Victorian LS&GC Medal to George Betts Norfolk Regiment.

An interesting Victorian Army Long Service and Good Conduct medal correctly named to; 199 private George Betts 2nd Battalion Norfolk Regiment.
The medal, 2nd type with swivel suspender and private purchase engraved sterling silver brooch bar suspender.
George Betts was born and lived in Notting Hill London around 1833, before joining the army he was employed as a Coach Painter. He joined the army on 22nd January 1858 and attested into the 2nd battalion 9th Foot the Norfolk Regiment. he served in Japan guarding the European settlement at Yokohama during the Japanese Civil War (1863-68); also in Gibraltar, Hong Kong and in India around 1874 and joining the Jowaki expedition (1877-78). He was promoted to Corporal on 1st April 1859 but in 1862 he was court martialled, for something I cannot read on his papers, it was serious enough for him to be demoted back down to a private. He served as a private for the rest of his career in the army and was finally discharged 1878 after serving 20 years. It looks like he tried to reengage for another 12 years, but was found unfit. What does a long serving soldier do after serving most of his adult life in the army. It seems that George tried to go back to the only other thing he knew, coach painting, we see him as a painters labourer in the 1881 census, married with children. In 1906 George now 73 is on his own and destitute, he is taken in by the Royal Hospital, Chelsea. Sadley George died as a Chelsea pensioner in 1912 at the age of 79. The LS&GC medal is his only entitlement, although a long serving soldier spending most of his service in foreign climes and probably seeing his fair share of minor skirmishes, he did not take part in any specific campaigns.
The medal is in superb condition with original suspender and private purchase brooch bar, which is engraved with foliate scrolls; the ribbon is a replacement. It comes with copies of Georges service papers, census and death details etc. The 2nd type LS&GC medal with scroll suspender is a beautiful medal, the best of all LS&GC’s and only awarded for 18 years of exemplary service, which shows what kind of soldier George was, even though he was court martialled and demoted.

Code: 28386