THE VERY RARE 1890 PIONEER COLUMN BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA COMPANY GROUP TO A NEW ZEALAND-BORN ADVENTURER AND VETERAN OF MULTIPLE WARS AND EXPEDITIONS, WHO AS AN OFFICER, WOULD LATER SERVE IN MURRAY'S HORSE, FIELD INTELLIGENCE DEPARTMENT, JOHANNESBURG MOUNTED RIFLES DURING THE BOER WAR AND WITH THE AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE DURING THE GREAT WAR

BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA COMPANY MEDAL 1890-97, REVERSE UNDATED, 1 CLASP, MASHONALAND 1890 ‘TPR. BAKER, W. H. V. - PIONEERS.’; QUEEN'S SOUTH AFRICA 1899-1902, 5 CLASPS, CAPE COLONY, TUGELA HEIGHTS, ORANGE FREE STATE, RELIEF OF LADYSMITH, TRANSVAAL ‘LT. W. V. BAKER, F.I.D.’; KING'S SOUTH AFRICA 1901-02, 2 CLASPS, SOUTH AFRICA 1901, SOUTH AFRICA 1902 ‘LIEUT: W. V. BAKER. F.I.D.’; BRITISH WAR AND VICTORY MEDALS ‘CAPT. W. V. H. BAKER. A.I.F.’

Walter Headland Valentine Baker was born on 15 February 1862 at Oamaru, Waitaki, Otago, New Zealand. Son of Andrew and Matilda Jane Baker (née Headland). Details of his early life are sketchy, but it is mentioned in his obituary (1940) that Baker went to sea, serving on the S.S. Dunedin during that vessel's pioneering voyage carrying frozen meat from New Zealand to the UK. Explaining how he went to Africa, Baker said he was third mate on a windjammer which, in 1883, foundered off the Cape. He was left stranded and made his way to Kimberley, where he got a job as an underground overseer at the Central Diamond Mine. Baker soon found himself in the Cape Colony, from where he served on Sir Charles Warren's expedition into Tswana country which resulted in the formation of British Bechuanaland.

In 1890 Baker was a member of the Pioneer Column which, along with the British South Africa Police under Cecil Rhodes, rode into Matabeleland and annexed land thus forming Southern Rhodesia (modern day Zimbabwe). The campaign for this was not authorised until 1927, with only around 200 issued. Of these just 88 were to members of the Pioneer Column, making this one of the rarer campaign medals. Baker was mentioned in the diary of Captain Henry Francis 'Skipper' Hoste……………………

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Condition VF, lacquered. Sold with copy medal rolls, and A.I.F. Service records (digital), that latter confirming no entitlement to 1914/15 Star. Ex Spink April 2021, £3960 (including B/P).

A fine and rare group.