Hello everyone,
My name is Owen and I am entrenched in rural Somerset, England. Retired army officer (through the ranks) and now retired from overseas humanitarian (mostly) work for HMG and the EU. I was brought up in Kenya and have spent many years of my working life in and around all parts of Africa (except South Africa, which I have never managed to visit!).
I have long enjoyed the information placed on here, but finally decided to take the plunge and join you in person as it were. I have shied away in the past because I felt I would be more of a taker than a giver, but I am increasingly straying into Boer War medals and so finally feel I might add something, here and there. In short I am interested in medals, my main interests being the Great War in Africa, but also other Africa era's. Also KIng Edwards's Horse (KODR and 2KEH). Frequently, I am drawn to groups where there is a QSA/KSA or other era Africa medal connected to these WW1 men/women. This means I don't have a single regiment QSA/KSA collecting theme - my collection is a bit eclectic.
Of course, as in anything, context is king, and so understanding the era, the campaigns, battles, culture and etc is important in writing up the medal recipients. Research is perhaps more important to me than the medals, if that makes sense.
I have also gathered a few odds and ends of ephemera connected to the Anglo Boer War.
Anyway, I can see eyes glazing over, so will stop there.
Owen
P.S. Just to complicate things, my medal collecting interest started with Waterloo and then migrated through the Victorian years, to land in WW1. So, I do have a couple of Victorian/Boer War medals. My avatar is a Delhi Durbar 1903 Silver Medal with KSA, sadly lacking his QSA (Orange Free State, Transvaal and Natal), to 3904 Lance Corporal (Trumpeter) George Edward NUTTALL 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s) Dragoon Guards.
