Beschreibung:

A fine Great War D.S.O. group of six awarded to Major E. G. Clerk, 4th South African Infantry (S.A. Scottish), who served with the Queensland Imperial Bushmen in the Boer War and was severely wounded in the Zulu rebellion of 1906; he assisted Brigadier-General Royston to raise the Natal Light Horse in August 1914 and, after service in German S.W. Africa, landed with the South African Brigade for service in France where he was twice gassed and three times wounded Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., silver-gilt and enamel, with integral top riband bar; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 5 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (Lieut: E. G. Clerk, Q’land I.B.); Natal 1906, 1 clasp, 1906 (Capt. E. G. Clerk, Royston’s Horse); 1914-15 Star (Capt. E. G. Clerk 5th M.R.); British War and Bilingual Victory Medals (Mjr. E. G. Clerk.) mounted as worn, contact marks to the earlier medals, otherwise nearly very fine or better (6) £4,000-£5,000 A fine Great War D.S.O. group of six awarded to Major E. G. Clerk, 4th South African Infantry (S.A. Scottish), who served with the Queensland Imperial Bushmen in the Boer War and was severely wounded in the Zulu rebellion of 1906; he assisted Brigadier-General Royston to raise the Natal Light Horse in August 1914 and, after service in German S.W. Africa, landed with the South African Brigade for service in France where he was twice gassed and three times wounded Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., silver-gilt and enamel, with integral top riband bar; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 5 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (Lieut: E. G. Clerk, Q’land I.B.); Natal 1906, 1 clasp, 1906 (Capt. E. G. Clerk, Royston’s Horse); 1914-15 Star (Capt. E. G. Clerk 5th M.R.); British War and Bilingual Victory Medals (Mjr. E. G. Clerk.) mounted as worn, contact marks to the earlier medals, otherwise nearly very fine or better (6) £4,000-£5,000 M.I.D. for Distinguished Conduct in the Field Natal Gazette 26 June 1906: ‘In the action at Nkandhla Forest, on the 3rd June, 1906, when in an isolated position with a small number of men, was rigourously attacked by overwhelming odds, and although severely wounded in both arms, continued to fight and rally his men, until such time as assistance arrived.’ D.S.O. London Gazette 12 December 1919: Major, 4th Battn., South African Infantry. The following recommendation for an award was submitted by Lieutenant-Colonel D. M. Macleod [D.S.O., M.C., D.C.M.], commanding 4th S.A. Infantry, on 29 June 1917: ‘During the operations at FAMPOUX on 12th April, 1917, this officer led his Company out of the village and formed his men up, being all the time under heavy shell fire, and showed great gallantry in advancing at the head of his men to the attack although under severe machine gun and shell fire. He remained with his Company until wounded. Whist with his Company this officer showed conspicuous gallantry under heavy shell and machine gun fire; he made repeated personal reconnaissances.’ A marginal note suggests the award of ‘Chevalier de L’Ordre de Leopold’ but as no such award was ever gazetted it seems likely that this recommendation formed the basis of the award of his D.S.O. The action at the village of Fampoux on 11/12 April, 1917, during the battle of Arras, was a minor disaster for the South African Brigade. ‘So accurate was the German machine-gun fire [wrote Cpl. George Warwick, 4th SAI] that all the wounds were waist-high. Major Clerk was wounded in the hand. His other hand had been put out of action years ago by a Zulu assegai during the Zulu Rebellion. Now that both his hands were out of action he passed it off with a joke.’ ‘Taken as a whole, casualties were heavy. The 1st SAI on the left had suffered least with two officers and 163 other ranks wounded and 19 missing with 21 other ranks killed. The 2nd SAI, living up to its reputation as the ‘suicide regiment’ had one officer an