A good Boer War C. B. group to Surgeon General J. A. Clery, Royal Army Medical Corps

The Most Honourable Order of The Bath, C.B. (Military) Companion’s breast badge, silver-gilt and enamel, with silver-gilt swivel ring and straight bar suspension and silver-gilt buckle on ribbon; Egypt and Sudan 1882-89, undated reverse,1 clasp, The Nile 1884-85 (Surgn. Maj., M.B., Med. Staff); Queen’s Sudan 1896-98 (Lt. Col., R. A. M. C.); Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 6 clasps, Cape Colony, Tugela Heights, Orange Free State, Relief of Ladysmith, Transvaal, Laing's Nek (Surgn. General, C. B., R. A. M. C.), officially corrected; King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps (Surg. Genl., M. B., C. B., R. A. M. C.); Khedive’s Star1884-6, unnamed; Khedive’s Sudan 1896-1908, no clasp, unnamed, mounted on a contemporary wearing bar, slight contact wear but generally very fine (7) £2000-2500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Medals to the Medical Services formed by Colonel D.G.B. Riddick.

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Ex Upfill-Brown Collection, B.D.W. 4 December 1991, lot 202.

Surgeon General James Albert Clery was born in 1846 and qualified as a Doctor (M.B.) in Dublin in 1870.

Appointed to the Army Medical Department the following year, Clery became Surgeon Major just prior to participating in the Gordon Relief Expedition, 1884-85, when he had charge of the Abu Dam Field Hospital (medal and clasp). He next saw active service in the Sudan Campaign of 1896, for which he was mentioned in despatches. On the outbreak of the Boer War, by which stage he had risen to the rank of Surgeon Colonel, Clery became Principal Medical Officer on the line of communication in Natal and participated in the Relief of Ladysmith operations. His hospital was situated at Chievely Siding, just south of Colenso, and by the end of hostilities he had received promotion to Surgeon General and another mention in despatches. His C. B. was awarded by Royal Warrant dated 22 October 1901.

The lot is accompanied by Clery's superb Boer War photograph album which contains many interesting and unpublished scenes, among them the destruction of Botha's house, General Roberts's son's grave just after his burial and an excellent selection of Field Hospital subjects; also included are his original C. B. warrant in envelope and a pamphlet with the published letters of Lieutenant R. P. Vaillant, 100th Regiment, in which Clery is mentioned several times. For the recipient’s miniature medals see lot 1162.