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Auction: 26001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 81

A rare Queen's South Africa Medal awarded to Private F. R. Baseley, Royal Marines, who later served with the Royal Marine Brigade at Antwerp during 1914 and as a DAMS Gunner, ensuring the Highcliffe came out from a U-boat attack

Queen's South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (F. R. Baseley, Pte. R.M.L.I. H.M.S. Barracouta), good very fine and rare

19 Medals & 3 clasps issued to Barracouta.

Frederick Richard Baseley was born at Chelsea on 21 February 1876, posted initially to the Plymouth Division he was transferred to the Chatham Division in June 1900 and embarked aboard Barracouta for South Africa. There he was one of only nineteen members of the crew to earn a 3-clasp medal, a rare entitlement and with his Great War service possibly even unique. Continuing to serve after the end of the war he was posted to the Royal Fleet Reserve in 1905.

Mobilised in 1914 he was posted to the Royal Marine Brigade with his service papers stating that he landed first at Dunkirk in September before arriving at Antwerp and joining the defence from 3-9 October 1914. After the evacuation of the Brigade he joined the crew of Sutlej, the last entry in his service papers. Notably however those same papers note that he 'Engaged in action with Enemy Submarine in DAMS Highcliffe' on 14 September 1916.

This doubtless refers to the engagement between Highcliffe and a U-boat which saw the German vessel attack the merchantman on the surface. The Germans had reckoned without the DAMS gunners however who opened up with such a ferocious fire that their enemy was forced back under the waves. Whilst Baseley appears to have survived the war it is unknown when he was discharged or whether he was still with Highcliffe when she was sunk in 1918; sold together with copied service papers and medal rolls.

Further entitled to a 1914 Star Trio.

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Estimate
£300 to £500

Starting price
£240