Description
Cape of Good Hope General Service Medal, 2 bars, Transkei, Basutoland, Trooper A.H. Payne, Baker’s Horse, a rare confirmed 2 bar medal.
Officially engraved: “Tpr A. H. Payne. Baker’s Hse”
Confirmed on the medal roll.
A rare surviving 2 bar example, of which only 490 medals were issued with this combination, with about 585 2 bar medals being issued, out of a total 5,252 medals issued.
Only about 52 medals were issued named to Baker’s Horse, by the time the medal was instituted decades later, about 23 earning the same clasps.
Notably during this campaign, Baker’s Horse had a humble hero in the ranks, Corporal Christian Ferdinand Schiess VC, Victoria Cross, who had just been given his Victoria Cross in 1880, for his heroics in the famous Defence of Rorkes Drift, having found himself there with a foot wound, despite this he accounted for many Zulus by the point of bayonet and rifle.
Schiess who became the First Swiss to be awarded the VC (a rule against Foreign Men being given the VC was specifically repealed for him, becoming the first ever award to the South African Forces under British Command) however died in 1884, and never got to claim this medal.
The only man in South Africa that can be traced with this name was:
Mr Alfred Henry Payne, was born in Verulam, Natal during 1863.
Mr Payne was notably absent from the recent “Zulu” Frontier Wars as he would have been a teenager, and does not show on the medal rolls, but came of age just in time for the upcoming campaign that earned this medal.
At the age of about 18, he looks to have served with Baker’s Horse during both the Basutoland “Basuto Gun War” and the Transkei Rebellion.
The Basutoland Clasp was earned for service between 13th September 1880 – 25th April 1881.
Followed by the Transkei Clasp earned between 13th September 1880 – 15th May 1881.
Few men took part in both campaigns, and it would be another 20 years until this medal was finally issued for their service, leaving few men left to claim them.
He lived long enough to claim this medal, before he died aged 50 at Pilgrims Rest, Lydenburg on 6th June 1913.
He had worked as a Baker and Confectioner at the time of his death at Lydenburg.
The following letter regarding the adventures of Baker’s Horse in this war and regarding their heroic Corporal Scheiss VC, was published in the Stamford Mercury during 1881 Reading:
“With Baker’s Horse in Basutoland.—We give an extract from a letter received a fortnight ago by Mr. Wm. Barton, of Stamford, from his son, who shortly after landing in Africa last autumn was, with one or two other Stamfordians, peremptorily called upon to render military service. He was assigned to Baker’s Horse, which was detained for employment against the Basutos.
Writing from “Fort McKay, Mount Frere, Caffraria, Feb. 2,” he says:-
“I am pleased to say that I am enjoying splendid health. The fresh air we are bound to inhale agrees with me. Our camp is on a good elevation: the clouds generally come down about us in the evening. Talk about rain! During the last week rivers and torrents have been formed as if by magic—a natural bit of conjuring which beats all to pieces a Covent Garden transformation.
We have just come off a three weeks’ patrol to the Drakensberg Mountains. Such travelling! Simply breakneck work—over rocks, up rocks, down the side of them, in fact under them, until you wish this romantic locality had less of the volcanic origin attached to it. The poor horses suffered badly from it.
Our business here was to get the rebel chief Uhlonslo out of his lair, a fastness in the mountain. We had previously captured some 30,000 or 35,000 head of his cattle, consisting of beasts, sheep, and goats. After a long search he was found; but the cunning black escaped us. In this attack we lost two killed and three wounded, one poor fellow of our troop dying after great suffering.
One of the killed was a young Scotch lad named McFale. He came as Colonel’s servant, but would not remain in that position. He wanted to be in the ranks. So he got killed in front of a cave where we had some of the enemy at bay. He was only sixteen years old. I lent him a shirt the other day, he having got wet and having no change with him: singularly he gave it me back before he was shot.
We are now at a standstill: the rivers on both sides of us are full, so we cannot stir from here for a day or two. Our regiment is under orders to march to the Transvaal border, three weeks’ journey from here, to prevent those interesting people there from raiding on Griqualand.
“Wars and rumours of wars;” but no Boycotting here! Africa seems in a nice muddle. From what I can see of it, they will never keep the blacks quiet if they try and humbug them by false statements, &c.
I have been out the last few days—one of a party repairing the telegraph wires cut by the enemy; not a nice job for five fellows alone and about ten miles from camp. But we had a good man in charge—corporal Schiess, V.C., one of the Rorke’s Drift heroes. He is a nice fellow, and we are the best of friends. He was born in the Alps, and is a Swiss.
One of the best detailed write-ups of the comprehensive colonial service of “Baker of Baker’s Horse” was in an article written by Cam Simpson, which can be read here:
https://www.anglozuluwar.com/images/Journal%2045/BAKER%20OF%20BAKER.pdf
A brief overview of Francis James Baker and the war in which this medal was earned from the well sourced information from the above article:
Following on from his great successes in the Anglo Zulu War in leading Baker’s Horse gathering the acclaim of both Lord Chelmsford and Colonel Buller, as well as Brigadier General E.H. Wood, he returned to service and was appointed as Lt Colonel and Commanding Officer of Bakers Horse on 1st October 1880, with the pay and allowances of a Commandant.
He began recruiting, at which time Trooper Payne would have been just about 18.
He took his men into the “Gun War” taking part in operations in East Griqualand and Basutoland as the Column Commander.
From 25th October 1880, the command fell to Captain William George Parminter as aprt of Baker’s Column, where they moved through Komgha (25 November 1880), Ibeka (4 December), Mgwali (11 December), Bashee Valley
(18 December) and Gqaga (25 December).
On 21.12.80, from Baker’s Horse Camp, Lieutenant Colonel F.J. Baker wrote to Brigadier General C.M. Clarke at Umtata in relation to the three-day operation towards Tsitsa Poort and the action of 18 December at Tsitsa Gorge where 300 Pondomisi where killed.
His report read in part as follows:
“I beg to bring to your favourable notice the names of the following officers from whom I received advice and assistance – Major W.G. Parminter, Commanding Baker’s Horse. Sub Commandant Leary, Commanding Baca Contingent, whose knowledge of the language & country has been of the greatest assistance to me. Sub Commandant Usher commanding column of natives who carried out my instructions to the letter over a very rough & broken country & thus rendered my success so complete. I would further mention Captain A.D. Martin, who led the charge of Baker’s Horse under Major Parminter & Captain Macdowal, Willoughby’s Horse who behaved with great coolness under fire, and Lieut Wainwright, Willoughby’s Horse
who acted as my Aide-de-camp during the day.”
Baker, with a mixed force travelled from the Transkei via Ongeluk’s Nek to Palmeitfontein on the Basutoland border having handed over command of the troops in East Griqualand to Charles Brownlee on 22.2.81; On 13.4.81, as operations were concluding in Basutoland, he formally relinquished command of Baker’s Horse to Major Richard Francis Vetch of which the regiment remained on establishment until May 1882
