Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria. Including a superb collection of medals to the King’s German Legion, Police Medals from the Collection of John Tamplin and a small collection of medals to the Irish Guards

Pair: Private R. Foster, The Gordon Highlanders

Egypt and Sudan 1882-89, 5 clasps, Tel-El-Kebir, Suakin 1884, El-Teb-Tamaai, The Nile 1884-85, Kirbekan (1891 Pte., 1/Gord. Highrs.); Khedive’s Star 1882, the reverse impressed ‘1891’, the first with officially corrected number, contact marks, about very fine or better (2) £350-400

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals to The Gordon Highlanders and Associated Units from the Collection of A.J. Henderson.

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Collection

Robert Foster was born in the Parish of St. John’s, Carlisle about 1860 and had seen service in the Royal Cumberland Militia before enlisting in the 75th Regiment in February 1881. Having joined the Regiment in Malta, where it became the 1st Battalion of the Gordon Highlanders, he was embarked for Egypt where he participated in the supression of Arabi Pasha’s revolt and was present at the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir on 13 September 1882.

Remaining in North Africa, he next took part in the Suakin Expedition of 1884, being present at the Battles of El-Teb and Tamaai and, later in 1885, in the Nile Expedition, when as a member of ‘D’ Company, he was one of only a small number of Gordons to be present at Kirbekan.

Foster was transferred to the Army Reserve in March 1886.