TOPIC:

The Nurse’s belt to Nurse Webber is illustrated here:

The Nurse Webber belt is unusual on four counts.

1. It does not have the square buckle with gold Natal Carbineers badge.
2. The inscription is different and shorter.
3. The roundels are in a different order.
4. The hallmarks are for 1903 instead of 1901.

Inscription (1901 hallmarks)
"PRESENTED / by the / NATAL CARBINEERS / TO / NURSE [C.E. THOMPSON] / IN RECOGNITION OF HER GREAT / SERVICES TO THE MEN OF THE / REGIMENT / DURING THE / SIEGE / OF LADYSMITH / NOV. 2. 1899. / FEB. 28. 1900".

Inscription (1903 hallmarks)
"PRESENTED / TO / NURSE WEBBER / BY THE / NATAL CARBINEERS / IN RECOGNITION OF / HER SERVICES / SIEGE OF LADYSMITH / NOV 2ND 1899 / FEB 28TH 1900".

Given that the first belts were distributed in June 1902, the 1903 hallmarks on the Webber example indicate that it was presented at a later date.

I don’t suppose we will ever know why Nurse Webber received a belt with different characteristics a year or so after the original presentations.

..

Neville, could it not just be that they didn't produce enough belts and, given that the name Webber would be last alphabetically, they cooked one up for her after the war?

Hi

The Nurse's belt in the Africana Museum is, according to an article written by K G Gibbon in 1980, (in the MMSSA Vol 17 part 2 page 4) that of Miss A. Crouper

It states as follows:

Miss K. Champion (N.C. Museum)
Miss A. Crouper (Africana Museum)
Miss M. G. Otto (Ladysmith Museum)


Kind regards

Adrian

Fantastic, Adrian

I thought there was little chance of getting anywhere with this one.
That increases the number of known examples to 10 (including the "stolen" Davies belt).

A big thank you.

Database updated accordingly: NATAL CARBINEERS NURSES' BELTS

Neville

Well, would you believe it - the Nurse Webber belt has just resurfaced, and is being sold through Kaplan Auctions on 16 Aug 2023. Estimate of R40,000 ZAR (£1,670 GBP).