. His medal was sent on 24 August 1881; sold with copied service record.


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Sold for
£900

Starting price
£210