Orders, Decorations and Medals

Four: Sergeant Instructor of Gunnery E. Eyre, Western Division, Royal Garrison Artillery, and later Corps of Commissionaires
Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Defence of Kimberley, Orange Free State, Transvaal (68853 Sgt. I. of G., W.D., R.G.A.); King’s South Africa, 2 clasps (Serjt. Inst. Gnry., R.G.A.); Mayor of Kimberley’s Star 1899-1900, date letter ‘a’ for 1900, complete with top suspension brooch; Corps of Commissionaires Order of Merit, silver and enamels, the reverse named and hallmarked, light contact marks, otherwise good very fine (4) £250-300

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Medals formed by the late Robert Lamb.

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Edwin Eyre was born in March 1866 at King Williamstown, Cork, and enlisted at Londonderry in September 1888. He lost his left eye in October 1895 but his service papers do not say how. This disability does not appear to have affected his rise through the ranks and he became Sergeant in 1896, and was promoted to Sergeant Instructor of Gunnery in April 1898, posted to the Depot Establishment, Western Division, Cape District. After serving throughout the Defence of Kimberley, Eyre re-engaged at Cape Town, to complete his 21 years service. He returned from South Africa in May 1906 and was posted as Quartermaster Sergeant Instructor of Gunnery to the School of Gunnery at Sheerness. He was discharged in January 1909 and, in the following July, joined the Corps of Commissionaires with whom he served until October 1935. He died at New Barnet on 28 July 1945.