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I hope this will not be too longwinded, and it does not concern a medal! I was given an ammo belt with 9 rounds of Martini Henry ammo still in it. My friend who gave me the belt was given the item by a common acquiantence, who says he has recollection of where he came into posession of the belt, except that it went with a very old rifle that he cast into the sea. My first reaction was BS, but that is all I could get out of him. The rifle may well have been a Martini then, but who knows.
The belt has "Middlemore 1896" embossed on the front and on the back is written "Lieut F R Duncan Stellaland Horse". I think it is fair to assume that the belt probably also saw service in the Anglo Boer war. From the website www.rfcsa.org I was kindly sent the following info by Deon Fourie via Lt Col G J Miles:

"No (was 521) STELLALAND LIGHT HORSE. January, 1897, raised by Major C.G. Dennison for the Bechuanaland campaign of 1896-97. Initially 30 strong, quickly rose to 125, the Cape Government provided horse, arms and uniforms. They wore white shirts and cord breeches. Felt panama hats, turned up on the left, with a crimson pagri on which a six pointed white cloth star the
badge of Stellaland.(Who's Who, 1917; The Territorial, Gale and Polden, March, 1937. Dennison,History of Stellaland, Chapter IV. Dr H.H.Curson, The History of the Kimberley Regiment, Kimberley, 1963, fn.p.139.) Cape of Good Hope General Service Medal Roll, shows 18 awarded with clasp Bechuanaland.
NOTE : Stellaland owed its existence to the war between the Batlaping and the Korannas, tribes that had both hired white mercenaries. David Massouw, leader of the Korannas, had promised the Boers 3,000 morgen homesteads if they helped him win the war. After the war ended in July of 1882,these homesteads were granted to exactly 416 white farmers, who thereafter considered themselves 'free citizens' and formed the independent republic of Stellaland on 26th July 1882 with Massouw and 400 followers, under the leadership of Gerrit Jacobus van Niekerk (the first and only president).
The town of Vryburg (Freetown) was founded and declared its capital. On 7th August 1883 it united with the Boer state of Goshen to form the "United States of Stellaland". In 1885 Sir Charles Warren's expedition, the Bechuanaland Field Force, raised following the murder by these
mercenaries on 31st July 1884, of Christopher Bethell, he having left Mafikeng township in command of 300 Barolong with the intention of driving the mercenaries off Barolong land and retrieving over 3,000 head of stolen cattle. Accompanied by another Englishman, Nathan Walker and Israel Molema, nephew of the Barolong chief Montshiwa, they ran into the Boers some six
kilometres from the township. During the skirmish, a further party of Boers, 300 strong arrived. The Barolong retreated, Molema was wounded and dismounted. Bethell rode back to rescue him, but were surrounded by the Boers, surrendered, and both were murdered. Warren successfully
conducted a bloodless campaign, abolished the republic on 30th September and re-incorporated the territory into British Bechuanaland. The name was chosen to refer to the comet that was visible in the sky at the time of the decisive battle (although Stella is Latin for 'star', not 'comet'). Christopher Bethell and the Securing of the Bechuanaland Frontier, 1878-1884, by Andrew Manson, Volume 24, No 3, September 1998 Journal of Southern African Studies.)"

Currently their site is being updated and I could not get in this morning. Is it possible to get names of the members of the unit? If so, where? I would like to follow Lieut. Duncan's progress and see if I can also thus trace the history of the ammo belt.

I attach a few pics(taken after having given it some much needed "food") and it is in remarkably good shape, with very little damage over and above normal wear and tear. In Ron Bester's "Rifles and Carbines of the Anglo Boer War" in figures 29 and 30 some of the Boers seem to have similar belts slung over their shoulders.

Hi Dudley,
Just come across your piece on the Stellaland Light Horse. I was fortunate to pick up a Cape of Good Hope Medal to a G V Trollope from this unit. He also earned a QSA clasp Defence of Mafeking which makes this extremely rare.