The Chris Thomas Collection of Boer War Medals

Lot 2347    Session 8 (2.30pm Wednesday)    The Chris Thomas Collection of Boer War Medals

Estimate $8,000
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $5,500

QUEEN'S SOUTH AFRICA MEDAL 1899 TO A WAR CORRESPONDENT, (type 3 reverse). Mr. A.G.Hales. "Daily News." Impressed. Good very fine.

Ex Buckland Dix & Wood, 8 December 1994 (lot 172). Only 9 Australian war correspondents to Boer War. Alfred Arthur Greenwood Hales, journalist, born 31Aug1860 at Kent Town, Adelaide, South Australia. He was a compulsive reader and worked at such jobs as fossicking, timber splitting, droving, dingo trapping and storekeeping. He studied assaying at the Ballarat School of Mining. He was an editor of the Coolgardie Review and also a mining reporter for the Barrier Miner at Broken Hill and in 1886-9 he exposed fraudulent sales of salted mines and worthless shares. A.G. 'Smiler' Hales was regarded as one of the most colourful personalities of the early days of the Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie goldfields, a rough diamond and a decidedly original character. Always in search of adventure he left Australia with the West Australian Contingent and became a war correspondent for the London Daily News newspaper at the Boer War. Hales brilliant reporting of the Boer War drew considerable interest from the readers in England. His work however was not without danger. On one occasion he was riding in the veldt with another correspondent named Lambie, seeking the whereabouts of some Australians. The couple did not find Australians but Boers and while galloping away, Lambie was shot dead. Hales was lucky to survive as he was wounded in the temple and his horse was killed resulting in his capture. In his captivity he was kindly treated by the Boers and gained his freedom after writing to the President of the Orange Free State, President Steyn, who met Hales and impressed him with his attitude towards the British and his love for his country. After the war in South Africa, Hales was employed by the newspaper in London. While there he carried out an investigation of the problem of the Macedonians' resistance to Turkish control, an assignment which entailed considerable personal risk. He returned to war correspondent work again during the Russo-Japanese War being present at some of the major conflicts. During the Great War Hales tried to get to France as a war correspondent but was unable to secure permission so he enlisted in the Serbian Army and acted as a freelance journalist for London papers. Alfred Hales, journalist, author, war correspondent, lecturer and adventurer was a prolific writer and has a most imposing list of publications to his credit covering a wide range of topics ranging from poetry to war. In about 1920 he wrote an autobiography called 'My Life of Adventure' published by Hodder and Stoughton of London. With research including copies of some of his writings and newspaper articles including a copy of the pages of a book dealing with his capture and imprisonment as well as memorial tributes to him.