THE VICTORIA CROSS AWARDED TO CORPORAL JOHN SHAUL, HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY, A 2ND BOER WAR VC, HAS BEEN SOLD AT AUCTION BY DIX NOONAN WEBB IN LONDON.
5th April 2006


( select to enlarge )

Medal entitlement of Corporal John Shaul,
1st Bn, Highland Light Infantry

  • Victoria Cross
  • Queen's South Africa Medal ( 1899-1902 )
    • 3 clasps:
    • "Cape Colony" - "Transvaal" - "Wittebergen"
  • King's South Africa Medal ( 1901-02 )
    • 2 clasps:
    • "South Africa 1901" - "South Africa 1902"
  • 1914-15 Star
  • British War Medal ( 1914-20 )
  • Victory Medal ( 1914-19 )
  • King George VI Coronation Medal ( 1937 )
  • Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal ( 1953 )
  • Meritorious Service Medal ( MSM )
  • Army Long Service & Good Conduct Medal ( LSGC )


The Victoria Cross and other campaign medals awarded to Corporal John Shaul, Highland Light Infantry, a 2nd Boer War VC, have been sold at auction by Dix Noonan Webb for a hammer price of £140,000. The VC group was purchased on behalf of the Michael Ashcroft Trust, the holding institution for Lord Ashcroft's VC Collection.


For the award of the Victoria Cross

[ London Gazette, 28 September 1900 ], Magersfontein, 2nd Boer War, South Africa, 11 December 1899, Corporal John Francis David Shaul, 1st Bn, Highland Light Infantry.

On the 11th December 1899, during the Battle of Magersfontein, Corporal Shaul was observed ( not only by the Officers of his own Battalion but by several Officers of other regiments ) to perform several specific acts of bravery. Corporal Shaul was in charge of stretcher-bearers; but at one period of the battle he was seen encouraging men to advance across the open.

He was most conspicuous during the day in dressing men’s wounds, and in one case he came, under a heavy fire, to a man who was lying wounded in the back, and, with the utmost coolness and deliberation, sat down beside the wounded man and proceeded to dress his wound. Having done this, he got up and went quietly to another part of the field. This act of gallantry was performed under a continuous and heavy fire as coolly and quietly as if there had been no enemy near.

John Shaul was invested with his Victoria Cross by H.R.H. The Duke of Cornwall ( the future King George V ) at Pietermaritzburg on the 11th August 1901.


In 1910 John Shaul emigrated to South Africa where he worked at the East Rand Propriety Goldmine in Boksburg. Shortly afterwards he joined the Imperial Light Horse and became their Bandmaster. During the First World War he enlisted, on 20th December 1915, into the 5th South African Infantry and served with the regiment in East Africa throughout 1916 until invalided home with dysentry later in the year. He was discharged medically unfit on 8th November 1916. John Shaul died on 14th September 1953, aged 80, and is buried in the Old Cemetery, Boksburg.

John Shaul was entitled to the British War Medal and Victory Medal only for his WWI war service. He was not entitled to the 1914-15 Star which he had clearly added to his group for personal reasons. He would have been entitled to and issued with the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal ( 1953 ) which is not included in his VC group.

Acquisitions

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Iain Stewart, 5 April 2006