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Auction: 23002 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 162

(x) Polar 1904, G.V.R., crowned head issue, 1 clasp, Antarctic 1929-30 (Harry V. Gage.), good very fine

Provenance:
Midland Medals, 1977.
March Medals, 1986.

Harry Vernon William Brasier Gage - or 'Jim' to his friends and shipmates - served as an Assistant Steward on the first of two cruises to the Antarctic with the British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expeditions (BANZARE). Gage was born in Brighton on 4 September 1909, the son of Harry Brasier Gage, an invalid attendant, and his wife Emily (née Birch). When he was 13, he ran away to sea. Seven years later he was in Cape Town, South Africa. where he joined the R.R.S. Discovery.

The Discovery's mission was to explore the Antarctic coast south of the Indian Ocean between Kaiser Wilhelm II and Coats Land and to make landing proclaiming the territory for the crown. Sir Douglas Mawson, leader of the Expedition, and most of the Scientists joined the Discovery at Cape Town. She left there on 19 October 1929 and set sail for the sub-Antarctic islands of Crozet, Kerguelen and Heard Island before turning south towards the continent. The Discovery had on board a small seaplane from which they made numerous observations. They found no trace of Kemp Land recorded 96 years earlier but kept the name for the coast they sighted further south. Tracking to the west they sighted MacRobertson Land and Enderby Land before lack of coal curtailed their exploration and necessitated a return to Kerguelen to top up their coal before traveling onto Australia.

Gage took his discharge in Australia and returned to Britain. The Discovery set off for a second Antarctic cruise leaving Hobart on 22 November 1930, heading for Cape Denison via Macquarie Island. The coast to the west of Cape Denison was followed with seaplane surveys in Adelie Land and Wilkes Land. Landings were made on MacRobertson Land and at the Scullin Monolith before coal shortages again necessitated their return to Australia.

On 1 May 1934 the London Gazette announced that all 56 members of the Expedition were to receive Polar Medals. Fourteen men received bronze Medals with the crowned head and dated clasp 'Antarctic 1929-30'. Two men who already had bronze Medals added a clasp to their laurels. Twenty-two men received bronze Medals for their part in both cruises. They received the crowned head Medal with the dated clasp 'Antarctic 1929-31'. Eighteen men received bronze Medals for their part in the second cruise. They received bronze Medals with the crowned head and dated clasp 'Antarctic 1930-31'.

Gage served on the first cruise taking his discharge when the Discovery reached Melbourne. At the time of the Medal presentation, in June 1934, he was living at Chailey, Sussex where his parents ran the Sedgebrook Hospital. He was a slim man, 6' 0" tall, with a mass of brown wavy hair, grey eyes and a medium complexion. Gage married Sarah Russell on 31 January 1936 and they had two children. During the Second World War he served in the Merchant Navy (Dis A No 1138405) and was on board the M.V. Warwick Castle when she was torpedoed and sunk on 14 November 1942, some 200 miles off the Portuguese coast. The Warwick Castle was a troop ship on her way from Gibraltar to the Clyde and in ballast having just taken part in 'Operation Torch', the British-American invasion of French North Africa, that had commenced just six days earlier. Of the 295 crew members on board 60 were reported missing, presumed drowned and a further four succumbed of their injuries. She was also carrying 133 passengers, all service personnel and 54 of them also perished. After the Second World War Gage remained in the Merchant Navy, serving for many years as Librarian on the MV Athlone Castle, finally retiring on 24 January 1968. He never claimed the Second World War Medals to which he was entitled. A kindly man who spent his later years reading, solving crossword puzzles and playing scrabble with his immediate family, Jim Gage died of lung cancer in the Moorgreen Hospital, Southampton on 24 November 1985, aged 76.

The Gage Ridge, an 11 km long and partially snow-covered mountain ridge in the East Antarctic Enderby Land is named for him. It rises 4 km west of Mount Selwood in the Tula Mountains.


Subject to 5% tax on Hammer Price in addition to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium.

Sold for
£5,000

Starting price
£2000