WW1 Victory Medal for 57450 Gunner Moses Rigby, Royal Garrison Artillery.
Potted history of the unit:
Battery not yet identified; still being researched, however the casualty record attached to his name is from RGA (Territorial) records, which may provide a clue.
The Royal Garrison Artillery was formed in 1899 out of the siege, heavy and mountain artillery batteries of the Royal Artillery and given the tasks of manning the heavy guns of Britain and the Empire's coastal defences and providing heavy artillery support for the British Army's land campaigns. As the First World War drew on the Royal Artillery grew massively in size and importance, growing to 1,769 batteries in over 400 brigades totalling 548,000 men by 1917.
The East Africa Campaign:
Something of a sideshow, albeit illustrative of the often-forgotten global nature of the First World War, the East Africa Campaign was fought between Britain and its allies on one hand, and Imperial Germany on the other, to secure Eat African colonial possessions from attack. The German forces, led with consummate skill by Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, were not subdued until the German surrender of 11 November 1918. Both sides used considerable numbers of native troops, such as the King's African Rifles, as well as European troops from arms such as the Royal Artillery and Royal Army Medical Corps.
Detail of the holder's service:
Some quick research amongst those with similar numbers suggests than he was a October 1915 enlistee, but did not go overseas for some time, hence no 1914-15 Star.
One surviving record indicates that he was attached to the East African Frontier Force and was diagnosed as suffering from debility and sent en route home on the Hospital Ship Dongola on 3rd February 1917. With a bit of effort it should be possible to trace his RGA formation.
As an indication of how far spread the Gunners were (vindicating the "Ubique"* motto of the Regiment), others in the same number block were on the Western Front, such as 57460 Reginald Thomas Hitchcock, who was killed on active service in France on 23 October 1917 with 228 Siege Battery (8" howitzers; others were with 222 Siege Battery (equipped 6" guns) and with the 60 pounder-equipped 147 Heavy Battery, whilst another served on "Draft Conducting Duty" to Gibraltar.
Notable features:
Although the holder's service records do not seem to have survived, it is a piece of good fortune that enough collateral information survives to tie him into the relatively little-known East Africa Campaign.
Medal condition:
Very fine with replacement ribbon.
XI
*"Everywhere" - Latin
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