A Fine Collection of Medals to Officers Who Died During The Two World Wars

Four: Captain A. C. Saunders, Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, and King’s African Rifles, M.I.D. for East Africa 1913, killed in action at St Eloi, 14 March 1915

Africa General Service 1902-56, 1 clasp, Somaliland 1908-10 (Lieut., D.C.L.I.); 1914-15 Star (Capt., D. of Corn. L.I); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaf (Capt.); together with memorial plaque (Arthur Courtenay Saunders) all mounted in a contemporary fitted leather covered display frame, nearly extremely fine and the first probably unique to the regiment (5) £1400-1600

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Fine Collection of Medals to Officers Who Died During The Two World Wars.

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See colour illustration on back cover.

Arthur Courtenay Saunders was born on 29 May 1883 at Alton Pancras, near Dorchester, and was educated at Mr T. Eastman’s Northwood House, near Winchester, and at Clifton College. He served in the 3rd (Militia) Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment, from 1900 to 1901, being gazetted to the 1st Battalion, D.C.L.I. in May 1901, after having served with the embodied Militia for nearly a year. Promoted Lieutenant in July 1904; and Captain in November 1911; from 1903 to 1905 he served in the 6th Mounted Infantry, afterwards joining the 2nd Battalion, D.C.L.I., taking part in the Somaliland Expedition 1908-10.

In October 1909 he was detached from his regiment for employment with the King’s African Rifles, with whom he served till 1914.

The following is extracted from The King’s African Rifles regimental history, and relates to Saunders service in East Africa: ‘In May 1913, after many promises, the Marakwet post was at last taken over by police. Unrest followed immediately, the tribe refusing to pay hut-tax or obey the orders of the political officer. Between June and September Captain Saunders carried out patrols with half “B” Company, 3 K.A.R., arresting the most recalcitrant chiefs. In October these patrols were extended to the Chepbleng or Endo, who lived on the escarpment to the north of Marakwet. Though not previously hostile towards the government, the Chepbleng were a wild people and difficult to control. Saunders’ operations were the result of two plots to kill Adams, the political officer at Marakwet, for which Maburo, the headman at Sipo Village, was considered responsible. While police manned the new station at Marich, Saunders and his askaris marched through the bush-covered gorges of the Chepbleng country. After refusing the first summons, Maburo gave himself up, but six days later slipped his handcuffs and escaped during the night. When Saunders returned to Sipo to demand his surrender, the tribesman attacked the patrol, killing one askari. During a three day armistice several hundred Chepbleng arrived to take the oath of allegiance, and soon afterwards produced the fugitive Maburo. For a time the troops were employed in cutting roads. They returned to Marich on 18 November, but were soon called out again to deal with mass desertions among Adams’ porters. A few Chepbleng were killed during these operations, though Saunders forbade his troops to fire if it could be avoided.’ (Despatches London Gazette 29 December 1913).

The following is extracted from The Cliftonian, June 1915: ‘He was M.I.D. for his services in repulsing a much stronger force of the enemy in September, on the Tsavo River in East Africa..’

He rejoined the 2nd Battalion, D.C.L.I. near St Eloi, in Flanders, on 13 March 1915, and was killed in action next day when in command of a double company of his battalion. He is buried at Dickebush Military Cemetery, Belgiium.

His Commanding Officer, after his death wrote: ‘He had only arrived the previous day, and was commanding a company on the day the Germans attacked the trenches near St Eloi, and during the attack was moving by a communication trench from one of his trenches to another when he was shot through the head and killed instantaneously.’ Another officer wrote: ‘He was doing extremely well when he was killed. When we were attacked in force he collected some of his men and rushed up a communication trench and held on for a long time, and so helped stave off the attack, which gradually dwindled away till we retook the last trenches by a vigorous counter attack.’ Lieut.-Col. B. R. Graham, commanding 3rd K.A.R. on hearing the news of Saunders death wrote: ‘...He was a very gallant soldier who did not know the meaning of the word “fear”.

Saunders does not appear to have been mentioned in despatches during the Great War, and the oak leaf on his Victory Medal would therefore seem to be representative of his mention for East Africa 1913.