This is the New Zealand Medal awarded to Trooper George Crosswell of the Bay of Plenty Volunteer Cavalry following a clash with Te Kooti’s forces at Ōpepe, near Taupō.
On 7 June 1869, a detachment of the Bay of Plenty Volunteer Cavalry was ambushed by a party of Te Kooti’s followers as they camped at Ōpepe. The attack was a complete surprise – nine of the 14 troopers were killed and their weapons and horses captured. Crosswell, who had been drying his clothes over a fire when the attack started, managed to escape and travelled naked for 64 km on foot to Fort Galatea in the middle of winter.
The medal, believed to be a duplicate issued to Crosswell in 1913, is currently on display at the National Army Museum in Waiōuru.
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