A fine Boer War Brigade Commander's C.B. group of five awarded to Major-General J. E. Boyes,...

A fine Boer War Brigade Commander’s C.B. group of five awarded to Major-General J. E. Boyes, The Gordon Highlanders The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, C.B. (Military) Companion’s breast badge, 18 carat gold and enamels, hallmarked London 1887, complete with gold swivel bar suspension and gold ribbon buckle, white enamel slightly chipped on one arm; Egypt and Sudan 1882-89, dated reverse, 4 clasps, Tel-El-Kebir, Suakin 1884, El-Teb_Tamaai, The Nile 1884-85 (Maj: J. E. Boyes, 1/Gord: Highrs:); Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, Transvaal, Wittebergen (Major-General J. E. Boyes.); Ottoman Empire, Order of Osmanieh, 4th Class breast badge, silver, silver-gilt and enamels, chipped in places; Khedive’s Star, dated 1882, generally good very fine (5) £3,000-£4,000 --- Provenance: A. J. Henderson Collection, Dix Noonan Webb, April 2003, when sold with a silver-gilt C.B. breast badge. C.B. London Gazette 19 April 1901. John Edward Boyes was born in June 1843, the son of John Boyes of Cheltenham. His younger brother, Duncan, won a V.C. with the Royal Navy at Shimonoseki in Japan in 1863. 
Commissioned into the 75th Regiment in October 1861, he was advanced, by purchase, to Lieutenant in January 1867, and to Captain, again by purchase, in October 1868. Receiving his Majority in December 1880, he accompanied his regiment, now the 1st Battalion, Gordon Highlanders, on the expedition against Arabi Pasha in 1882, being present at the battle of Tel-el-Kebir on 13 September. For his services in the campaign he was given the Brevet of Lieutenant-Colonel in November 1882, in addition to being Mentioned in Despatches (London Gazette 2 November 1882) and awarded the Turkish Order of Osmanieh, 4th class. 
In 1884, Boyes again accompanied the 1st Battalion during the Suakin campaign, being present at both the battles of El-Teb and Tamaai. Shortly thereafter he served with the Battalion in the Nile Expedition of 1884-85. Advanced to full Colonel in November 1886, he succeeded Colonel F. F. Daniell as Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion in July 1887, a position he occupied until handing over to Colonel T. S. Gildea in February 1891. 
A Major-General by the time of the Boer War, Boyes commanded the 17th Infantry Brigade of Rundle’s ‘Starving’ Eighth Division from the time of its arrival in South Africa in April 1900. He proved to be a solid Brigade Commander who never suffered a disaster or mishap and was created a C.B. and Mentioned in Despatches for his command during the Brandwater Basin and Eastern Free State operations. A vivid account of his operations can be found in E. C. Moffet’s With The Eighth Division. 
17th Brigade comprised the 1st Battalion, Worcester Regiment, 2nd Battalion, Royal West Kent Regiment, 1st Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment, 2nd Battalion, Manchester Regiment and 2nd, 77th and 79th Batteries R.F.A. It was frequently split up and sent to different parts of the Orange Free State as Roberts continued his clearance operations in July and August 1900. Boyes had his Headquarters at Fricksburg and Vrede at different times and became immersed in the beginnings of the Guerilla War. The General retired to Abbotsham in North Devon.