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The Weekly Standard, 9.12.1899

J. Dupont & Co. Fine Champagne Cognac:

"In Vereeniging zum Friedenschluss zwischen England und den Burenrepubliken wurde der berühmte Fine Champagne Cognac VON J. DUPONT & Co. IN COGNAC, getrunken"

"The famous Fine Champagne Cognac BY J. DUPONT & Co. IN COGNAC was drunk at Vereeniging for the peace agreement between England and the Boer Republics"



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The Southend Standard January 11th 1900

How Calvert's Carbolic Tooth Powder Saved a Soldier's Life in SOUTH AFRICA.


4th Cavalry Brigade, Pretoria, S.A.
June 27th, 1900.

To Messrs F.C. Calvert & Co.

Sirs,
I beg to forward to you one of your Tooth Powder tins, which I think you may like to see, as it probably saved my life during a fight before Johannesburg. My squadron were taking a small kopje, when the enclosed bullet entered my haversack and embedded itself into the tin of powder. Kindly forward the things to my wife c/o Mrs Watson, High Street, Islip, Oxford, as I wish to keep them as a memento of the war.

I beg to remain, yours &c.,
3954 FRANK JAQUES, Pte.,
7th Dragoon Guards,
Field Force,
South Africa.





High Street, Islip, Oxford
Sept. 13th, 1900.

To Messrs F.C. Calvert & Co.

Sirs,
My husband has sent to me from South Africa one of your Tooth Powder tins, which he tells me saved his life in June last. Several of his officers advised him to send it to you, thinking it might interest you to see it. It was a very fortunate thing for him (and me) that he took a supply of your Powder out with him, and that he happened to have a tin with him on that particular occasion, - it was full of powder at the time.
He intended sending it to you first as you will see from his letter, but changed his mind and sent it to me.
I must ask you to send it back to me please, as I shall keep it and value it as having saved my husband's life.

Yours truly,
BESSIE JAQUES.

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I can add both good & bad news to the Calvert's Carbolic Tooth Powder advert.

Good News: Private 3954 Frank Jaques existed and the story depicted is true.

Bad News: it was only six years after being saved by the tin of powder that the Grim Reaper caught up with Frank at the young age of 35.

Oxford Chronicle and Reading Gazette, 25th May 1906

ISLIP

DEATH OF A SOUTH AFRICAN

On Sunday Mr Frank Jaques, aged 35 years, late of the 7th Dragoons, died of pneumonia at Northampton. He had served seven years, and had entered upon his reserve period at the commencement of the Boer War, but was called to serve almost at once, and remained in South Africa until the close of the war. He was during his period of regular service the valued servant of Captain Langworthy. It was a telegram to Mrs Jaques, then with her mother, Mrs W Watson, that first informed the inhabitants of Islip of the proclamation of peace: boys were sent round with a police rattle to make the news known. Mr Jaques life was saved on one occasion by a box of tooth powder in his breast-pocket stopping a Mauser bullet. He leaves a widow and two children, the younger, a boy, having been born shortly after his father went to Africa. Mr Jaques was much liked in Islip, and the funeral, which Mr Steele had in charge, took place on Wednesday afternoon.

Here are his medal rolls showing he was awarded the KSA with two clasps & the QSA with four clasps. Note in both cases his name is wrongly spelt.



Footnotes: Islip is the birthplace of King Edward the Confessor and the High St (now a B road) was not built for modern traffic and has to be negotiated with care. Has anybody experience of using carbolic tooth powder? - I suspect it is something to be avoided!

Smethwick, 'carbolic' is also called phenol, and is the active ingredient of antiseptics like Dettol and TCP and soaps like Lifebuoy. It was used as an antiseptic by Sir Joseph Lister, but strangely is not an ingredient in Listerine!
Rob