Description
Abyssinia Medal 1867-8, 570 Private Thomas Owen, 1st Battalion, 4th King’s Own Regiment of Foot.
Officially embossed naming to reverse centre: “570 T. Owen 1st Battn 4th The K.O.R. Regt”
Confirmed on the medal roll.
Also noted earlier on the 1861 Army Index as serving with the Regiment at Chatham.
Notably during the Abyssinia Campaign, the 4th King’s Own Regiment saw action during the Battle of Magdala, when the Emperor ordered an attack upon the British Forces with many thousands of soldiers armed with spears. The 4th Regiment of Foot were in response quickly redeployed to meet the charging mass of warriors pouring a devastating fire into their ranks.
Remarkably even though the Abyssinian Warriors were taking heavy casualties from the fire, they did not waver losing over 500 killed with thousands more wounded over 90 minutes of constant fighting, most of them were barely 30 yards away from the British Lines being held off by the 4th Foot.
