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A North Irish Horse Man in the Boer War 8 years 6 months ago #43434

Rory
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Smith, as a Joiner in civilian life, wasn't qualified to be a Shoeing Smith but that is how he was employed in the Imperial Yeomanry

Robert Smith

Trooper, 60th Company, 17th Battalion, Imperial Yeomanry – Anglo Boer War

- Queens South Africa Medal with clasps Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901 & 1902 to 30578 SHG. STH. R. SMITH, 60TH COY. IMP. YEO.

Robert smith was an Irishman born in the Parish of Flavour Royal near Tyrone in Ireland on 24 September 1869 to parents Robert Smith and his wife Anne (born Wason)

A Joiner by trade he had resided independently of his parents when the Anglo Boer War broke out in the late 19th Century. On 12 February 1901 with the war having entered its guerrilla phase, Smith decided to enlist with the 60th Company of the Imperial Yeomanry for service in South Africa. The 60th or the Belfast Company of the North Irish Horse as it was also known was raised on 7 Mar 1900 at Belfast but Smith was clearly not among the first to attest.

Already no longer in the first flush of youth (he was 32) Smith was a married man and physically 5 feet 8 ½ inches in height weighing 186 pounds and with a fresh complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. Unlike many from his neck of the woods Smith was a member of the Church of England. By way of distinctive marks he had a small scar on his back.

Having been passed as Fit for the army he was assigned no. 30578 and the rank of Trooper. One of the first things he did was to allot 1/3rd of his income to his wife and family – something without which they would have found life difficult to survive.

Now in uniform Smith headed for South Africa and, judging by the clasps which he was awarded for his medal, he saw service over an extensive area of the country. South Africa in 1901 had already seen the surrender of both Bloemfontein and Pretoria, the capital cities of the two Boer Republics. This did not, however, mean that the fight was over. The Boers were a very mobile people and, especially in the case of the Transvaal, simply moved their capital eastwards. On the ground the terms and nature of the conflict had changed too. Gone were the pitched battles and large scale skirmishes that normally characterise war to be replaced by small, highly mobile commandos which nipped at the heels of the extended British Lines of Communication like a Chihuahua at the heels of a giant.

Sweeping drives were ordered to try and hem in the Boer Commandos. This, together with the Block Houses which dotted the landscape, were supposed to break the Boers spirit and cramp their mobility. This approach only partially succeeded but it meant that masses of troops were kept on the move in the hunt for shadows. Smith would have been part of these drives across the Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Transvaal. He had also, in the meanwhile been appointed as a Shoeing Smith for his Company. What suited him for this task we will never know as he was a Joiner in civilian life.

After 1 year and 30 days service his service came to an end when he was found to be Medically Unfit for the army on 23 January 1902. Discharged at Shorncliff on 12 March 1902 he stated that his intended place of residence was 107 Melrose Street, Lisburn Road, Belfast.

Smith’s post-war movements have been impossible to trace – no surprise given his surname which is a popular one.

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A North Irish Horse Man in the Boer War 8 years 6 months ago #43435

coldstream Offline Moderator Posts: 2056 Thank you received: 214	Hi Rory, A good and interesting to read write up as always, a very nice acquisition to your collection. Regards Paul "From a billow of the rolling veldt we looked back, and black columns were coming up behind us."
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A North Irish Horse Man in the Boer War 8 years 6 months ago #43436

QSAMIKE Offline Senior Member Posts: 5799 Thank you received: 1879	Interesting write up Rory...... Interesting naming style...... Mike Life Member Past-President Calgary Military Historical Society O.M.R.S. 1591
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A North Irish Horse Man in the Boer War 8 years 6 months ago #43437

SWB Offline Senior Member Posts: 1838 Thank you received: 452	QSAMIKE wrote: Interesting naming style...... Mike Mike What is interesting? Researcher & Collector The Register of the Anglo-Boer Wars 1899-1902 theangloboerwars.blogspot.co.uk/ www.facebook.com/boerwarregister
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A North Irish Horse Man in the Boer War 8 years 6 months ago #43438

QSAMIKE Offline Senior Member Posts: 5799 Thank you received: 1879	The naming to me seems to be Thin and not in a Straight Line, maybe it is the photo or my eyes...... Mike Life Member Past-President Calgary Military Historical Society O.M.R.S. 1591
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A North Irish Horse Man in the Boer War 8 years 6 months ago #43439

SWB
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QSAMIKE wrote: The naming to me seems to be Thin and not in a Straight Line, maybe it is the photo or my eyes......

Mike

Gotcha, yes it does seem thin. No indication on the medal roll of a late issue or replacement, and the unit naming is correct for a contemporary issue.

Researcher & Collector
The Register of the Anglo-Boer Wars 1899-1902
theangloboerwars.blogspot.co.uk/
www.facebook.com/boerwarregister

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