IDENTIFIERS ----------- id: 141304 accession number: CM.1210-2009 DATE AUDIT ---------- created: Saturday 6 August 2011 updated: Monday 15 January 2024 DESCRIPTIVE DATA ---------------- object type: Peace-keeping operations in the British possessions in Africa, as anywhere else, required a large number of small campaigns, several of which, from 1892 until 1900, were considered to merit this medal, which in terms of design is a continuation of the Ashantee War Medal. Recipients who held that medal already were therefore awarded only extra clasps. The Brass River, or Benue River as it is now known, is a tributary of the Niger River, and in the 1890s the tribes local to it, whose ruler King Koko had his capital at Nimbe in modern Nigeria, were increasingly concerned about European inroads into the palm-oil trade, which threatened their livelihoods. In January 1895 the Royal Niger Company's station at Akassa was attacked and more than forty people killed. Reprisal was carried out by four ships of the Royal Navy within a month and Nimbe partially destroyed. This medal was awarded to Gunner T. Blakeley of the Royal Marine Artillery, serving aboard HMS St George. The vessel was soon after active off Mombasa where its crew also earnt the striking of this medal for M'wele 1895-1896. (Her complement later earnt another medal which has ended up in the Watson Collection.) Lester Watson purchased the medal from the London dealers Spink at some point before 1928. title: East and West Africa Medal (1887-1900) NOTES ----- type: history note value: Gift of L. Hoyt Watson; ex Lester Watson Collection, bt Spink before 1928 LICENSING --------- text license status: CC0 image license status: CC-BY-NC-SA OWNERSHIP --------- instutition: The Fitzwilliam Museum department: Coins and Medals collection: Lester Watson Collection creditline: Given by Lester Watson through Cambridge in America, 2009 STABLE URL ---------- url: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/141304 TECHNIQUES ---------- struck CATEGORIES ------ category: medal DATING ------ creation date: 1892 - 1900 creation date earliest: 1892 creation date latest: 1900 CREATORS -------- maker: London maker: Wyon, Leonard Charles maker: Poynter, Edward John maker: Victoria (1837-1901) maker: Victoria regina DIMENSIONS ---------- dimension: Diameter units: mm value: 36.3 dimension: Weight units: g value: 38.58 CITATIONS -------- British Battles and Medals 7th edn British and other Campaign and Gallantry Medals From the Collection of Lester Watson (d. 1959) --- IMAGES surrogate: large format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0093_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 139 pixels surrogate: mid format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0093_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 139 pixels surrogate: original format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0093_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 139 pixels surrogate: preview format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0093_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 139 pixels surrogate: large format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0093_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 135 pixels surrogate: mid format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0093_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 135 pixels surrogate: original format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0093_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 135 pixels surrogate: preview format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0093_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 135 pixels