Description

India General Service Medal for Afghanistan to Sergeant Saigeman, Machine Gun Corps. A noted boxer and pre-war regular, he served with 3rd Battalion Rifle Brigade 1914 – 17, M.G.C. 1917 – 19, was a Special Constable between the wars, further served in the Merchant Navy during WW2 and allegedly beat his wife with a hammer.

India General Service Medal 1908, 1 clasp, AFGHANISTAN 1919, impressed named 20617 SGT. C. SAIGEMAN. M.G.C. Comes with copies service records, WW1, Afghan and WW2 medal rolls, pension card, 1901 & 1939 census, newspaper articles and research.

Sergeant Charles Saigeman (A.K.A. Sageman) was born 1899 at Littlehampton, Sussex. A seaman by trade, he enlisted with the 3rd Battalion, Rifle Brigade at Winchester on the 8/9/1910. Whilst stationed in Cork, Ireland, he was in the Guard Room from 9/9/13 – 25/9/1913 and then tried by District Court Martial receiving 28 days detention for 1: Using threatening language 2: Resisting an escort. The 3rd battalion was still in Cork when the war broke and Saigeman landed in France with the Battalion (17th Brigade, 6th Division) 10/9/1914. Promoted to Corporal 17/1/1916 and transferred to 17th Machine Gun Coy. (17th Brigade) but reverted at own request 16/6/16. Of note was the bitter fighting in Delville Wood on the Somme which the unit was involved in. Promoted to Cpl again 29/11/16. Transferred to England 14/3/1917 and possibly involved in training as he was posted to Left Wing M.G.C. and later Right Wing No. 7 Batt, Grantham. 24/1/1918 posted to 270th Coy, M.G.C as a detachment Sergeant. The 270th had just been formed in Quetta, December 1917 and was part of the 4th (Quetta) Div. He served in India/Afghanistan 24/1/18 – 20/10/19 and was involved in the 3rd Afghan War (May- August 1919) during which the British forces were under manned following the end of the war and fought off a numerically superior invading Afghan Army. He returned to England 21/10/19 and discharged 18/12/19. His pension papers record that he was suffering from Malaria due to his service in India as well as a broken nose from boxing. He returned to Bognor and was prominent in the amateur boxing world. He fought 2 professional fights, the first as a welterweight 5/12/1921 at the Corn exchange, Chichester, and the second in 1922 as a Lightweight. He was involved in a domestic incident with his wife in 1928 which resulted in a court appearance for allegedly assaulting her with a hammer (charges dismissed), the newspaper article of the day described him as a ‘well-known local boxer’ & ‘the local war horse’. In 1936 he was present at Chichester to receive his Special Constabulary Long Service Medal, he served as part of the Chichester Division. In the 1939 census he is recorded as living in Chichester and being an unemployed brick layer with note ‘Special Constable’. He also served during WW2 as a merchant seaman qualifying for the 1939 Star, Atlantic Star with clasp and the Pacific Star. He died June 1964 at Chichester.