Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

New Zealand 1845-66, reverse dated 1866 (301. Robt. Russell, 1st Bn. 12th Regt.) edge bruising and contact marks, therefore good fine £500-£700

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of New Zealand War Medals.

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Robert Russell was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, and attested for the 12th Regiment at Liverpool on 11 August 1859, aged 21, a gas fitter by trade. He first saw service in Australia, being at Lambing Flat from March 1861 as a result of the first goldfield riots against the Chinese miners and remained at Lambing Flat as part of the garrison until the regiment was withdrawn in July 1862, being afterwards part of the disastrous return march to Sydney under Captain Saunders – resulting in the court martial of Captain Saunders. He and his No. 8 Company arrived in New Zealand under Captain Marcon in late 1866 and re-joined the 1st Battalion, then at Napier on the East coast, being present at the very end of the Maori Wars in 1866.
Robert Russell went on to serve for 18 years and 125 days with the Colours of which 6 years and 259 days were spent on overseas service, all of it in the Australian Colonies in Sydney and New Zealand. He was eventually invalided from the service in December 1877, owing to chronic bronchitis originally accrued during the New Zealand Campaign.

Sold with copied discharge papers and a detailed biography of his service in Australia and New Zealand.