Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The campaign group of three awarded to Sergeant C. A. Rhodes, British South Africa Police, a confirmed Jameson Raider who was killed in action at De Kilpdrift in March 1902
British South Africa Company Medal 1890-97, reverse Rhodesia 1896, no clasp (Pte. Chas. A. Rhodes. M.M.P. Corps.); Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, Rhodesia, Transvaal (785 Serjt: C. A. Rhodes. B.S.A. Police) naming officially re-impressed; King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (785 Serjt: C. A. Rhodes. B.S.A. Police.) the last two in contemporary fitted case with silver label inscribed ‘C. A. Rhodes Sergt. British South Africa Police. Killed at Klip Drift 7 March 1902.’, extremely fine (3) £800-£1,000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Small Collection of Medals to Jameson Raiders.

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Charles A. Rhodes served as a Trooper in “C” Troop, Mashonaland Mounted Police, on the Jameson Raid and was taken prisoner. Repatriated to England from Durban aboard the Harlech Castle on 24 January 1896, he was ill with fever on board and had to be detained at Plymouth for medical treatment. Later in the year he returned to South Africa and served as a Trooper in the Mashonaland Mounted Police Corps in Rhodesia 1896. He afterwards joined the B.S.A. Police and served as a Sergeant until he was one of four men of the regiment killed in action at De Klipdrift on 7 March 1902.

The following account is taken from Colonel Harding’s Frontier Patrols:

‘In Lord Methuen’s disastrous engagement on March 7th, Sub-Inspector Agar with 20 men formed part of his escort. They were sent back with a gun when the Boers attacked in the rear and succeeded in repulsing the Boers there, but on getting back to the convoy they found the Boers in the convoy shooting the men at close quarters. Our men made a stand in a farm house for some time but the Boers turned the captured guns and pom-poms on them at close quarters and they had to surrender. During this engagement the Police casualties were Sergeant Rhodes and Trooper Campion killed, Trooper Coney and Cakebread missing, and as they have not since been heard of, I fear they also must have been killed.’