Alexander Strachan's New Zealand Medal, awarded for his service in the New Zealand Wars.
Alexander Strachan's New Zealand Medal, awarded for his service in the New Zealand Wars.
Medals awarded to a Whanganui father and son are among the items going under the hammer in an upcoming coin, banknote and medal auction.
Alexander and Laurie Strachan were awarded medals for their service in two separate conflicts, the New Zealand Wars for Alexander and World War I for Laurie, Mowbray Collectables director David Galt said in a statement.
New Zealand Wars medals were issued by the British Government and Colonial Government from 1869 onwards to both British troops and Māori who fought with the British in the wars across the 1840s to 1860s.
Only those who came under fire in the war were eligible for medals, and Alexander claimed he came under fire more than 20 times from 1864 to 1868.
He served in the Alexandra Cavalry, participated in battles at Waikiwi and Waitōtara, was part of the first engagement at Nukumaru in January 1865 and fought in Otautu, near Pātea and at Kakaramea.
Later he served in the Commissariat Transport Company in 1865 and under famous soldier Gustavus von Tempsky in 1868.
He was awarded a New Zealand Medal in late 1914 as, to receive a medal, soldiers had to apply for it and, like many others, Alexander applied only after learning a medal made him eligible for a military pension after 1912.
He had to enlist his local MP and others to support the claim for the medal and, to keep costs down, the Government awarded him an unclaimed medal set aside for the Auckland Militia with his name engraved on the bottom.
As his unit was small, and only eight medals are known to the unit, his New Zealand Medal is more valuable than most with an estimated value of $1500, Galt said.
Alexander’s son, Sergeant Laurie Strachan, later served in World War I, signing up on August 15, 1914, and serving in Gallipoli, Egypt and Palestine.
He was awarded a Distinguished Conduct Medal for rushing forward and bayoneting an enemy sniper who had been inflicting casualties during an advance.
Sergeant Laurie Strachan's medal group from his service in World War I.
His medal was awarded on October 22, 1917, and he was killed in action less than a month later on November 14.
Laurie’s medal group up for auction, does not include the original Distinguished Conduct Medal but does include a copy as well as a 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. The set has an estimated value of $600, Galt said.
Another Whanganui item for sale is an envelope with stamps taken on a 1920 flight from Whanganui to Hastings by flight pioneers Walsh Brothers and Dexter Ltd.
The early flights were immensely newsworthy at the time and the few letters carried were highly sought-after, with an estimated value of $1500.
The items will be offered in Mowbray Collectible’s coin, banknote and medal auction in Wellington on Friday, September 22.
