South Africa Medal 1877-79

Obverse: Head of Queen Victoria with a diadem, hair tied in a knot (left) Legend: 'VICTORIA REGINA'. Reverse: a lion crouching to drink, a bush behind. Exergue: A Zulu ox-hide shield crossed with four assegais. Legend: 'SOUTH AFRICA'. Fitted with a cusped bar and buff ribbon with two broad blue stripes near the edge and two narrow inner ones. Bar: '1879'. Inscription on edge: 'E.A.STEWART. ORD. H.M.S. SHAH'.

E. A. Stewart is named Arthur Stewart on the medal roll and Arthur Stuart (1860-1904) on his service record. He was born in Hoxton, Middlesex and joined the Royal Navy as a boy, 2nd class on 21 March 1878, initially in ‘Fisgard’ depot ship at Woolwich. After training, and now an ordinary seaman class 2, he served on flagship ‘Royal Adelaide’ at Devonport. In 1878 he moved to ‘Liffey’, a store ship intended for the Pacific Station. On her voyage out, her crew saved the passengers of a ship which caught fire on passage to Madeira. On 16 November 1878, ‘Liffey’ was installed as a harbour ship at Coquimbo and Stuart, now an ordinary seaman, transferred to ’Shah’ until 31 October 1879 and saw service in the Zulu War, serving onshore with the naval brigade. After a period back in Portsmouth, he served from 1880 to 1883 on ‘Belleisle’, a coastguard base at Kingston, Ireland – he was now rated Able Seaman. In September 1883 he moved to ‘Frolic’, stationed on the West Coast of Africa. Back in ‘Liffey’ from 1891 to 1893 he was now a Petty Officer. He towards the end of his career he made a surveying voyage in ‘Stork’ from Malta to Mauritius and back during 1897-8. Later that year he was given a shore pension and in 1901 joined the Royal Fleet Reserve, Chatham. He died in service in 1904.