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Auction: 26001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 37

The superb and rare South Africa Medal awarded to Private W. Ovens, 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot, who must have been present under Major Smith for the Battle of Port Natal (Congella) in May 1842, the first clash between the British and Boers, which saw the unit gamely grind out the long siege

South Africa 1834-53 (W. Ovens. 27th Regt.), contact wear and minor edge bruising, overall very fine

Provenance:
City Coins, September 2012.

William Ovens is listed upon the Regimental muster rolls as 'Detached' in 1842 when the Battle of Port Natal was fought. There are few indicators that men of the Regiment served during the historic engagement however it is believed that those who appear on the muster roll as detached between April-June 1842 formed the expedition under Captain T. C. Smith. This period covers the period that Smith himself was listed as detached and as such provides us with the composition of his force.

Having left the Boars to establish 'Natalia' the British became alarmed by rumours that the Americans and Dutch were being offered the harbour there. This would have placed a foreign power astride the route to India and was something that could not be tolerated and as such a force under Captain Thomas Charlton Smith consisting of a detachment of the 27th Foot, Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers and Cape Mounted Rifles was sent to re-establish British control of the area.

Their arrival was controversial and the Boers were believed to be gathering for an attack, after they took the step of driving away the British draft animals Smith decided to pre-empt them by attacking the village of Kongela. Unfortunately they ran into a Boer picket during their advance and soon found themselves under a heavy fire from a concealed enemy. The men of the expedition were forced to withdraw and were eventually driven all the way back to their camp, were the Boers placed them under siege.

The siege lasted for weeks before a relief force arrived- called by a local British trader Dick King who rode 600 miles for aid- and landed troops. They forced their way through to Smith's camp and relieved them, dispersing the Boers. Ovens was discharged on 31 January 1858 as a Military Settler; sold together with copied research.

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Estimate
£1,000 to £1,400

Starting price
£800