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Hello Adrian

This is quite stunning - service on both sides during the ABW is exceptional. The 1914 Rebellion & WW1 service is rather good too.

Well done.

Regards
Meurig

Adrian123456 wrote: Hi Everybody

My best find for 2014 is proving to be a group to Civ Surgeon, later Lt-Col George Oliver Moorhead.

QSA Natal, Transvaal
KSA 1901,1902
WW1 Trio 13th Mounted Rifles

This is what I know about him so far:
Born Port Louis, Mauritius, schooled Ireland.
Educated as a doctor Edinburgh.
Came to Transvaal about 1890, doctor in Middleburg,Transvaal.
Sequestrated in 1896, therefore penniless (in his words).
Forced to join/volunteered with the Middleburg Commando , Boer forces for ambulance service from outbreak of Boer War, doctor at Talana hospital and Colenso. Wrote detailed description of Natal Ambulance service in Cornhill Magazine 1900.
Describes Boer suspicion that their British doctors are poisoning them with carbolic acid used to sterilize wounds !
Left via Delagoa Bay for the Cape when Kruger stopped payment to Doctors in service of the Boers.
Joined Imperial Hospital Corps and served on Hospital Ship Lismore Castle.
Awarded QSA, and KSA

Returned to medical practice in Rustenburg/Vryburg, Transvaal.

Joined Northern Province Ruiters. (photo in uniform) circa 1914
Served in Rebellion.
Served in GSWA campaign, MID.
Appointed OC 1st South African Rifles for East Africa campaign ,and left for Nyasaland in late 1915.
Stationed at Karonga, northern tip of Lake Malawi 1916.

Soldiers were bored and near mutinous due to inaction for many months.
Moorhead manufactured home made granades using jam tins, probably in preparation for the planned offensive against the Germans planned to commence on 22 May 1916.
Transported on motor-cycle driven by Leon Haussmann, SAMCC, to bushy area a few miles from Karonga Boma, for testing of granades.
Moorhead threw one, which failed to immediately explode.

He approached it, and was severely injured in the explosion, on 11 May 1916.
Died from injuries at Karonga Hospital on 20 May 1916, buried Karonga Cemetery, Malawi.

There is no doubt, much more I will discover about him in the next few months, once I obtain his records from the military archives.

Regards


Adrian

Henk

Thank you for sharing another excellent group. The ABW/Natal Rebellion/WWI combination is fairly common for residents of Natal, but the addition of WWII medals is very rare in my experience. Another of my fantasies would be to own a Zulu War/CGH GSM/ABW/Natal Rebellion combination!

Adrian

Thank you for sharing your best find. I do not know of another example of a man who served both sides during the Natal campaign, and I wonder if perhaps Moorhead was unique in this respect. Would he have qualified for the award of an ABO?

Regards
Brett

Hi Brett and Meurig

Thanks for your insight on Moorhead.

I thought about the possibility of an ABO and QSA, but on looking at the award criteria, it seems to be impossible.

The claimant must not have surrendered or taken parole or oath of allegiance to Britain, and have been alive in 1920 to make the claim.

But it would be quite a sight if it could happen.

I will post a photo of him and the medals, as well as a badge in the form of an enameled shield, which may be from the GSWA campaign. It features a mule with a gun mounted on its back, with blue sky, white mountains and black ground, and the letters R.A.M, 93 ??.

Of course this may not be associated with Moorhead, but was with the medals.

Thanks

Adrian

Hello Paul,
Any good collection is only built over a period of decades, I really had not thought about this again until the final quarter of last year, I perhaps should say that I knew that Haylock was not Welsh too, but, they don't turn up very often and I did not even have a Royal Welsh Fusilier in my Natal collection anyway.
I don't really know why I'd never bothered to get one, they were, in effect, very much a local regiment, whilst their depot was at Hightown barracks in Wrexham, they recruited all the way down the North Wales coastline from Flint down to Anglesey and beyond.
They took a fair share of the fighting in Natal but never had the fame or indeed the attrition of some regiments, they had a sharp fight at Horseshoe and the Tugela, although, they did loose their Colonel, Charles Thorold, which tends to say enough, as far as I am concerned anyway.
Then for the one subaltern and the twenty five rank and file who joined Bryan Mahon, you had the two hundred and twenty something mile march up to Mafeking, not an easy
thing to do, from memory, one of the Davies's who took part had a Natal Clasp rather than the usual ones, his medal would be a unique one to the regiment.
Kind regards Frank

coldstream wrote: Hello Frank,

Thank you for your reply and thank you for posting a rather nice pic
I can understand why you wanted to complete the set, very nice indeed

Paul

Frank Kelley wrote: Hello Paul,
Sorry, I managed to miss your post, I don't use this forum or indeed any to display my collection, notwithstanding, I do have a rather extensive Anglo Boer War section to it, but, it is not my principal interest, although, as a small boy, it was something that I was very keen on indeed.
I had an Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman, so as I am sure you will understand, in the interest of variety, I merely needed a Welshman to complete the union, but, very sadly, for me at least, Corporal George Haylock was an Englishman.
Kind regards Frank

coldstream wrote: Hello Frank,

A very nice collection of medals
Could I ask you to share the details and maybe a few pics please

Paul

Frank Kelley wrote: I seldom buy anything these days but when I saw a pair that I missed some nine years ago at DNW enter the market place again, I reluctantly decided to put my hand in my pocket and bought them, to complete the "union" as far as Barton's fusilier one hundred of Colonel Mahon's flying column goes, I was missing a member of the 1st Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers!

Good day.
I read the following from Jon with great interest:

Medal wise I acquired the Anglo Boer War Medal to Commandant W. Mears. His father came to SA in 1840 from England. Walter Mears was an interesting character who was first imprisoned for treason for questioning the War, served with the Lydenburg Commando in Natal and subsequently joined Theron's Reconnaisance Corp, was instructed in a Letter from C.R. De Wet, Commander-in-Chief, Orange Free State, dated 30 August 1901, to take his commandos to the Cape Colony, as well as in a letter from C.R. De Wet, Commander-in-Chief, Orange Free State, dated 25 September 1900, appointing W. Mears as Commandant of the Corps to be called Mears Corps. There are various reports of him beating his troops and in some cases shooting them. It is interesting to note that he did not apply for the DTD, whether by design or fault is any ones guess.The authorities sending him only Vorm B and C to complete. He had quite a distinguished career.

Walter Mears is my great grandfather. As I have very little information about him, I was naturally very please to see this post.
Jannine Houghton nee Mears

Morning Jannine

Do you have any photographs of him? Send me your email and I will send you all the info I have on him so far.

Jon