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 | Rorke's Drift Medals at Auction, September 2010 |  |
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peterw
| Joined: 30 Aug 2005 |
| Posts: 865 |
| Location: UK |
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 Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 8:58 am |
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If anyone is feeling rich........
Dunbar's medal, in my view, is the classic Defender's medal, and commands a significant premium over the other RD medal in the same sale.
The Zulu War medal awarded to Private James Dunbar, 2nd Battalion 24th Foot, a prominent Rorke�s Drift defender who accounted for �no fewer than nine Zulus, one of them being a Chief�
South Africa 1877-79, 1 clasp, 1877-8-9 (1421 Pte. J. Dunbar, 2-24th Foot) good very fine �30000-35000
Footnote
James Dunbar was attested for 25 Brigade at Newport on 20 June 1877, and posted to the 2nd Battalion 24th Foot at Brecon on 13 December 1877. Promoted to Corporal in March 1878, he was reduced to Private and awarded 28 days hard labour on 22 July 1878. He served in the Kaffir War of 1878 and the Zulu War of 1879, and was present, as a Private in �B� Company, at the defence of Rorke�s Drift. He was afterwards posted to India and finally returned home on 11 April 1883, being discharged to the Army Reserve on 9 October following.
Private James Dunbar�s presence at Rorke�s Drift is confirmed on all accepted sources, including Chard�s roll; Bourne�s roll; Bourne�s amended roll; and Bt. Colonel and Major Dunbar�s roll. Furthermore, he is mentioned in the eye-witness accounts of Major Chard, V.C., and Private Hook, V.C. Written at the personal request of Queen Victoria and submitted to her at Windsor Castle on 21 February 1880, Chard�s account notes:
�We had not completed a wall two boxes high when, about 4.30 pm, Hitch cried out that the enemy was in sight, and he saw them, apparently 500 or 600 in number, come around the hill to our south (the Oscarberg) and advance at a run to our south wall. We opened fire on them, between five and six hundred yards, at first a little wild, but only for a short time, a chief on horseback was dropped by Private Dunbar, 24th.�
Private Hook, V.C., witnessed further successes of Dunbar�s marksmanship:
�The Zulus were swarming around us, and there was an extraordinary rattle as the bullets struck the biscuit boxes, and queer thuds as they plumped into the bags of mealies. Then there was the whizz and rip of the assegais, of which I had experience during the Kaffir Campaign of 1877-8. We had plenty of ammunition, but were told to save it and so we took careful aim at every shot, and hardly a cartridge was wasted. One of my comrades, Private Dunbar, shot no fewer than nine Zulus, one of them being a Chief.�
Additional details on this incident are contained within The Washing of the Spears, by Donald R. Morris:
�The men along the back wall ignored the struggle behind them and devoted their attention to keeping down the barrage from the terraces. During the initial rush Private Dunbar of �B� Company, firing over one of the wagons built into the wall, had dropped the corpulent inDuna on the white horse, and with careful successive shots he killed 8 more Zulus. Such expert marksmanship kept the Zulus in the ditch and behind the cooking shanty away from the wall.� |
http://www.dnw.co.uk/medals/auctions/rostrumauctions/auctioncatalogue/lotdetail.lasso?auction=Medals+16+Sep+10&I'd=915&lot=900
The Zulu War campaign medal awarded to Private Henry Turner, 1st Battalion, 24th Foot, one of the Heroic Defenders of the Mission Station at Rorke�s Drift, 22nd-23rd January 1879
South Africa 1877-79, 1 clasp, 1877-8-9 (104 Pte. H. Turner, 1/24th Foot) expert old repair to suspension, the obverse a little polished and with very faint traces of probable brooch marks, otherwise generally very fine and extremely rare
�12000-15000
Footnote
Henry Turner was born at Ball Bridge, Dublin, and attested at Aldershot on 27 March 1874, aged 23 years, a brick layer by trade. He was posted to the 2nd 24th on 31 March 1874 but transferred to the 1st Battalion on 26 November the same year. He was struck over the left ear by a black bottle when on picquet duty in 1876, the wound scar being evident. Since that time he suffered epilepsy, the first attack being at Simons Town, Cape Colony, in 1876, and this could well explain his presence at Rorke�s Drift, although he is not known to have been one of the hospital patients at the time of the attack. He is recorded as being present during the defence by Lieutenant Chard, and by Colour-Sergeant Bourne, on his amended roll. Turner was examined by a medical board at Pietermaritzburg on 9 September 1879 and found to be unfit for further service. On arrival in England he was sent to Netley, having suffered two further epileptic attacks, one of which was on board the ship bringing him home. Medical opinion considered his disability to be permanent and that he �may not be able to struggle for a precarious livelihood�. He was consequently discharged as unfit for further service on 4 May 1880. At this time his conduct was described as �very good� and as being in possession of two good conduct badges and a fourth class Certificate of Education. Turner was granted an Out-Pension at the Royal Hospital Chelsea of 8d per diem for 18 months and intended to reside at Borough, Surrey.
Only one Sergeant and nine privates of the 1st 24th Foot were present at Rorke�s Drift, the majority of those present being from the 2nd Battalion. Of the ten 1st Battalion men, four were killed or died of wounds, two were wounded and one awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal.
Sold with copy discharge papers. |
http://www.dnw.co.uk/medals/auctions/rostrumauctions/auctioncatalogue/lotdetail.lasso?auction=Medals+16+Sep+10&I'd=916&lot=901
I can see Dunbar's medal attracting a lot of interest and it may well exceed the top estimate of �35,000 - and don't forget that is just the hammer price. If there are disappointed bidders I can also see some having a go at Turner instead and I would expect this to go in excess of �20,000.
Peter
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peterw
| Joined: 30 Aug 2005 |
| Posts: 865 |
| Location: UK |
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| Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2010 10:06 am |
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OK, I wasn't in the room so am relying on testimony from others who were there or followed the sale on the internet. Dunbar's medal opened at �25,000 and attracted no bids, even though the estimate was much higher. I am aware that �25,000 (plus commission) is a substantial sum of money but, comparative to many other medals, I would consider it cheap. Anyway, as it attracted no bids the item was passed unsold. It later showed on the auctioneer's website as being sold for �30,000, which equates to a final cost price �37,050.
Turner's medal sold for �14,000 hammer which, again, I felt was cheap. The single medal to Pte Kears was sold in 2007 for �23,000 and the purchaser was offered a substantial profit the same day.
So perhaps Rorke's Drift medals have peaked?
Peter
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