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Auction: 7012 - Orders, Decorations, Medals & Militaria
Lot: 120

Three: Captain A. Cosgrove, Cape Mounted Rifles British South Africa Company´s Medal 1890-97, reverse Matabeleland 1893, no clasp (Sergt. A. Cosgrove. C.M.R.); Queen´s South Africa 1899-1902, four clasps, Cape Colony, Wepener, Transvaal, Wittebergen (Capt: A. Cosgrove, Cape M.R.); King´s South Africa 1901-02, two clasps (Capt: A. Cosgrove. Cape. M.R.), cleaned, very fine or better, with modern portrait photographic image of recipient (3) Estimate £ 650-700 Captain A. Cosgrove served as (No. 0108) Sergeant Cape Mounted Rifles, before he was seconded during the 1893 Matabeleland operations as Sub-Lieutenant to the Bechuanaland Border Police. Cosgrove saw service with the Cape Mounted Rifles during the Boer War including at Wepener, where his regiment suffered heavy casualties during the defence. Forces at Wepener, under Colonel Dalgety, comprised of: one company of Royal Scots Mounted Infantry; 427 men of the Cape Mounted Rifles; 804 men of the 1st and 2nd Brabant´s Horse; 393 men of the Kaffrarian Rifles; 58 men of Driscoll´s Scouts; a small number of Royal Engineers and an Artillery Detachment consisting of two 15 pounders, two Naval guns, two 2.5 guns and one Hotchkiss. ´A position, about six miles in circumference, was taken up. On the 6th [April 1901] it was seen Wepener was to be isolated, and defensive works were pushed on. On the morning of the 9th the enemy opened with artillery. In his report Colonel Dalgety said "The weakest part of the position was on the extreme left rear, which was held by the Cape Mounted Rifles, and it was here that the heaviest casualties took place, the C.M.R. had 21 killed and 75 wounded, out of a total of 33 killed and 133 wounded.......... it was found to be impossible to contact our lines or to give up any portion of the position held, so that I had no reserve available for relief, and consequently for 16 days and nights the whole force was constantly in the trenches, and in the case of the Royal Scots, C.M.R., and Scouts, they had nothing but cold food and water during the whole 16 days, while for three days the trenches were flooded by rain. I cannot speak too highly of the behaviour of the whole force during all of this time; all did their work cheerfully and well, although the continued strain was telling on all ranks." (The Colonials in South Africa 1899-1902, J. Stirling, refers). Wepener was relieved on the 24th April. Approximately 37 B.S.A.Co´s Medals with reverse Matabeleland 1893, no clasp awards to the Camp Mounted Rifles.

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£900