AN EXCESSIVELY RARE "RORKE'S DRIFT DEFENDER" SOUTH AFRICA MEDAL [1877-8-9] To: 1387. SERJt G.SMITH. 2.24th Foot, "B" Company (2nd Warwickshire Regt) South Wales Borderers.

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AN EXCESSIVELY RARE "RORKE AN EXCESSIVELY RARE "RORKE AN EXCESSIVELY RARE "RORKE











AN EXCESSIVELY RARE




"RORKE'S DRIFT DEFENDER" ZULU MEDAL.


SOUTH AFRICA MEDAL [1877-8-9]

To:
1387. SERJt G.SMITH. 2.24th Foot
"B" Company. (2nd Warwickshire Regt) South Wales Borderers.

One of only 150 men at the Rorke's Drift Mission Station who took on 5,000 Zulus on 22nd-23rd January 1879.


George Smith was born in Islington, London, his wife, during his army service, lived in Brecon. Brecon museum have a letter written by Smith to his wife which describes how lucky he felt not to have been hurt during the fight with the Zulu warriors at Rorke's Drift. Later in his life George returned to the Islington area and is buried there with a small headstone in Islington main cemetery

A most historically important ZULU medal to a man who fought in the famous and epic action to defend the Mission Station at Rorke's Drift under the command of Lt Gonville Bromhead,V.C
& Lt John Chard V.C. Played by Michael Caine & Stanley Baker in the famous epic film "ZULU"


AN EXCESSIVELY RARE "RORKE [A MEDAL WITH AN INCREDIBLE HISTORY]
Our ongoing research has revealed that prior to this medal's appearance in a British auction it had been part of an important and early private American collection for many many years. Since it's arrival in the UK it has been in a substantial private English collection. Further in depth research into this medal's history has been ultra thorough. We recently made contact with the SWB 24th Foot museum at Brecon, Wales who confirmed that they did indeed hold 'a pair of medals' (ZULU medal & a George V Meritorious Service Medal) to a Sgt George Smith. So, yesterday 8th June 2017 we visited the museum and met the curator who was very receptive & helpful indeed. We were able to inspect the Sgt G Smith medals held by the museum. During the inspection we also had with us a local collector & long time enthusiast and expert in Zulu medals particularly to the 2.24th Foot.

[OUR RESEARCH FINDINGS]
We are thus delighted to confirm that our findings are totally conclusive and that our medal is in fact George Smith's 'original' award & that the Zulu medal in the museum, although also being totally genuine & correct, is in fact a later replacement medal which was quite clearly worked up by the medal office when George Smith either lost this his original award or perhaps asked for a 'condition matching' medal to be worn with the much later award of the Meritorious Service Medal which he received some 33 years later on 19th February 1914 with a £10 annuity.

Both the museum's medals are in practically 'mint state' & are in practically unworn condition. It is therefore the unused & unworn condition of the museum's ZULU medal which points out and fully confirms that it is in fact a later but totally correct official replacement, and that the original ZULU medal which we here offer for sale is George Smith's original medal as it had clearly been worn on parade for 30+ years by the then long serving Sergeant.

Our medal, which was first given to Sgt Smith in about 1881 is without any doubt his original medal. Being a soldier who served well into the early 1900's Smith had clearly worn his medal on parades for something like 30 years and this his original medal is in 'classic' VF/ GVF condition.

AN EXCESSIVELY RARE "RORKE AN EXCESSIVELY RARE "RORKE This is a totally normal and concurrent level of condition when considering the service it had experienced up until the issue of Smith's second medal & MSM in early 1914. Also & in extra confirmation of our award's totally accurate & correct naming pedigree, it was Interesting to see that not only is the naming on the museum's medal identical in every way to our medal but that the punctuation on the Museum's medal & several other ZULU medals in it's collection also have the 2.24 (2 'dot' 24 punctuation) rather than the more common (2 'slash' 24).

It is also very telling and highly important to note that as a recipient of the MSM, Sgt Smith would also have previously been in possession of a Long Service & Good Conduct Medal (Arms & Trophy Type) which is clearly still 'out there somewhere'. During the Victorian period, a soldier had to have earned an LSGC before being qualified to receive an MSM. Also, during this same period it wasn't officially permitted or correct to wear both the LSGC & the MSM. (that was authorised much later) It therefore becomes clear that upon receipt of his new MSM in 1914, Sgt Smith ceased to wear his old ZULU & previous LSGC medal as correct wearing protocol then dictated that he wear his new MSM with his new and condition matching ZULU medal which are at the museum in Brecon. Neither the original LSGC or the later MSM are recoded or mentioned on Smith's service papers.

[NAMING]
AN EXCESSIVELY RARE "RORKE AN EXCESSIVELY RARE "RORKE AN EXCESSIVELY RARE "RORKE


Our medal is named in the standard "Officially Engraved" and classic "Serifed Capital" style. The medal is slightly unusual in that the 2.24 separating punctuation is denoted by a 'dot' (2.24)rather than a forward slash '/' (2/24) but we have seen several medals before and recently at the museum with this variety and also with a 'dash' '~' (2~24)

AN EXCESSIVELY RARE "RORKE Here is a photograph (click to enlarge) of the medal to 1524 Private J. Bromwich 2.24th Foot which was sold in February 2016 at Fieldings Auctioneers in Stourbridge which clearly demonstrates another example with the 'dot' punctuation.

AN EXCESSIVELY RARE "RORKE The medal, which has an early, tiny & almost invisible lateral stabilising lead repair under the top left foot of the mounting claw is in original and uncleaned VF/GVF condition.
Small none intrusive edge bump at "Jt" of SERJt (See 1st picture above left)

AN EXCESSIVELY RARE "RORKE AN EXCESSIVELY RARE "RORKE The medal is on it's original cotton ribbon and comes with full copy papers.

SOLD
Serious enquiries welcome.

AN EXCESSIVELY RARE

AN EXCESSIVELY RARE "RORKE'S DRIFT DEFENDER" SOUTH AFRICA MEDAL [1877-8-9] To: 1387. SERJt G.SMITH. 2.24th Foot, "B" Company (2nd Warwickshire Regt) South Wales Borderers.
£SOLD

AN EXCESSIVELY RARE "RORKE'S DRIFT DEFENDER" SOUTH AFRICA MEDAL [1877-8-9] To: 1387. SERJt G.SMITH. 2.24th Foot, "B" Company (2nd Warwickshire Regt) South Wales Borderers. A most historically important ZULU medal to a man who fought in the famous and epic action to defend the Mission Station at Rorke's Drift under the command of Lt Gonville Bromhead,V.C & Lt John Chard V.C. Played by Michael Caine & Stanley Baker in the famous epic film "ZULU"