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Hello Paul,
Some time ago, in Mike's thread I mentioned the 2nd Leinster's and that I'd had that mile stone moment that Mike had just had with his Hampshire Regiment.
The 2nd Leinster had been missing from my Anglo Boer War collection and it was just one that had managed to elude me for such a long time, I cannot recall the last example I saw that I felt was worth the effort, but, I now have, at long last added one to my "brutal phase" section.
Captain John Loftus Richards was the third child and only son of Captain George Gledstanes Richards and his wife Marian of Macmine Castle, Enniscorthy, County Wexford.
Born in 1875, he took his forenames from his paternal grandfather Captain John Richards and his maternal grandfather, Loftus Bryan.
He was educated at Cheltenham College and appointed into the Militia, the Rifle Brigade, as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1895, but, in 1899, he was commissioned into the Army as a 2nd Lieutenant into the Leinster Regiment, as a result of a vacancy, due to the appointment of Frederick Ernest Whitton as the Adjutant of the regiment earlier in that year.
He served with their 2nd Battalion on garrison duty in the West Indies, Barbados, he was promoted to Lieutenant on the 7th of March 1901, before the battalion sailed for South Africa in 1902, where it was to see the final and most brutal few months out on the veldt, under Lieutenant Colonel St John James St Leger.
A very intense period that was followed by duties in Pretoria for the battalion, of course, the 1st Battalion had since returned to Fermoy and a great welcome, the 2nd Battalion remained in the Transvaal, to back up and enforce the new administration until 1904 and certainly would have been available should Sir Godfrey Lagden or the Honourable Charles Murray required them to enforce the King's will with the point of the bayonet!
John Richards spent five years with his battalion before returning to his life as a gentleman in London and subsequently the Militia in 1906 as a Captain.
The medal itself is what I tend to look for as a specimen example, almost unworn, some seven odd inches of original silk ribbon and a certain degree of mint bloom, sadly, quite a lot to ask for today.
Anyway Paul, I was both very pleased and somewhat relieved to be able to add this particular medal, at long last, to my Anglo Boer War collection, as you know, I'm in effect, Irish myself, whilst I'm always on the look out for interesting people, I only seldom manage to find really good pieces these days.
Kind regards Frank

Hello Frank and thank you.
That is indeed a superb example.
I do like an engraved medal, I can see why it was a must for your collection.
Thank you for sharing with the forum.

Best regards
Paul

Frank,
I forgot to say, a very good write up and an enjoyable read.

Regards
Paul

That's great news Frank. Well done.

I too love the engraved naming,

Hello Paul,
Make no mistake, this war was certainly not won at Elandslaagte, or similar, whilst it is true to say that the war was lost for the enemy in 1899, it was not won for Great Britain either.
The closing months in 1902 were the worst and most brutal of the whole campaign, if your average Tommy had been unlucky enough to have been captured in 1899, then it was little more than a slap on the wrist, by 1902, it was rather different, there was nothing gentlemanly about a bullet in the head, no, it was indeed, a brand new war.
Regarding Richards, because he father had died soon after his birth, the estate passed to his uncle and whilst he was the still the heir presumptive, there was no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow sadly, but, that was the way things were in those days.
Kind regards Frank

coldstream wrote: Frank,
I forgot to say, a very good write up and an enjoyable read.

Regards
Paul

Hello Frank,

Being a novice to this campaign my embrionic studies seemed to concentrate on the early part of the war.
Now having built up a decent reference library and of course gaining experience from the forum I understand the later part was indeed intense. Something that I was a little naive about, still more studying to pursue.

Regards
Paul

Frank Kelley wrote: Hello Paul,
Make no mistake, this war was certainly not won at Elandslaagte, or similar, whilst it is true to say that the war was lost for the enemy in 1899, it was not won for Great Britain either.
The closing months in 1902 were the worst and most brutal of the whole campaign, if your average Tommy had been unlucky enough to have been captured in 1899, then it was little more than a slap on the wrist, by 1902, it was rather different, there was nothing gentlemanly about a bullet in the head, no, it was indeed, a brand new war.
Regarding Richards, because he father had died soon after his birth, the estate passed to his uncle and whilst he was the still the heir presumptive, there was no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow sadly, but, that was the way things were in those days.
Kind regards Frank

coldstream wrote: Frank,
I forgot to say, a very good write up and an enjoyable read.

Regards
Paul