Beschreibung:

An extremely rare campaign service group of four awarded to Private G. Haywood, Rifle Brigade, one of a handful of men from his regiment who served in the Boxer Rebellion, in which conflict he won a “mention” for his work in a telegraph party: his colourful account of his Chinese sojourn, in which he reveals he “dropped” at least one Boxer with a rifle shot, was subsequently published in the Rifle Brigade Chronicle India General Service 1895-1902, 1 clasp, Punjab Frontier 1897-98 (1764 Pte., 3d Bn. Rifle Bde.); China 1900, 1 clasp, Relief of Pekin (1764 Pte., 3rd Rifle Brigd.); Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 2 clasps, Transvaal, South Africa 1902 (1764 Pte., Rifle Brigade); Imperial Service Medal, G.V.R., robed bust (George Haywood), one or two edge bruises, very fine or better (4) £1800-2200 Footnote Ex D.N.W. 25 September 2008. Just seven China 1900 Medals were awarded to the Rifle Brigade. George Haywood was born at Wednesbury, Staffordshire and enlisted in the Rifle Brigade in October 1891, aged 18 years. Originally posted to the 2nd Battalion, he qualified in electric telegraphy and was transferred to the 3rd Battalion in India in December 1893, where he was present in operations on the Punjab Frontier 1897-98. Undoubtedly, too, it was as a result of his signalling qualifications that he was suddenly ordered to China in late June 1900, a chapter of his career saved for posterity by his colourful account of his experiences - the whole pubished in the Rifle Brigade Chronicle in 1901. Arriving at Wei-Hai-Wei via Hong Kong in late July, he and his small team of signallers - and their field telegraph equipment - were embarked on a steam lighter bound for the Taku Forts, and thence, by train, in open trucks, journeyed to Tientsin - ‘The railway station was a fearful spectacle, one mass of debris caused by shot and shell ... we unloaded our stores and packed them on mules, arriving at a woollen mill an hour later - here we were quartered and attached to the Royal Welsh Fusiliers.’ A day or two later, when the Allied advance commended on Pekin, Haywood and his men journeyed by road with the telegraph line, while their baggage and spare equipment was embarked in two Chinese junks. Reaching Hsiku on 4 August, and having worked to midnight in order to establish a proper communications office, the signallers were rudely awoken by the sound of heavy rifle fire at 2.15 a.m. - ‘We were encamped within two miles of the enemy ... The fire continued in one continuous roll, rifle bullets and pom-pom shells whistling and screaming over our heads in all directions.’ As it transpired, the sound of gunfire was again the cause of interrupted sleep 48 hours later, the main force having moved out to make contact with the enemy - Haywood being left behind with a Sapper lineman, a cook and a Bhisti, and no supporting troops nearer than a mile away, a mere ‘six men of the Welsh Fusiliers in a junk yard on the river’. To all intents and purposes stranded, he took the initiative, rounded up a force of reluctant Chinese coolies to carry his telegraph equipment, and struck out for Peitsang - ‘Before starting I warned the Sapper lineman to shoot or bayonet any coolie who dropped his load or attempted to run. I also placed the cook in front with his chopper, and the Bhisti a little behind. Then the Sapper with his rifle, and myself, in the rear to keep a sharp watch on them, as we had villages and long corn to pass through.’ And before too long the party came upon evidence of some sharp fighing on the part of the advancing Allies - ‘There were scores of the Chinese dead lying about, while some had crawled into the corn and there died: they presented a horrible sight being alive with maggots and covered with huge blisters caused by the sun. Some were shattered with shell while others had limbs blown clean away, and the smell was awful. Occasionally one could see where the Allied troops had fallen, by the equipment, coats, ammunition and field dressings lef