Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The rare Ashanti 1900 C.M.G. group of four awarded to H. B. W. Russell, Private Secretary to Colonel Sir James Willcocks, Commanding Ashanti Field Force

The Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, C.M.G., Companion’s breast badge, silver-gilt and enamels, complete with ribbon buckle; Coronation 1902, bronze; Ashanti 1900, 1 clasp, Kumassi, high relief bust (H. B. W. Russell, C.M.G., A.F. Fce:); Colonial Auxiliary Forces L.S. & G.C., G.V.R. (Capt. H. B. W. Russell, C.M.G.) mounted as worn but lacking pin; together with original Warrant and Statutes for C.M.G., and two related 55th West Lancashire Division sports prize medals, silver and gilt, both awarded in 1921 to Private H. W. Russell, Liverpool Scottish, generally extremely fine (6) £2000-2500

Henry Blythe Westrap Russell was born in Toronto, Canada, on 3 August 1868. He was educated at the Liverpool Institute and at Freiburg in the German State of Baden. He travelled extensively in West Africa and in the 1880s founded the firm of H. B. W. Russell and Co., merchants on the Gold Coast, Southern Nigeria. The company later had offices at Kumassi and Accra, Lagos and Liverpool. Whilst at Cape Coast in June 1900, Russell volunteered his services as private secretary to Colonel J. Willcoks, then assembling his staff for the Ashanti Field Force that he was to lead to the relief of Kumassi.

Russell was mentioned in the despatch of Colonel J. Willcocks, Commanding Ashanti Field Force, London Gazette 4th December, 1900: ‘Mr H. B. W. Russell, Private Secretary. - This gentleman volunteered his services at Cape Coast, and I was most fortunate in getting him; he has worked incessantly ever since I landed, and I strongly recommend him, especially as his chief object in coming was in order to have an opportunity of doing some service to the State.’

Russell was created a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, London Gazette 9 November 1901 ‘in recognition of his services while employed with the Ashanti Field Force.’ This is believed to be one of only two such awards for the Ashanti campaign.

In 1906 Russell was appointed Consul of the Netherlands at Cape Coast Castle, for the Gold Coast, Lagos and Nigeria, Togoland and Dahomey. In the same year he was appointed a Captain in the Gold Coast Volunteers. Russell was honourably discharged in 1912, at his own request, upon his departure from the Gold Coast for England, where he died at Chester on 24 July 1912, after the car he was driving collided with a trap.