Original Item: One-of-a-kind. Fantastic named medal collection or Sergeant E. Legg of the 2nd Battalion 14th Foot West Yorkshire Regiment who served from the late-1870s through the 1920s. The medals are as follows:
– British Army Afghanistan 1878-1880 Campaign Medal, as awarded to Sergeant E. Legge, who served in the 2/14th Regiment of Foot during the campaign. Features a 36mm wide circular silver medal with swivel ribbon suspension bar; the face with the veiled crowned head and shoulders of Queen Victoria facing left, circumscribed ‘VICTORIA REGINA ET IMPERATRIX (Victoria Queen and Empress); the reverse with a column on the march in a mountainous landscape, an elephant bearing a cannon to the fore, circumscribed above ‘AFGHANISTAN’ and dated ‘1878-79-80’ below; correct chiseled named 2.14/2320 CR. SERG E. LEGGE 2nd BN 14TH REG. Includes ribbon. Naming officially impressed, near extremely fine.
– Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal – Victoria small reverse lettering, named on the rim; 248 CR. SERGT E. LEGG W. YORK R. Naming officially impressed, includes three different ribbons near extremely fine.
– An Army Meritorious Service Medal to the Royal Artillery – Edward VII. Named M. SERJT. MJR. E. LEGG. W. YORK REGT. Naming officially impressed, includes ribbon, near extremely fine.
These medals were original acquired in the early 1960s and all are still contained in their original Merchants Bank Safety Deposit Envelopes. They remained in a private collection since being acquired in 2020.
Second Boer War
1899 saw the 2nd Battalion sent to the Second Boer War 1899–1902 in South Africa and after a number of engagements two members of the Battalion were awarded the Victoria Cross: Captain (later Colonel) Mansel-Jones in February 1900, and Sergeant Traynor in February 1901.[25] The 4th (Militia) Battalion was embodied in December 1899, and 500 officers and men left for South Africa in February 1900. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Volunteer Battalions sent service companies to the Boer War and were granted the battle honour South Africa 1900–02.
The 3rd (Militia) Battalion was embodied on 4 May 1900, and served 14 months at Malta before being stationed at Chatham during autumn 1901. The battalion disembodied on 1 October 1902.