Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria, to include the Brian Ritchie Collection (Part II)

An extremely rare Baden-Powell scouting badge group of five awarded to Acting Sergeant R. L. Picton, South African Forces, late 5th Lancers

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 4 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901 (5226 Pte., 5th Lancers), single initial ‘R.’; British War and Bilingual Victory Medals (A./Sjt., S.A.S.C.), with lids from original card boxes of issue, together with related Baden-Powell Scouting Badge, in “gold”, with applied silver St. George and the Dragon motif to centre, the reverse officially inscribed ‘For Scouting / From / R. S. S. B.-P. / 1906’, in its original Elkington, London fitted leather case, and Pretoria Citizens Service Medal 1914-18, in bronze, the lid of the scouting badge case separated from its hinge, very fine and better and extremely rare (5) £1800-2200

Raymond Law Picton served in the 5th Royal Irish Lancers for eight years, being transferred to the Army Reserve in November 1907. The background behind the award of his rare scouting badge is explained in an accompanying original handwritten statement from Baden-Powell, sent to Picton in November 1926:

‘This medal was won by Corporal R. L. Picton, a member of the team of the 5th Royal Irish Lancers which won the Scouting Competition at Aldershot in 1906.

The competing regiments were:

1st Royal Dragoons
5th Royal Irish Lancers
8th Hussars

The members of the 5th Lancers team were Lieut. Pym; Sergt. Tredger; Corpl. Picton; L. Corpl. Crane; L. Corpl. Ashton; Pte. McCluny; Pte. Goodman.

(signed) Robert Baden Powell.’

This document is accompanied by Baden-Powell’s original covering letter (and South African stamp marked envelope, dated 12 November 1926), in which he writes, ‘ ... I gladly enclose the statement you ask for, and am only so pleased to think that the little token I gave you so long ago, to encourage the development of scouting, was so much appreciated’.

During the Great War, Picton enlisted in the South African Army Service Corps at Roberts Heights in February 1917, and, following service in a motor transport unit in German East Africa, was demobilised in January 1919, aged 39 years.

Also sold with a quantity of other original documentation, including the recipient’s Certificate of Discharge, dated 15 January 1919 and a Civilian Protective Services, Cape Peninsula Fortress Command, Certificate of Authority, including portrait photograph, dated 14 January 1942.