A VERY SCARCE SOUTH AFRICA AND EGYPT GROUP AWARDED TO A ROYAL NAVY CHAPLAIN WHO WAS LANDED FOR SERVICE WITH THE NAVAL BRIGADE DURING THE ZULU WAR, BEFORE SERVING AT THE BOMBARDMENT OF ALEXANDRIA DURING THE EGYPTIAN WAR OF 1882. LATER APPOINTED CHAPLAIN OF THE FLEET AND INSPECTOR OF NAVAL SCHOOLS, BETWEEN 1902 AND HONORARY CHAPLAIN TO BOTH KING EDWARD VII AND KING GEORGE V UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 1923

SOUTH AFRICA 1877-79, NO CLASP ‘REV: J. H. BERRY, CHAPLAIN, R.N, H.M.S. "ACTIVE"’, EGYPT 1882-89, DATED REVERSE, NO CLASP ‘REVD. J. H. BERRY. M.A. CHAP:& N I. R.N. H.M.S. "SUPERB."’ CORONATION 1902, SILVER ISSUE, CORONATION 1911, KHEDIVE'S STAR, DATED 1882

John Harcourt Berry was born in 1848 at Ullesthorpe, Leicestershire, the son of William and Jane Berry. Educated at Christ Church, Oxford, he was ordained Deacon in 1874 and Priest in 1875 beginning his ecclesiastical career with a curacy of Preston-upon-Stour, Gloucestershire. Appointed as a Chaplain in the Royal Navy from 25 March 1876, he first saw service on Tourmaline in 1876 being aboard during that ship on her visit to Simon's Town, South Africa the next year.

Appointed to HMS Active in 1877, Berry was Chaplain to this ship when she deployed to South Africa, taking part in the Frontier War of 1878 and the Zulu War of 1879. During the latter, Active contributed 173 Officers and men to the Naval Brigade for service with Colonel Pearson's column at Eshowe. On 17 December 1878, several weeks after the H.M.S. Active’s naval brigade was landed, Reverend Berry was himself ordered to the Lower Tugela to do duty with the naval brigade. It is not clear how long Barry served on shore but it is likely he remained with the naval brigade into January 1879…………

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Condition GVF and better. A very scarce group of medals to a naval chaplain who saw a good deal of active service.