King Edward VII AFRICA GENERAL SERVICE MEDAL Silver (36mm), ‘SOMALILAND 1902-04’ clasp, portrait of King Edward VII facing right, reverse showing Britannia standing holding trident and Palm frond beside British Lion, ‘AFRICA’ below in exergue. Awarded to John Lightfoot, Engine Room Artificer 3rd class, HMS Cossack, Royal Navy. The Africa General Service Medal (AGSM) was in use from 1902 to 1956 and is the longest running British service medal. Clasps were issued for minor campaigns in Africa of which there are 45 different types, 34 being issued during the reign of Edward VII. Up to six clasps are known on one medal. The medal itself is common and was not issued without a clasp, however, forming a complete AGSM collection with each campaign clasp could prove to be a challenge, especially where different forces are concerned. For example, a ‘Gambia’ clasp awarded to an African or Indian regiment would be relatively easy to obtain compared to one awarded to Royal Navy personnel. The ‘Somaliland 1920’ clasp was also awarded to mostly African and Indian regiments, less so to the Royal Navy and only 225 have been awarded to RAF personnel. Medals were issued to combatants in silver, but a few bronze medals were issued during operations in Northern Nigeria and Somaliland to transport personnel, these are very rare and sought after as is any AGSM awarded to a war correspondent. There have been six ships with the name HMS Cossack in the Royal Navy with little information available on the first four. John Lightfoot served on the third ship to bear the name. Commissioned in 1889 and sold in 1905, she saw much of her service in East Africa including the Vitu Expedition in 1890 and Somaliland. The Somaliland Campaign, also known as the Dervish War, was a series of British military expeditions that took place between 1900 and 1920 in the Horn of Africa. Somaliland clasps represent participation in several actions against rebels led by Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, nicknamed the ‘Mad Mullah’ by the British, although he was apparently neither ‘mad’ nor a ‘Mullah’. The ‘Jiballi’ clasp, always given with the ‘Somaliland 1902-04’ clasp, was awarded to those involved in the action that led to Hassan’s defeat on 10 January 1904. This item will be offered in our Sporting Memorabilia & General Collectables On-Line Auction in July 2020. To receive our Newsletters and be notified of all upcoming auctions, please email [email protected] .