TOPIC:

With Christmas fast approaching, I thought it might be a good idea to start a thread devoted to all things festive pertaining to the ABW.

To start the ball rolling, here is a selection of Christmas cards ......











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Below is one of the 1899 Christmas cards given to friends and acquaintances by Lady White.
Meanwhile, her husband, Sir George, was receiving rather different Christmas gifts from the Boers .....






Above is a small plum pudding, with stamped addressed label attached using a leather thong. It is addressed to "Miss Edith Buttanshaw, Kendal House, Blackheath Park Road, Blackheath, London, England" with postmarks for "DUNDEE NATAL JY 20 1900" and initialled "SDC 17/7/00". The reverse of the label is inscribed: "One of the 3 Plum Puddings fired by the Boers into Ladysmith on Xmas day, 1899. [signed] Stuart D Campbell" with postmarks for "DURBAN NATAL 8.45AM 21 JY 1900" and "REGISTERED LONDON 11 AU 00".

24 Corporal Stuart Dawson CAMPBELL served with Walker's Natal Volunteer Hotchkiss Gun Detachment (Pietermaritzburg Artillery), a unit of only 30 men, 20 of whom were besieged in Ladysmith. He later served with the Volunteer Composite Regiment (from 1/10/1900, with regimental no. 34), the Colonial Scouts, 1st & 2nd Kitchener's Fighting Scouts (as armourer-sergeant, regimental no. 107), and (possibly) Steinecker's Horse. He received the QSA with clasps for Transvaal & Laing's Nek, and the KSA with clasps for South Africa 1901 & South Africa 1902.

Campbell's clasp entitlement indicates that he was not one of the Natal Volunteer Hotchkiss Gun Detachment besieged in Ladysmith, and appears to have joined or caught up with his unit after the relief of Ladysmith. It is possible that he purchased the plum pudding from one of his comrades who had been in the town during the siege.

Edith Margaret Buttanshaw was the daughter of solicitor Mark H Buttanshaw and his wife Susan Sophia. She is shown living at Kendall House from 1891 to 1911. The 1911 Census shows that she had not married by the age of 41, and was still living with her mother. So, if this was a gift to a sweetheart it does not appear to have been a relationship that led to marriage.

The 1881 Census shows Stuart Dawson Campbell living with his widowed grandmother at “Rose Hill” in the village of Hoddesdon, Broxbourne, Ware, Hertfordshire. In 1891, he is a boarder at St Catherine School, Hoddesdon (aged 13).
At the age of 15 he became an apprentice in the Merchant Navy, and on the 12th June 1895, enlisted as a Midshipman with the Royal Navy Reserve.



Griffith 1974, p.167

The morning [of Christmas Day] was heralded by salvos of Boer shells. The first two fell into the Natal Carbineers and Imperial Light Horse camps, but they did not explode. Both shells were unusual: the fuses had been removed and wooden plugs inserted in their places. When these plugs were gingerly pulled out, the shells were found to be stuffed with Christmas plum puddings, and engraved on the outside of the shells were the words 'With the Compliments of the Season'.


McHugh 1900, p.156

Early in the morning two shells were fired from a small gun on Bulwan. When these particular shells were recovered it was noticed that they were somewhat different from the usual messengers sent by the Boers. Instead of a fuse, they had a plug of wood, and on the outside there was rudely scratched on the metal, 'Compliments of the season!' The shells were taken to headquarters, and one, on being opened, was found to contain a conglomerate which experts pronounce to be the Boer's conception of plum pudding.


Pearse 1900, p.160

Boer guns sent us greeting in the shape of shells that did not explode. When dug up they were found to contain rough imitations of plum-pudding that had been partly cooked by the heat of explosion in gun barrels.


Judd 1977, p.141 (letter from Dr Kay)

That very morning, the gun on Bulwana fired two shots, the shells pitching in the town without exploding. When dug up, they were found to be stuffed with rough plum pudding and outside on the shell was painted ‘A Merry Christmas’. One of these shells was bought by a curio hunter for £15.


Macdonald 1900, p.156

Although humour is not the strong point of the Boer, he had his grim joke at our expense during Christmas week. A common shell was dug out, upon which a Dutch artilleryman, with some knowledge of English, and the social observances of the time, had cut the message, ‘Compliments of the season.’ A wooden plug had been substituted for the fuse, and the shell was stuffed with plum-pudding.





One of the 75 mm Krupp QF shells that contained the small plum puddings. Impressed lettering on the side of the shell spells out the words: "COMPLIMENTS OF THE SEASON".
When I visited the Natal Provincial Administration depot in Ladysmith back in 1978, one of these shells was displayed on a shelf in Llewelyn “Welly” Hyde’s office. Rumour had it that it had been “borrowed” from the Ladysmith Siege Museum. I do not know whether it found its way back to the museum after Welly’s death.





The Christmas message my Great Grandfather managed to send from Ladysmith via heliograph. This appears to have been a privilege accorded commanding officers. Major Gerard Heath was C.O. 2nd Balloon Section, R.E.

His diary entry for Christmas day simply reads: "Christmas Day - Plum pudding and shells. We were all as jovial as possible and a Christmas tree was got up for women and children left here. Message from the Queen and cheers for H.M."
On the 29th he added: "Heard Boers sent a plugged shell into camp with 'compliment of season' written outside and a bit of plum duff within".


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Her Majesty Queen Alexandra having completed her work of the previous two years in connection with The Princess of Wales’ Hospital Ship, and with the thought ever uppermost in her mind of doing some kind act, more frequently unknown than known, determined in the winter of 1901 to send what, to the sailor or soldier is always his best and most valued friend – his pipe. 5,500 of these with the Queen’s monogram engraved, packed in five cases and addressed, “A present from Queen Alexandra to Lord Kitchener, Commanding the Troops in South Africa,” were despatched with a request that Lord Kitchener would distribute the same at his discretion. The pipes were given to the Warrant Officers, Staff-Sergeants, or to specially distinguished soldiers in the following proportions:-

Regular Cavalry (15 per Regiment)	…	…	…	285
Royal Artillery	…	…	…	305
Royal Engineers	…	…	…	146
Regular Infantry (22 per Battalion)	…	…	…	1,848
Militia Infantry (18 per Battalion)	…	…	…	540
Imperial Yeomanry	…	…	…	399
Colonials (Oversea and South African)	…	…	…	633
Army Service Corps	…	…	…	278
Royal Army Medical Corps	…	…	…	144
Army Ordnance Corps	…	…	…	54
Army Pay Corps	…	…	…	70
Post Office Corps	…	…	…	42
Remount Department	…	…	…	24
Headquarters Staff Clerks	…	…	…	24
Army Veterinary Department	…	…	…	17
Military Police	…	…	…	6
Signalling Staff	…	…	…	4
Headquarters Office	…	…	…	1

The balance was, at the time that the above return was rendered, being distributed.

Numerous letters of humble and grateful thanks have been received from the Officers in Command of the various Corps, stating how much Her Majesty’s thought had been appreciated, and how highly the gift was valued.

One of the recipients, a private in the Grenadier Guards, a West Newton boy, and a grandson of the old kennelman at Sandringham, especially wrote asking that his thanks may be conveyed to the Queen.

A separate case was also addressed to Lord Kitchener from Princess Charles of Denmark for sick and wounded soldiers in South Africa.








One of the 5,500 tobacco pipes distributed to troops in South Africa by Queen Alexandra during the winter of 1901 - 2.
Silver band engraved with the double "A" monogram of Queen Alexandra. Also with Birmingham hallmarks for 1901 and maker's mark "AO" (for Adolphe Oppenheimer & Co). The bowl and mouthpiece stamped "GBD" (for Ganneval Bondier and Donninger, Paris). 129mm long. Unsmoked.

Silver shield to front of bowl engraved: "Presented By / QUEEN ALEXANDRA / To Cr. Sergt. C.R. Knight / PER STAFF / 3rd Btn Scottish Rifles / SOUTH AFRICA / 1902".

Sold in June 2011 with a second unsmoked pipe, with silver band engraved: "26|71 RD CORONATION 1902”. The latter example with Glasgow hallmarks for 1901 and maker’s mark "MF" (for Montague Friedlander). The two pipes became separated but were reunited in February 2012, when the Coronation example resurfaced on eBay.

2263 Colour Sergeant C.R. Knight served with the 3rd Battalion Scottish Rifles, receiving the QSA with clasps for Cape Colony, Orange Free State, South Africa 1901 and South Africa 1902. Note in remarks column of QSA medal roll reads: "Permanent Staff".
"26|71 R.D." on the second pipe stands for 26th/71st Regimental District. Hamilton Barracks, South Lanarkshire, the depot for the Scottish Rifles, was the 26th/71st Regimental District Base. The Scottish Rifles QSA medal roll was compiled at Hamilton Barracks (dated 17/03/1903).



John E. Price 1992, Southern Cross Scots

H. M. Queen Alexandra decided to award pipes to senior non-commissioned officers, serving in South Africa, and, on 27th January 1902, the following conditions regarding the distribution of the pipes were issued from the Assistant Adjutant General’s Office, Pretoria:

‘The pipes should be given to Warrant Officers, Staff Sergeants, and Sergeants as far as possible in order of seniority, or to specially selected soldiers who have performed distinguished service in the field. You will please forward to me at your earliest convenience a list of names, in duplicate, of those to whom you propose to present the pipes, giving regimental number, rank and full name……the reasons for the selection should be briefly stated against each name. Upon receipt of this list……the pipes will be forwarded to the Depot of your regiment where they will be issued to the recipient under Regimental arrangement. The signature of the recipient being taken in each case. The recipient’s receipts will be forwarded to this office.’



Royal Archives, 2008 ( Great War Forum )

"Apparently, in the winter of 1901, Queen Alexandra sent 5,500 pipes, each with a silver band round the stem with Queen Alexandra's monogram on it, to be given to representative of the soldiers and sailors serving in South Africa.
Those for distribution to the Army were sent to Lord Kitchener, and were given first to Warrant Officers, Staff Sergeants, Sergeants, and specially distinguished soldiers. The remainder were distributed on a proportional basis, 15 to each Cavalry regiment, 22 to each Infantry battalion, and 18 to each Militia Infantry battalion. Unfortunately, it seems no central record was kept of those to whom the pipes were given."





Below is a selection of articles that appeared in the press at the time. Most mistakenly state that the pipes were exclusively for men serving in regiments directly associated with Queen Alexandra.


Taunton Courier, 6th November 1901

QUEEN ALEXANDRA AND THE TROOPS AT THE FRONT.

A HANDSOME PRESENT.

Queen Alexandra proposes making a Christmas present to a number of soldiers now serving at the front in South Africa. Her Majesty has ordered some thousands of good briar pipes, silver mounted, and upon the mount of each one is stamped a Crown and the Queen’s monogram. It is understood that the makers will be required to deliver the consignment in good time to allow of their reaching South Africa before Christmas. The pipes, which will number about 6,000, are not intended for general distribution, but for presentation to the men of the regiments with which Queen Alexandra is directly connected.


The Times, 12th November 1901

A portion of the consignment of pipes intended by the Queen as a gift to the men of the regiments in South African with which she is directly connected has been delivered to her Majesty. There are two varieties of shape, the other edge of the bowl being practically straight in the case of one and somewhat
rounded in the other. Each pipe is fitted with a substantial straight mouthpiece of black vulcanite, and each has a broad and fairly heavy silver band, upon the upper side of which is stamped a crown with the Queen’s monogram immediately beneath it. The pipes are of British fi tting, but, as it was desired to get the highest quality of briar, the bowls are of French wood.


Manchester Courier, 13th November 1901

THE QUEEN’S PIPES.

It would no doubt have been preferable that the pipes which Queen Alexandra is so thoughtfully sending to the troops should have been of British manufacture, but it seems that the order cannot be entirely executed at home. The highest quality of briar is not obtainable in this country, and it is for this reason that the resources of France have been drawn upon. French wood will therefore be used, but that is all. When the pipes have been turned, they will be sent to London to be finished with British fittings. Each pipe will have a substantial straight mouthpiece of black vulcanite, joined to the stem with a broad silver band, upon the upper side of which is stamped a crown, with the Queen’s monogram – two A’s crossed – immediately beneath it. That these gifts will be treasured highly by the soldiers goes without saying. Indeed, there is a fear – as in the case of the late Queen’s chocolate boxes – that many of them will never be used. They have a value higher than their intrinsic cost, and on one will be quicker to recognise this fact than Tommy Atkins. It may be that before many months are over some of them will find their way into the auction room, and although the disposal of them is to be regretted it is, I fear, unavoidable in the circumstances.


Grantham Journal, 16th November 1901

It has already been announced that the Queen’s pipes are to be sent only to the soldiers belonging to regiments at the front with which her Majesty is connected. This description includes the corps which belonged to her Majesty as Princess of Wales, or belonging to her now as Queen. Of these there are six regiments of Cavalry and four of Infantry, each of the latter having two battalions. Of these, three of the Cavalry regiments and three Battalions of the Foot are now at the front. That will make up a total of about six thousand men to whom the pipes are to be given. The Foot regiments, one battalion each of which is at the front, are the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, or 79th Foot, Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment, or 2nd Foot, Princess of Wales’s Own Yorkshire Regiment, or 19th Foot, and the Queen’s Royal West Kent Regiment, or 97th Foot. The Cavalry regiments are the 9th Queen’s Royal Lancers, the 16th or Queen’s Lancers, and 19th Princess of Wales’s Own Hussars. Her Majesty’s other regiments are the 4th and 7th Queen’s Own Hussars, and the 21st or Empress of India’s Lancers. The 4th and 7th Hussars, the former from India and the latter from Aldershot, have both been ordered to the front, and will be there by Christmas.
Those who know how briar-root pipes are made (says a London correspondent) are surprised at the petty outcry against the pipes being supplied from Paris. As a matter of fact, it is not quite true. The so-called briar bowls are obtained from Paris, but the vulcanite mouthpiece and the silver mountings are attached in England. If you want the real briar, which by the way, is not briar at all, you must go to France for it. The real briar is or shrub called bruyere, which only grows in France. The French pronunciation of bruyere has been Anglicised to briar as a familiar association of sound and hence it has come to pass that most people believe that briar pipes are made of briar.


Coventry Telegraph, 28th November 1901

QUEEN ALEXANDRA’S GIFTS TO TROOPS.

The Queen’s Christmas present of 5,500 silver-mounted briar pipes for certain of the troops in South Africa left Southampton on Wednesday by the Transport Canada, which is taking out four companies of mounted infantry. These were not the only Christmas presents shipped on the same vessel. Thousands of small parcels were taken on board, having been sent from all parts of the country. It was thought the Braemar Castle, which sailed last Saturday, had broken the record in the matter of Christmas presents for the troops at the front, but it is believed the Canada has taken a larger number. Far more presents have been sent out to the troops for this the third Christmas of the war than were forwarded a year ago. The greatest number, however, went out in the first Christmas, when Queen Victoria’s gift of chocolate no doubt influenced a large number of other givers.



See Susie White's article Presentation pipes, with particular reference to the Queen Alexandra pipe published in the Journal of the Academie Internationale de la Pipe, Vol 4


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The Digest of Service of the 2nd Battalion, The Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment, 1857-1919, gives an idea of how the Queen Alexandra pipes were distributed within each battalion.


QUEEN’S PIPES: Twenty two pipes were received from Her Majesty The Queen Alexandra and were distributed as follows:

Company	Regimental Number	Rank	Name
-	-	-	-
-	839	Staff Sergeant Major	ROBINSON, Thomas
-	4318	Staff Sergeant Master Cook	WESTON,George
A	2902	Colour Sergeant	HAWKES, Joseph E.
A	5635	Private	CRABB, George
B	1950	Colour Sergeant	DAVIES, John
B	4197	Sergeant	PENNY, Hubert
C	4282	Sergeant	SMITH, Willis
C	5225	Sergeant	STEMP, Arthur
D	4038	Sergeant	THORN, Ernest
D	3086	Private	ROBERTS, Henry
E	2326	Colour Sergeant	BARRETT, Cornelius M.
E	3741	Private	KING, Frederick E.
F	5073	Sergeant	BARNES, Albert
F	5145	Private	BINFIELD, Alfred
G	787	Colour Sergeant	EWER, William
G	4025	Sergeant	OSBORNE, Thomas Ambrose
H	911	Colour Sergeant	ROUTLEY, Robert
H	1152	Private	DENYER, Levi
K	7541	Sergeant	CROKER, Ernest Edward
Volunteer Service Company [from K Co.]	3632	Colour Sergeant	BALCHIN, J.
Mounted Infantry	5543	Corporal	SMITH, William
Mounted Infantry	4646	Private	BUCKMASTER, Edward Walter

The bowls of three attributed examples. From left to right: 9816 Colour Sergeant Frank C. Lomas,1st Bn. Scots Guards; 2402 Colour-Sergeant Samuel Cameron Simm, 3rd Bn. Scottish Rifles; 2263 Colour Sergeant C.R. Knight, 3rd Bn. Scottish Rifles.


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Khaki at Christmas.


Khaki Christmas card sent home by 3113 Private Walter John WILLIS, 3rd Bn. Grenadier Guards. "A Merry Christmas to you All I send / From a Soldier who is not with the best of friends / On a piece of kharki from an old coat i've worn / Discarded because it was tattered and torn / It is not a gilt or highly priced card / But it carries my best and Kindest Regards". "From W.L. [sic] WILLIS South Africa". The incorrect second initial suggests that this was executed by someone other than the sender.




A second (unattributed) khaki Christmas card. "From The Veldt / Boer War / 1899 1900 1901 1902. / This is no fancy Gold Edged card, / But this bit of Khaki conveys my / best regards. And may your / new year a happy one be. And / I hope you live to be 103. / Excuse this verse as any Poet / could lick it, But I am / writing you this while doing / a Picquet".



A commercial card, produced for the home market. "THE KHARKI CHRISTMAS CARD. This is a little bit of / KHARKI / just to keep / you in mind of our brave / 'Absent-Minded Beggars' / in South Africa, who, / I Kharkilate, are giving old Kruger / his Krugr-uel, so that he must / be pretty sick. / Also wishing you a / Merry Christmas and a / Good New-Year".




And another use for worn out khaki, this time to post home one of Queen Victoria's Christmas gifts, complete with contents. Sent home by 2425 Private Charles Silver, 2nd Middlesex Regiment and addressed to his younger sister Mary [or Polly] Silver: "Miss M. Silver, Potbridge, Nr Odiham, Hants, England". Postmark for April 7th, 1900. Cost of postage: 2/-.


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Some further packaging ideas for the Queen's chocolate.

The first was sent home by 643 Private Thomas Fitzpatrick of the York & Lancaster Regiment. Addressed to "Mis Fitzpatrick, No. 12 Giles Square, off Richmond Bank Road, Leeds". Postage: 2s 4d. (with thanks to Smethwick for identifying this man).

The wood used for the second example may have come from one of the packing cases used to ship the chocolate boxes out to South Africa. Stencilled letters on the bottom spell out "---- -O -- DISTRIB---- TO THE T----", which almost certainly once read "TO BE DISTRIBUTED TO THE TROOPS".
It was made by 2417 Sapper Thomas Henry BEARDMORE, 17th Field Company, Royal Engineers, and was addressed to his mother Emma Beardmore: "Mrs BEARDMORE, 19 Dugdale St, Dudley Road, Birmingham, England". Postmark dated April 26th 1900.
The details of the sender and contents of the box can be seen by holding the partially detached Customs Declaration Form up to a strong light: "box chocolate / 2417 T. Beardmore / 17 C... Natal".
The value of the contents is given as £2 0s 0d.

For further information regarding Sapper Beardmore, see Smethwick's excellent piece of research here: Thomas Henry Beardmore (RE)











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