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Auction: 20001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - conducted behind closed doors
Lot: 106

The rare 3-clasp East and West Africa Medal awarded to Domestic 1st Class D. Statt, Royal Navy

East and West Africa 1887-1900, 3 clasps, Benin River 1894, Brass River 1895, Benin 1897 (D. Statt. Dom.2 Cl., H.M.S. Widgeon.), lightly polished, very fine

Ex Douglas-Morris Collection 1997, where described as a unique combination of clasps to the Royal Navy or Royal Marines. However, there are believed to be three recipients of this clasp combination.

Daniel Statt was born on 5 October 1869 on Jersey, and took employment as a servant before joining the Royal Navy. He entered the service as Domestic 3rd Class aboard Indus on 7 May 1888, before being promoted and transferred to Lion as Domestic 2nd Class in August 1889. Posted to Shannon in April 1891, Sirius in April 1892 and Vivid I in June 1893, Statt was paid off to shore, 'services no longer required' in August 1893. Despite this entry in his record, he rejoined the Royal Navy a month later and served aboard the packet boat Widgeon from September 1893 and the cruiser St George from December 1896.

It was whilst aboard Widgeon that Statt was landed for service on shore in various Naval Brigades. He took part in the Expedition up the Benin River in 1894 to punish the rebellious Chief Nana Olomu, and served in the punitive expedition against King Frederick William Koko Mingi VIII of Nembe on the Brass River in 1895. Appointed Domestic 1st Class aboard St George on 1 December 1896, Statt participated in the Benin Expedition of 1897 against the slave trading Chief Overiami, culminating in the capture and destruction of Benin City. It is also noted in a number of sources that at least one of these Chiefs were involved in regular human sacrifices (Bush Warfare 1906, by W. G. C. Heneker, refers), indeed a report on the Nembe uprising by Sir John Kirk, G.C.M.G., K.C.B., F.R.S., companion to explorer David Livingstone - which was published in March 1896 - found that 43 of Koko's hostages had been murdered and ceremoniously eaten. Chief Koko was offered a settlement of his grievances by the British but found the terms unacceptable; he was deposed and died in exile in 1898. For his service during these actions, Statt was awarded the East & West Africa Medal with three clasps.
Put ashore at Simonstown in South Africa at his own request, Statt joined Philomel in December 1898 as Domestic 2nd Class. Serving during the Second Boer War (Queen's Medal without clasp) Statt was transferred to shore 'unsuitable' on 30 June 1900, but once again re-entered the service aboard Britannia on 16 July 1901 as Domestic 1st Class. Transferred to Niobe, he was finally paid off on 18 November 1902, Domestics at this time being ineligible for the L.S. & G.C. Medal.


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Sold for
£1,500

Starting price
£420

Sale 20001 Notices
The no-clasp QSA photographed with the lot was an erased example used for purposes of display by the previous owner and is not included in the lot.