The interesting South Africa Boer War and Great War Palestine Second Battle of Gaza 19th April 1917 Finsbury Rifles Officer Casualty group awarded to 2nd Lieutenant C.C. Badgley, 1st//11th (City of London) Battalion - the Finsbury Rifles, London Regiment, Territorial Force, formerly a Private in the 1st The Royal Dragoon during the Boer War, sometime Canadian Ordnance Corps and a Constable with the Winnipeg Police Department in Manitoba. After a period in the ranks during the Boer War when on operations in the Cape Colony, the Orange Free State and the Transvaal, he purchased his discharge from the 1st Royal Dragoons in 1903, and emigrated to Canada in 1906, where he settled in Winnipeg, and joined the Canadian Ordnance Corps for two years. He then joined as a Constable the Winnipeg Police Department in July 1908 and saw service as such through to May 1915, when he resigned, and then sailed for the United Kingdom, where he gained a commission into the Finsbury Rifles in September 1915. He then sailed to the joined the 1st/11th Battalion at Gallipoli but appears to have got as far as Mudros before being diverted to Egypt, and eventually joined his battalion in January 1916. Badgley was wounded in action by a gunshot wound to the right knew when in action in Syria during the Second Battle of Gaza on 19th April 1917. After this he was employed on light duties, and eventually returned to Canada to rejoin the Winnipeg Police from September 1919 to September 1921 when he resigned again. He then remained settled in Manitoba.
Group of 4: Queen’s South Africa Medal 1899-1902, 3 Clasps: Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal; (4470 PTE. C.C. BADGELEY. 1ST. RL: DRAGOONS); 1914-1915 Star; (2.LIEUT. C.C. BADGLEY. 11/LOND R.); British War Medal and Victory Medal; (2 LIEUT. C.C. BADGLEY.)
Condition: Good Very Fine.
Clement Christian Badgley, surname also spelt Badgeley, was born on 14th May 1881 in Shillong, Assam, West Bengal, India, the son of Colonel W.F. Badgley, Indian Army, and of Devizes, Wiltshire. By 1891 he was living in Tenbury, Worcestershire, and later lived in Exmouth, Devonshire. Badgley then joined the British Army at Exeter in August 1899, and seeing service as a Private (No.4470) with the 1st The Royal Dragoons. Shortly afterwards the Boer War broke out, presumably a reason that he had been keen to join the army as a gentleman ranker, and Badgley then saw service out in South Africa from December 1900, being then present on active service in the Cape Colony, the Orange Free State and the Transvaal, prior to being posted home and discharged in July 1903 after having purchased his discharge. He is additionally entitled to the South Africa 1901 and South Africa 1902 clasps, which were claimed and then sent to his father in January 1907, but were clearly never affixed to his medal, he having originally applied for the King’s South Africa Medal with both clasps. As a War Office record states, he was not entitled to this as he was only on active operations for a period of 1 year and 150 days.
Badgley then emigrated to Canada in 1906 and settled in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he joined the Canadian Ordnance Corps for two years before being discharged again and joining the Police Department at Winnipeg on 28th July 1909. He married Edith Emily Hughes at Winnipeg on 2nd August 1910. Owing to the outbreak of the Great War, he then resigned from the Winnipeg Police on 30th May 1915 in order to rejoin the British Army, and sailed across to Glasgow where he arrived on 20th June 1915. On 29th September 1915 Badgley was commissioned directly from the Inns of Court Officer Training Corps as a 2nd Lieutenant into the London Regiment, and found himself appointed to the 3rd/11th (City of London) Battalion - the Finsbury Rifles, in which period he features in a surviving officers group photograph. He then received a posting to the 1st/11th Battalion which was then on active service at Gallipoli, and embarked on 14th November, and saw service out in the Mediterranean at Mudros, but does not appear to have been actively employed at Gallipoli, as shortly afterwards he disembarked at Alexandria on 7th December. Badgley was then sent to attend at course of instruction at Cairo, after which he officially joined the 1st/11th Battalion in Egypt at Hosh Isa on 4th January 1916.
Badgley is shown as having attended the Brigade Officers Course at Kubri on 20th July, and then rejoined his battalion at Manchester Post on the Suez Canal Defences on 5th August, before being attached to the 1st/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment on 13th September, and then joining the Finsbury Rifles at Kubri Railhead on 22nd September 1916. Once again posted out on an Officers Course at Zeitoun on 1st October, he then rejoined his battalion at El Kubri on 21st October, before being posted to the 20th Reserve Wing of the Royal Flying Corps at Aboukir on 16th November. Whilst attached to the R.F.C., he was with the Technical Training Class for instruction in aviation until he rejoined his battalion at Suez Camp on 19th January 1917. He was then hospitalised in the Canal Zone area on 6th February, and sent to the 24th Stationary Hospital at Kantara owing to abrasions caused by an injury. Two days later he was moved to the 31st General Hospital at Port Said. He was obviously not quite fully healed as when he rejoined his unit on 28th February, he was immediately sent to Romani to complete his healing, and did not rejoin his unit until 7th March, when it was still on service in the Canal Zone. The advance into Syria and Palestine was however imminent.
Badgley was then present during the Second Battle of Gaza and is confirmed as having been wounded in action on 19th April 1917, suffering a gunshot wound to his right knee, in an action which saw his battalion suffer losses of 107 killed and 265 wounded. Treated initially with the 2/1st East Anglian Field Ambulance, he was then moved to the 36th Stationary Hospital at Mohamdiya on 20th April, where he partly recovered. He was then attached to a Prisoner of War Camp for guard duties at Ras-el-Tin on 6th June, before being posted to the Rest Camp at El Arish for duty from 18th June 1917.
Not having been advanced in rank, he remained throughout a 2nd Lieutenant, and having been awarded the Silver War Badge, then relinquished his commission and returned to Winnipeg, where he rejoined the Police Department on 8th September 1919, but resigned on 30th September 1921, having seen service with the Central Police Station at Rupert Street in Winnipeg. Badgely living in Winnipeg for the rest of his working life, but died on 15th July 1945 in St. James, Manitoba, where he had retired to, and had resided at 798 Warsaw Avenue. He is buried in Winnipeg. Sold together with a fine copied image of his as a Constable with the Winnipeg Police Department, and another of him as part of a group photograph when an officer with the Finsbury Rifles.