Three: Gunner C. Chapman, Royal Garrison Artillery

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal (75352 Gnr. C. Chapman, 15th W.D. R.G.A.); China 1900, no clasp (75352 Gnr. C. Chapman, R.G.A.); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (75252 Gnr. C. Chapman, R.G.A.), contact marks, edge bruising and polished, thus generally good fine, and a rare Boer War/China combination of awards (3) £400-500

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

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Just 35 men of the British Army received the Queen’s South Africa, China 1900 and King’s South Africa Medals, all of them members of the Royal Garrison Artillery; see the article A Slow Boat to China - and Back Again, and related roll, by Lt. Col. A. M. Macfarlane (O.M.R.S. Journal, Autumn 1993, pp. 198-200).

Charles Chapman was born in Pulborough, Sussex in December 1865 and enlisted in the Royal Artillery at Worthing in October 1889. Having then served at assorted U.K. stations in the intervening period, he was transferred to the Army Reserve in October 1896, but with the advent of hostilities in South Africa he was recalled and posted to 15th (Seige Train) Company, R.G.A., in which unit he served from November 1899 until April 1901, including a period of employment in the China operations in the right half of his Company from July 1900 to March 1901. He was then posted to 14th Company and thence to No. 68 Company, with whom he qualified for the King’s South Africa Medal and two clasps, prior to being discharged back home in August 1902; a 1914-15 Trio is known to the same recipient, who died in January 1945.