Pair: Able Seaman A. E. Reed, Royal Navy

East and West Africa 1887-1900, 1 clasp, Benin River 1894 (A.B., H.M.S. Philomel); Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, no clasp (A.B., H.M.S. Doris), very fine and better (2) £350-400

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Barrett J. Carr Collection of Boer War Medals.

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Collection

346 no-clasp Queen’s South Africa Medals were awarded to the ship’s company of H.M.S. Doris.

Alfred Edward Reed was born at Teignmouth, Devon in August 1871 and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in January 1887. Advanced to Able Seaman in June 1890, he served aboard H.M.S. Philomel from November 1891 to November 1894, during which latter year he participated in the Benin River operations. Further active service followed in the Doris off South Africa between December 1899 and August 1900, when he removed to the Herald, so he no doubt bumped into General Cronje, who was held as a ‘naval prisoner’ for two months aboard the former ship after his surrender at Paardeberg in February 1900. Having been pensioned ashore in the following year, Reed enrolled in the Royal Fleet Reserve and was recalled in August 1914, and briefly served in the cruiser Argonaut 1914-15 before being invalided ashore.