The Conspicous Gallantry Medal awarded to PO412, Bugler George Burnett RM. Ashanti War, 1873-74

by Marcher

On the 12th January 1871 George William Burnett, a very young labourer of Gillingham in Kent, celebrated his fourteenth birthday by enlisting at the Headquarters of the Portsmouth Division of the Royal Marine Light Infantry (RMLI) at Forton Barracks, Gosport, as a Bugler. Two years later, as a Bugler with 38 Company, he was part of a force comprising fifty-three Royal Marine Artillery (RMA) officers and men from Eastney Barracks and 129 officers and men from Portsmouth and Plymouth Divisions of the RMLI that boarded the troopship Simoom bound for Ashanti1.

The Ashanti Kingdom lay inland from what was known as the Gold Coast. The Ashanti capital Kumassi (Coomassie) was approximately 170 miles from the coast. British trading posts and forts on the coast were at Cape Coast Castle and at Elmina, recently ceded by the Dutch. The Ashanti claimed feudal dues from the coastal tribes, a situation not necessarily recognised by the British. Following a running dispute over ownership, an army of some 30,000 Ashanti invaded the Coastal Protectorate in January 18732. The garrison introduced by the British into the Gold Coast area consisted of Haussas from Nigeria, troops from the West Indian Regiment, Fante Police and local volunteers; a force of about 715 men. In addition there were detachments from ships of the Royal Navy. By June of 1873 Colonel Festing RMA had arrived from England on board the wooden paddle sloop HMS Barracouta and had, with Captain Freemantle RN, established a strong Naval Brigade ashore.

Meanwhile, the force of some 180 Royal Marines on board the Simoom was approaching Africa, where they landed on the 2nd October. Major Moore3 of the RMA later described the conditions on board during the journey. "The ship was full up with stores and provisions for the West Coast and the men hadn’t room to sling their hammocks. The voyage in the hot weather in the Tropics was most trying, the whole of the troop deck being occupied with provisions, and only a narrow passage being left, which at night was almost impassable from the hammocks slung overhead and the men lying on the deck". On arrival at Cape Coast Castle they found that Colonel Festing’s detachment that had embarked upon the Barracouta about two months previously had all, apart from three officers and three or four men, been invalided. Festing’s small Naval Brigade with Hausa troops had been driving the Ashanti back and had secured the whole coastline – but the climate and conditions had exacted a terrible toll upon the health of the men. General Wolseley was due to assume overall command; however, the Brigade that would provide the troops for the march on Kumassi would not be landed until December.

Map of the Gold Coast c.1890, with inset showing location of Essaman relative to Cape Coast Castle

A force commanded by Colonel Wood (afterwards Sir Evelyn Wood) was readied. Their task was to punish the villages that, by supplying stores and provisions, had been assisting the large Ashanti Army encamped at Essamen. Essamen itself, about six miles inland, was also to be taken. There were three Buglers in this force; Bugler Burnett plus a Bugler from Plymouth RMLI and another from the RMA. The Royal Marines consisted of twenty RMA, under Lieutenant Allen, and 129 RMLI under Captain Crease of the RMA. They were accompanied by sailors, men of the 2nd West India Regiment, Houssas, armed natives and carriers. The Houssas, under Lieutenant Allen, had a rocket tube and a 7-pounder gun was also available. The Barracouta was ordered to take the Simoom’s Marines from Cape Coast Castle to Elmina where they went ashore in the early hours of the morning, unfortunately encountering low tide conditions and a particularly obstructive sand bar. Essaman was reached by marching, usually in single file since the path often narrowed to less than the width of a man, through swamp and high bush until, as they approached the village, they came under fire. Major Moore describes the action. "The natives [Houssas] kept firing into the bush on either side of the narrow path, but would not advance so the Marines were ordered to do so. This they did under fire from all sides, apparently, in my opinion, coming principally from our own native levies." After a fierce fight the Ashanti abandoned the village, leaving it in flames. Later, in his report, Major4 Alnutt RMLI would draw attention to the conduct of sixteen-year-old Bugler Burnett. The Citation, possibly derived from Allnut’s report, stated that he: ‘Was Bugler of the 1st Company during the attack on Essaman and other hostile villages. Was in front from first to last. Showed coolness and courage in going from under cover and showing himself in the open to prevent our being fired on by the Housas". Whilst the high bush through which the British force advanced was extremely dense, each of the villages was surrounded by a cleared area; a killing zone. In the absence of a more detailed account it can be speculated that it was at this point, with Houssas and Marines reaching the edge of the bush in a state of some confusion that Burnett acted.

The wounded were put in hammocks and the force marched onto another village which, having previously been bombarded from the sea, was deserted. The force then marched back to Elmina and was taken on board the Simoom. Having already been on board for four months in a debilitating climate, the conditions of the past few days had placed a great strain on the men, and there was a considerable number of sick the next morning.

A week later the force was again landed and formed the principal part of an expedition to attack the Ashanti army. The two parts of the force did not rendezvous as planned so they returned to their starting point – the village of Alakrampa, which was later attacked by the Ashanti force. Moore continues the story, "We got back to the ship on the fifth day, again much fatigued as, being the only white troops, all outposts at the halt and picquets by night and day in camp had to be found by the Marines". The small force returned with the rearguard and Colonel Festing’s men following. Casualties were suffered as the Ashanti continued to harass them. Over the next few days a series of actions and skirmishes were fought, often in very unpleasant circumstances. This culminated in the Ashanti withdrawing "so that the bluejackets and marines can claim to have cleared the country of the enemy before any white regiment had arrived". Fifty Marines with Allnut and Moore were left as an outlying post. Moore again describes the circumstances, "We were there for four weeks, when owing to the unhealthiness of the climate, which was aggravated by the dreadful smell of the decomposing bodies,5 our numbers were reduced to thirty, the others being sick. Orders having been received to return to the coast, we started with a long procession of cots bringing up the rear."

Having been relieved by a British Regiment, all of the survivors from the Simoom were taken by HMS Amethyst to Ascension. It was normal to interrupt a journey home from the Gold Coast with a stop at Ascension Island for convalescence, and this was no exception. According to his Service Record, Bugler Burnett was ‘invalided’ on the 12th December 1873. Burnett’s record also appears to indicate that he arrived back at Portsmouth RMLI Headquarters on the 10th May 1874 6. "Of the original one hundred and fifty men of the RMLI, forty had either died or been invalided. Of the remaining one hundred and ten only sixteen appeared at Divisions next morning, the remainder being sick" – Major Moore concludes his account of the episode.

Return from Ashanti. The reception of the Royal Marines and the Rifle Brigade on the Governor’s Green, Portsmouth, 26th March 1874

On the 31st December 1873 the Deputy Adjutant General Royal Marines quoted a Sanitary Report relating to the Seamen and Marines employed on the Gold Coast and written by Staff Surgeon H Fegan 7. "I must now draw attention to the way these men have been employed on the Coast – they were kept on board ship for a long period which was certainly prudent; but the first time they were landed they were marched, some of them 22 miles and others 18 miles, which is quite equal to double that distance in a temperate climate. Since then they have had long periods of inaction, with short periods of violent exertion. They have, when on shore, I am informed, been constantly fed on pork, which is the very worst food for the African climate, and is poison to men suffering from diarrhoea. I have no doubt that all this was unavoidable, but I affirm that the climate and hard work, with intervals of inaction, and indifferent food, have broken up these two fine detachments who, with the Royal Navy on the Station, have borne the brunt of this war at the worst time of year"

Upon his return Bugler Burnett discovered that he was to be awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal. The Investiture took place at Windsor Castle on the 3rd December 1874 after which Queen Victoria wrote in her diary "…went into the [Grand] Corridor and presented medals to nine men of the Navy, Marine and Marine Artillery who had distinguished themselves in the Ashanti campaign". The Court Circular for that date records the names of the recipients. They include "Bugler George Burnett RMLI" - who was sixteen years old when he earned the award.

Burnett then ‘turned over to the ranks’ in 1875 and, after a short period of training, was promoted to Corporal and sent to serve with the Mediterranean Fleet at Malta. He joined the Royal Marine Detachment of the sailing ship HMS Hibernia, Flag Ship of the Admiral Superintendant of Malta, Rear-Admiral Inglefield, whose full title was ‘Admiral Superintendant of the Dockyard and Second-in-Command in the Mediterranean’. The following year he was promoted to Sergeant, 30 Company and joined HMS Hercules, Flag Ship of the Mediterranean Fleet. This ship was ordered home to Spithead and Burnett transferred to another ship8 until August 1877 when he joined HMS Achilles, an iron screw-ship. In May 1879 he was promoted 2nd Sergeant9 in Number 2 Company, transferring to the despatch vessel HMS Helicon and then back to HMS Hibernia – at the age of only twenty-two. He served in the Mediterranean Fleet until September of that year when he boarded the troopship HMS Tyne and returned to HQ Portsmouth Division at Forton Barracks where he remained until 1889. During this period he passed Infantry Musketry drills at Browndown Ranges and Sea Service Gunnery Courses at the Sea Service Battery within Forton Barracks in 1883 and 1889. Also during this period he served on the re-commissioned Training Ship, HMS St Vincent, moored on the Gosport side of Portsmouth Harbour.

‘HMS Hercules, her full rig replaced by military masts, 1874’ drawn by Col C Field RMLI. She is shown leaving Portsmouth Harbour. Originally with the Channel Fleet she was converted and re-commissioned on the 1st April 1875. By September she was in Malta as the Flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet. Sgt Burnett joined her in September 1876 but left her in March 1877 when the ship was recalled to England

After this period in Gosport, now a thirty-two year old Colour Sergeant of ten years' experience, he was drafted to the Portsmouth based HMS Serapis, a troopship built in 1866 for ‘trooping’ between Britain and India. These troopships had no Royal Marine officers so Burnett would have been the Sergeant Major in command of the Royal Marine Detachment The ‘trooping season’ lasted from September to March so Burnett joined in time for the 1889/1890 season, during which the ship made three round trips to Bombay. The next season began with the ship’s departure for India in September 1890; after a typical turn-around of ten days in Bombay, Serapis commenced the return trip on the 9th October. There was evidently some sickness on board and three days into the return voyage a Private of the Derbyshire Regiment died and was buried at sea. On the 25th the ship made a brief stop for coaling at Malta before proceeding; some thirty-six hours later, at about 0700 on the 27th October 1890, the ship’s log records "Departed this life CSgt George Burnett RMLI aged thirty-four years" Later that day, at about 1700hrs, the ship stopped whilst he was ‘committed to the deep’. There were two more deaths on passage – the eleven month old son of a sergeant major on the next day and a private of the DCLI on the 1st November; in the morning of the 3rd November the ship secured at Portsmouth Railway Jetty and disembarked the 17th Lancers

HMS Jumna, iron screw troopship of 6211tons and sister-ship of HMS Serapis and three other troopships. Each could carry 1200 people, the number in an infantry battalion when accompanied by the families of the married men. The Suez Canal was open at the time CSgt Burnett served on her, and the Serapis could travel from Bombay to Portsmouth and back in seventy days. These troopships were paid for by the Indian Government and, as a result, were painted white with a yellow funnel and a distinguishing colour band around the hull

The Conspicuous Gallantry Medal.

Introduced in 1855 to reward individual acts of bravery during the Crimean War, the medal was not used again until the Ashanti War when twenty-two were awarded, including five to the Royal Marine Artillery and five to the Royal Marine Light Infantry. One of the earliest to be recommended for the award was sixteen year old Bugler George Burnett.

Ashanti Medal.

Sanctioned in 1874 and authorised for distribution to eligible RN and RM personnel in 1875; the medal is engraved on the rim with name, rank and ship in capitals. The design on the reverse, which is in high relief and represents a fight in the bush between British soldiers and natives, is considered by experts to be one of the finest designs seen on a British medal.

The Royal Marines Museum was able to purchase George Burnett’s Conspicuous Gallantry Medal, along with his Ashanti Medal, in 2010. Both are on display in the Museum’s Medal Room10.
Selected References.

Research by Lt Col B L Edwards RM (Chairman, Royal Marines Historical Society), ADM 159 Series (RM Records of Service): ADM Series (Ship’s Logs); Spink’s ‘Battles & Medals’; ‘Naval medals 1857-1880’; ‘The Naval Long Service Medals’ by Captain K Douglas-Morris RN; Britain’s Sea Soldiers’, Volume 2, by Colonel C Field RMLI; ‘Marines from the Medway’, RMHS Publication No 20; ‘Random Records of the Royal Marines’ compiled by General Sir H Blumberg & Colonel C Field, and papers, accounts and publications from the Archive of the Royal Marines Museum.

All text © John Ambler
Images © Trustees of the Royal Marines Museum unless stated.

Added to site 14 December 2011 from Summer 2011 Blue Band Magazine