TOPIC:

Does anyone have any information regarding the presentation of these Coalport porcelain tygs / loving cups?

Inscribed:

"A / MEMENTO / OF THE / SOUTH AFRICAN CAMPAIGN / 1899 - 1900. / IN RECOGNITION OF / SERVICES RENDERED / BY THE / SOLDIERS OF THE QUEEN / FROM THE / ACOCK GREEN DISTRICT."

"OFFICERS / Walter B Child, President / Robert Coles, Vice President / John Evans, Treasurer / George Turner, Secretary / James Ashwell, Assistant Secretary / Fred Biggin"

"COMMITTEE / Frank Bagnall / George Jackson / Robert Buswell / James J Lester / J E Pratt / J B Moreton / John A Wall / George Savage / W R Vincent / Thomas Kent / Job Smith / Henry S Franklin"

Unfortunately, the tygs are only inscribed with the names of the members of the Committee, and not those of the recipients.

The President of the Committee, Walter Busby Child (b. 1869, Balsall Heath, Birmingham) was a Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society. In 1889 he is listed as a nurseryman & florist, living at Shamrock Cottage, Greenwood Road, Acock's Green. The 1901 & 1911 Censuses show him living with his mother at "Edelweiss", Westley Road, Acock's Green, Yardley, Worcestershire. Again he is listed as a nurseryman & florist with his own business.

There are many newspaper reports relating to Walter Child's horticultural work, but I have been unable to find anything about the presentation of these unusual mementoes. One article notes that Child was chairman of the fund set up for the relief of the wives and families of Acock's Green Reservists during the ABW. The same piece indicates that the fund's secretary was George Turner. As these two men appear on the tyg with the same posts, it appears that the loving cups were purchased with money from the Reservists' Fund.











Birmingham Mail, 10th November 1899

ACOCK’S GREEN.

Mr George Turner writes to inform us that a fund has been opened in Acock’s Green for the relief of the wives and families of Reservists. All applications for relief should be addressed to Mr Walter Child (the Chairman), The Avenue, Acock’s Green. We wish to add that we wrote to our district representative at Acock’s Green yesterday, and requested him to let the committee have the names of the cases which were being relieved by the Mail Fund, so that there might be no overlapping.


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The inhabitants of Acock's Green appear to have been particularly active when it came to commemorating various aspects of the war. For instance, they distributed white metal peace medals in 1902. A small number of cased silver examples of this memento were also made, possibly for members of the council and committee.
As with the tyg, I have been unable to find a report of this distribution.


Silver version of the Acock's Green peace medal.

Obverse with bust of Edward VII, Union Jack & White Ensign and the legend: "SOUTH AFRICA 1902". Reverse with civic arms of Worcester and the legend: "THE UNITED EMPIRE / GREAT BRITAIN / AND THE / COLONIES / HAILS WITH / GLADNESS / THE ADVENT / OF / PEACE / ACOCKS GREEN / 1902". 38mm.

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Hi Neville. I have one of the silver medals which was given to my grandfather. He and his family lived in Acocks Green at the time. His father, my great-grandfather was a silversmith, actually quite a substantial factory, and it's possible that they struck the medals. The company was Joseph Gloster and was based in Hockley.
Unfortunately I don't know any more than this. I have asked around the family but no-one else has seen one.