Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

East and West Africa 1887-1900, 2 clasps, Benin River 1894, Brass River 1895 (W. T. Wathen, Pte. R.M., H.M.S. Widgeon.) nearly extremely fine, rare £400-500

W. T. Wathen served in H.M.S. Widgeon in the Benin River Expedition against Chief Nana of Brohemie, August to September 1894; in the same same ship in the Brass River Expedition against King Koko, 19-26 February 1895; and in the same ship during the M’wele Expedition of 1895.

Wathen is one of only five men, all from H.M.S. Widgeon, entitled to the East and West Africa Medal with clasps Benin River 1894, Brass River 1895, and the ‘impression’ M’wele 1895, although in common with a number of naval personnel entitled to M’wele 1895, he did not send his medal back to the Admiralty for engraving. It should be noted that, unlike additional clasps which would be sent out loose to the recipient, in the case of M’wele 1895, those men already in possession of the East and West Africa Medal for earlier operations were personally responsible for sending their medals back to the Admiralty so that they could be engraved; many of those eligible may not have got around to doing this, or even been aware of the London Gazette announcement.

Sold with copied medal rolls which confirm all three ‘clasps’.