TOPIC:

An artefact that has been gathering dust over the past 10 years or so is this Boer War pipe. The bowl is rather worn and misses it closing lid, but It is interesting nonetheless as it has a direct connection to the Siege of Ladysmith. On the font of the bowl it reads:
“Presented to A. Grant”


“for Kindness to a Sick Comrade in the Siege of Ladysmith 1899-1900” on the reverse.


The lettering in the shield on the front reads: Semper Fidelis, which apparently is the motto of the Devonshire Regiment. In that Regiment there was a Private 5238 A.G. Grant so that can be him.

Both the stem as well as the bowl ring are hallmarked and as far as I can determine it stands for Birmingham in 1897.

Everhard,

Great to see a pipe with a personal inscription. It sets it apart from those that frequently turn up with regimental badges or portraits of Kruger and various battle honours.

The "AO" stands for Adolphe Oppenheimer & Co., London, who also supplid the 5,500 pipes gifted by Queen Alexandra in 1901. See: Queen Alexandra's Pipe.

Neville

This snapshot shows an unidentified British soldier carving pipes under canvas. It indicates that some enterprising individuals with a talent for such work supplemented their pay by decorating pipes for their colleagues.

Reverse of photograph: "Myself taken at the request of an officer in the A & S Highlanders for whom I carved the pipe seen with the tickey (3d bit) in it. I do these pipes for 5/- each & they have to find coin & pipe. Use nothing only a penknife to do it with".




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Herewith an example of those "Kruger tickey” pipes. This one was made for Hugh Cracroft, Captain in the 1st Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria’s).