The Jack Webb Collection of Medals and Militaria

Three: Captain S. Firth, Royal Garrison Artillery, who served as Quartermaster of the City of London Imperial Volunteers

Egypt and Sudan 1882-89, dated reverse, 1 clasp, Tel-El-Kebir (6345 By. Sgt. Maj: S. Firth. R..); Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 4 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Johannesburg, Diamond Hill (Capt. S. Firth. R.G.A.); Khedive’s Star 1882, unnamed as issued, mounted as worn; together with the recipient’s City of London Imperial Volunteers for South Africa 1899-1900 Medallion, 76mm, bronze, the obverse featuring a seated female figure with sword, presenting the freedom of the city to a uniformed man in the City Imperial Volunteers, the reverse featuring the radiant sun of the British Empire shining behind a hill which is surmounted by a tall staff flying the Union Flag and C.I.V. Flag, guarded by two guns, the edge inscribed in large capitals ‘S. Firth, Captn. C.I.V.’, in fitted and embossed case of issue, the case additionally named ‘Captain S. Firth, R.A.,’, pitting from Star that has somewhat obscured the unit on first, the Egypt pair thus nearly very fine, the QSA and medallion better (4) £600-£800

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Jack Webb Collection of Medals and Militaria.

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Samuel Firth was born at Ovenden, Yorkshire in 1850, the son of James Butler Firth and his wife Mary Ann. Educated privately, he enlisted in the Royal Artillery in April 1868 and joined the 16th Brigade at Morar, India in 1870. Remaining in India until 1874, his was among the first batch of British troops to go to the Suez Canal. He served in the Egyptian war of 1882, where as Battery Sergeant-Major, he was present at the battle of Tel-el-Kebir, (Medal with clasp and Khedive’s Star) and was Mentioned in Despatches (London Gazette 2 November 1882).

Returning to England, Firth was commissioned Quartermaster and Honorary Lieutenant on 1 April 1884, and moving to Scarborough in 1889, he became Quartermaster of the Yorkshire Artillery. Gazetted Honorary Captain 1 April 1894, he was appointed Quartermaster of the City of London Imperial Volunteers on 6 January 1900 and served with them in South Africa during the Boer War. He was present at operations in the Orange Free State, including the action at Zand River; at the operations in the Transvaal in May and June 1900, including actions near Johannesburg, Pretoria and Diamond Hill (11 and 12 June); and at the operations in the Transvaal, west of Pretoria. For his services in South Africa he was Mentioned in Despatches (London Gazette 10 September 1901) and granted the Honorary rank of Major. The City Press of 21 November 1900 published an interview with Major Firth in which he describes a hitherto unrecorded act of Boer treachery which occurred at Frederikstad during the campaign.

After the war Firth was appointed Quartermaster of the Royal Garrison Artillery and was transferred to the Staff of the Forfar and Kincardine Royal Garrison Artillery Militia. Retiring from the Army and returning to his home town of Scarborough in 1905, he became a member of Scarborough Town Council 1907 to 1910 and during the Great War he commanded the Scarborough Athletic Voluntary Force. He died at Scarborough in 1933.