A scarce ‘Aro Expedition 1901-02’ D.S.O. and ‘Queen Victoria’s Funeral’ M.V.O. group of six awarded to Major M. L. Goldie, Royal Horse Artillery, who was accidentally killed in France in March 1915 and had won the D.S.O. for ‘conspicuous gallantry at the water picket affair at Ikotobo’ during the Aro expedition

Distinguished Service Order, V.R., silver-gilt and enamel, lacking integral top riband bar; The Royal Victorian Order, M.V.O., Member’s 5th Class, breast badge, silver, silver-gilt, gold and enamels, the reverse not numbered; Africa General Service 1902-56, 1 clasp, Aro 1901-1902, high relief bust (Capt: M. L. Goldie, M.V.O, R.A.) officially engraved naming; 1914-15 Star (Major M. L. Goldie, D.S.O., M.V.O. R.H.A.); British War and Victory Medals (Major M. L. Goldie.) obverse centre slightly depressed on the first and with minor loss to enamel wreaths, otherwise generally good very fine (6) £2,800-£3,400

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Simon C. Marriage Collection of Medals to the Artillery.

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Mark Leigh Goldie was born in India on 16 October 1875, son of Colonel M. H. G. Goldie, R.E., of Plymouth. He joined the Army on 2 November 1895, as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery, in which he became Lieutenant on 2 November 1898, and Captain on 16 November 1901. As a Lieutenant he was created an M.V.O. for his command of the R.H.A. Team at the funeral of H.M. Queen Victoria on 19 March 1901. He served in Southern Nigeria in 1901 and 1902, taking part in the Aro Expedition, for which he was Mentioned in Despatches, received the Medal with clasp, and was created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (London Gazette 12 September 1902). He was invested by the King on 18 December 1902. From 1907, Captain Goldie was with B Battery, R.H.A., at Plymouth. He was promoted to Major on 10 May 1912, and served in France from 14 December 1914, with V Battery, Royal Horse Artillery. He died from accidental wounds on 5 March 1915, aged 39, and is buried in Aire Communal Cemetery, France.

Fuller detail of the expedition and the circumstances of Goldie’s award of the D.S.O. are given in the despatches of Commissioner R. Moor and Lieutenant Colonel A. Montanaro, published in the London Gazette of 12 September 1902:

‘The objects of the expedition were:
a) To abolish the slave trade which was actively carried on throughout the entire territories belonging to, and dominated by the Aro tribe.
b) To abolish the fetish of the Aros known as “Long Juju,” which, by superstition and fraud caused many evils amongst the Ibo tribes generally, and to all the outlying tribes of the entire protectorate, who continually appealed to it. While this Juju existed it was impossible to establish effective government in the territories.
c) To open up the whole of the Ibo country lying between the Cross River and the Niger to civilization and trade of collecting the natural products of their country and developing it to the best advantage.
d) To introduce a currency in lieu of slaves, brass rods, and other forms of native currency that existed in the territories, and which from their nature and cumbersomness were opposed to advance in any direction.
e) Finally, to establish throughout the territories a labour market to take the place of slavery.

A few days before the operations commenced a most deplorable massacre of some 400 men, women and children, mostly women and children, was carried out in the hinterland of the Opobo district, at a town called Obegu. The Aros had long threatened to attack the tribes friendly to the government, and though the people of Obegu had been warned to keep careful watch, they were unfortunately caught napping by a conglomerate force of the various sections of the Aro tribe, together with other Ibos unfriendly to them, and their town was destroyed with the slaughter of the people above mentioned. This gave another object and duty to the Field Force, viz., that of capturing and bringing to justice the natives responsible for this bloodthirsty massacre, in the carrying out of which one section of the Aro tribe alone, the Abams, who were great head hunters, are reported to have obtained 200 heads...

Dispositions were as follows... No. 4 Column, consisting of 19 Europeans, 1 Native officer, 479 Native rank and file, 1 M/m gun, 1 7-pr. gun, 1 rocket tube, 2 Maxim guns, 13 gun-carriers and 225 general carriers, under the command of Captain (local Major) W. C. G. Heneker, Connaught Rangers, concentrated at Itu, with orders to make feint advances towards Aro-Chuku and so cause the enemy to keep the bulk of his forces in the corner of the country where the capital lay...

The Scouts 4 sections of Infantry, 1 M/m gun, 1 7-pr. gun, and a Maxim, under the command of Major Heneker, marched out of Esu-Itu on the morning of December 8th. At a distance of 1 1/2 miles from camp the enemy was discovered by the Scouts to have established himself in a thickly wooded ravine. The line of Scouts was strengthened on each flank by a section, and the guns were brought up to the front. The enemy for a time held the ravine tenaciously, but was unable to stand the case shot and Maxim fire, which searched his position from a hill overlooking it, and he retired, taking up another position on some high ground behind the ravine. He was again driven out of this position by shrapnel and case shot. The country becoming now fairly open, the enemy was slowly driven back on his final position. Here he made a most determined stand, and as our fire appeared to make no impression, Major Heneker decided to outflank him simultaneously on both flanks. This movement was most successfully carried out by Captain Venour, D.S.O., who, working his men round through the scrub thereby exposed a long line of deep trenches to enfilade fire. The “Cease Fire” was then sounded and the whole line advancing, charged into the trenches and turned the enemy out at the point of the bayonet. Our casualties were only two men killed, this being due to Major Heneker’s good dispositions and to the admirable way in which the Scouts performed their duties...

At Ikotobo, on January 26th, the enemy treacherously ambushed a water picket under the command of Lieutenant J. Wayling, Canadian Militia and Southern Nigeria Regiment, and, but for the initiative taken by Major G. B. Hodson, I.S.C., and the conspicuous gallantry displayed by that Officer, as well as by Captain M. L. Goldie, R.A., and Second Lieutenant R. H. D. Tompson, R.A., the picket would have been annihilated, as well as the carriers whom it was guarding. Major Hodson called for volunteers, and without waiting to see if any one was following him, he rushed across the stream under a very heavy cross fire from the enemy. He was followed by Captain Goldie and Second Lieutenant Tompson. These three officers held the opposite heights until the killed and wounded, numbering 7, were withdrawn, and the picket had formed up to cover the retreat of the whole party. Returning with reinforcements the same evening, Major Heneker inflicted summary punishment upon the enemy...

The following are the names of Officers, Non-commissioned Officers and men whom I desire to bring to your notice...

“Captain M. L. Goldie, M.V.O., Royal Artillery, and Second Lieutenant R. H. D. Tompson, Royal Artillery, displayed conspicuous gallantry at the water picket affair at Ikotobo.’’