East & West Africa Medal 1887-99

Obverse: Head of Queen Victoria in a diadem and veil (left). Legend: 'VICTORIA REGINA'. Reverse: a group of soldiers and Africans fighting in the bush for their fallen comrades. Suspended from a bar, and yellow ribbon with a broad black edge and two narrow black central stripes. Bar: 'BENIN 1897'. Inscription on edge: 'T.L.DANIELS, BOATSN., H.M.S. ST.GEORGE'.

Thomas Laurence Danniels (1859-1936) (also spelled Thomas Lawrence Daniels) was born in Gravesend and entered the RN as a boy 2nd class on 9 Sep 1874, signing on for 10 years’ service on 8 September 1877. He was in ‘Wolverine on the Australia station, rated Ordinary Seaman from 1 Oct 1877. He then served in the survey ship ‘Sandfly’ in the Pacific and spent time in the cells after an attempt to desert in Levuka, Fiji. He was promoted to Leading seaman in HMS ‘Hector’ in 1881. Whilst in HMS ‘Ranger’ serving in the Indian Ocean as Bosun’s Mate, his ship rescued the passengers and crew of the merchant vessel ‘Indus’ after she ran aground off Ceylon (Sri Lanka). He was commended for services in the 3rd Anglo-Burmese War, commanding launches on the Irrawaddy and was awarded the campaign medal. His promotion to bosun was confirmed from 2 October 1888. He was on the books of the troop ship ‘Orontes’ from 3 April 1888 and then in ‘Agamemnon’ and ‘Humber’ from 1890 to 1894. Although throughout his career, his service record was generally very good, during 1896, in ‘Narcissus’ on the China station, Danniels was court martialled for wilful disobedience of a lawful command and absence without leave. He lost one year’s seniority and was dismissed from ‘Narcissus’. He was on the books of ‘Penelope’ at the Cape from 4 November 1896, serving in the cruiser ‘St George’ from 21 January to 11 March 1897 during the punitive expedition against Benin in 1897. Seamen and marines from this vessel formed part of the military force which captured and sacked the city. Danniels remained stationed at the Cape in ‘Monarch’ from May 1897 to Aug 1900 during the Boer War. Whilst in ‘Mars’, in the Channel Fleet, he was court martialled on 18 August 1904, accused of dishonesty and ordered to be dismissed from the service, however the sentence was quashed for lack of evidence. He was pensioned as unfit in November 1905. In the 1911 census he was working as a merchant seaman and then settled permanently in South Wales where he found employment as a labourer at the Portland Cement and Lime Works at Penarth. He married twice and had children.