Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An extremely rare Boer War D.C.M. pair awarded to Lieutenant J. W. Porter, 3rd New South Wales Imperial Bushmen

Distinguished Conduct Medal, E.VII.R. (Serjt.-Maj. J. W. Porter, N.S. Wales Cont.); Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal (R. Sjt. Maj. J. W. Porter, N.S. Wales I.B.), one or two edge bruises, otherwise good very fine (2) £3,000-£4,000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals from the Collection of Warwick Cary.

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D.C.M. London Gazette 31 October 1902 (AO 10/03).

A unique award to the 3rd N.S.W. Imperial Bushmen.

James William Porter was born at St. Pancras, London, in November 1865, but his family later settled in Australia. Volunteering for active service in South Africa at Sydney, he was embarked with the New South Wales Citizen’s Bushmen Contingent draft of reinforcements as a Sergeant aboard the steamship Ranee in March 1901, but was appointed Regimental Sergeant-Major in the 3rd New South Wales Imperial Bushmen on arrival at Klerksdorp in early May.

Subsequently present at his unit’s many actions in western and eastern Transvaal over the coming months, the exploits that led to the award of his D.C.M. may well have been in connection with the Bushmen’s attacks on Muller’s Commandos at Kaultsfont on 27 October 1901, and Trichart’s Commandos on 20 February 1902, in which latter engagement 164 Boers were taken prisoner.

Porter was commissioned in the Field in early May 1902 and mentioned in Lord Kitchener’s despatch dated at Cape Town, 23 June 1902 (London Gazette 29 July 1902). He returned to Sydney aboard the Drayton Grange in July 1902.

Sold with copied research.

Note: This lot is available for viewing in Swanbourne, Western Australia, by appointment with our Australasian representative, John Burridge.