New Zealand War Medal, 50th Regiment named and dated 1863-'66
468 Private Charles BENNETT 50. Charles BENNETT was born in the village of Blow, Norton, Norfolk, England. He enlisted in the 50.
Of Foot on 29 September 1859 at Thetford, Norfolk, then aged 20, giving his trade at enlistment as a labourer. Once enlisted he was posted to his regiment which had been serving in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) since 1857. On 10 October 1863 the 50th Regiment embarked aboard the Himalaya for service in New Zealand, arriving there on 14 November.
He served in New Zealand from 15 November 1863 until 16 September 1866, participating in both the Waikato and West Coast Campaigns, for which he was awarded the New Zealand War Medal. Private Bennett served in the first of two detachments of the 50. Regiment sent to Brisbane, Queensland aboard the Alice Cameron and served there from October 1866 to December 1867.
In the Brisbane newspaper, The Queenslander for 9 March 1867, Bennett was described as the detachment's marksman having scored highest among his comrades in a shooting match against No. 1 Battery, Queensland Volunteer Artillery. Private Bennett was later discharged on 9 October 1869 after completing ten years service with his regiment.
Description: Along the lower rim of the medal is stamped No. 468 CHAS BENNETT, 50th QN's OWN REGT. The obverse side depicts Queen Victoria, while the reverse side has a circular wreath within which appear the dates "1863 to 1866".
Judging by its condition the medal ribbon would appear to be a replacement. The item "New Zealand War Medal, 50th Regiment named and dated 1863-'66" is in sale since Saturday, April 20, 2019. This item is in the category "Collectables\Militaria\Other Eras, Wars".
The seller is "becoming18" and is located in Caboolture, QLD. This item can be shipped worldwide.
- Campaign: New Zealand War, 1863-1866
- Country: New Zealand
- Product Type: Medals
- Authenticity: Original
- Era: 1800s