TOPIC:

An outstanding selection of medals on this thread, good to see Defence & Relief and one of Barton's Fusiliers (still a gap in my collection).

Gentlemen
We must not forget the British Army regulars! Frank got in ahead of IL with the nice Royal Fusiliers pair; so here is the QSA/KSA pair to "33644 Gunner D.Morgan, R.G.A" on QSA and "Pom Poms Sec; R.A." on KSA. This pair had an airing on the Forum some time ago and deserves another - given the subject. Very few lads with the Pom Poms.



Regards
IL.

Stunning IL

You were beaten by the time difference!

Regards

Rory

Brett and others interested
I found a photo-montage of "Officers who took part in the Defence of Mafeking and the relief columns from the north and the south"; published in Hickman (vol.1) and apparently sourced from the Botswana Archives (original published by H.J.Whitlock & Sons, Ltd., Birmingham). Numbered 68 in the montage is Capt. D.J.Gilfillian. He is the man immediately above the number 68. Sorry I could not do any better.
Regards
IL.

Frank
Many thanks for responding to my request/wish for a showing of a Fusiliers' RoM QSA. I have long wanted one of them for my collection. Just as the ILH in Natal were specially chosen for the RoM duty, so too were the men of the Fusilier Brigade. To my mind it gives them a special status, since there were already so many other mounted infantrymen and conventional infantrymen on the Western Front far closer to Mafeking who have been chosen instead.

IL
Thank you for posting a very interesting artillery pair, and for the pic of Captain Gilfillan. It is easily recognisable as Gilfillan, since I have another couple of pics of him in other contexts.
You also deserve a special 'thank you' for starting this thread a few days ago. It has grown like Topsy, and I hope others will continue to post RoM medals from their collections. One can never have too much of a good thing!

Regards
Brett

Brett asked if we could somehow keep this thread "alive and kicking". Well with the kind permission of Nigel over on the BMF I bring you a double-issue Southern Rhodesia Volunteer casualty.

To those that know me know I mainly collect World War 1 and 2 medals, groups etc, to sportsmen, First Class Cricketers mainly, but also International Rugby players, Rowers, footballers and other sports such as golf, hockey etc. However on occasion I, like I know most collectors go "off message". This happened to me quite recently when visiting Richard Black and his motley crew at the London Medal Company. I only pop in to insult them for an hour or two so was shocked to discover they had something I actually liked, in view of this i felt I had to be at least polite until I got the price down paid for it before reverting to my rude self. The item in question was, two QSAs in a period frame. Something about the look of them told me at least one of them if not both were casualties, probably KIA. However I was wrong they were to the same man, the one thing I was correct about was that he was a casualty and had been killed in action. The first medal had four bars, Rhodesia, Relief of Mafeking, OFS, Transvaal. It was named to, 128 Tpr. J. W. B. Wood (full name James Wood Bainbridge Wood) "C" Troop Southern Rhodesia Volunteers. The second QSA had three bars, CC, OFS, Transvaal (I'm told he was also entitled to bar 1901). On this medal he is 840 Tpr. J. B. Wood 2nd Kitcheners Fighting Scouts. He was eventually killed in action on 1 June 1901 at Piennars River, Warmbaths. There is a very good article in Medal News (March 2017) written by the medals previous owner Keith Perry about the pair, well worth a read. I like some room to research and was drawn to the fact that he was born in Thorpe in Nottinghamshire, a village not a million miles away from where I live. He was the son of Rev. William Wood the Rector of Thorpe, famous in the area for renovating the local grade II listed church Saint Laurence's, were interestingly the abolitionist Lucy Townsend is buried. He lived in the local vicarage with his parents (the vicarage is still there and rather grand). I have started my research and discovered much. I will continue to fill in this page as I discover more I will also try to add photographs as and when I find them. Im delighted I found them. Some time a "Little of what you fancy does you good."

Regards

Rory