TOPIC:

I have recently acquired the Queen's South Africa medal to Captain W. Keyworth of the 17th Mounted Infantry, which bears the clasps Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal and South Africa 1902.

As you will see from the images below, the clasps are certainly not in the correct order testifying to an ancient repair.



QSA to Captain Walter Keyworth. The miniature came pinned into the clasp carriage.


Engraving of rank to the rim, as you would expect on an imperial officer's medal.


Exquisitely engraved naming.


Mounted Infantry also beautifully engraved in a running script.



Medal Roll WO100/211 "Officers 17th Mounted Infantry".


The above image of Captain Keyworth's entry to the Medal Roll reveals that he was an Indian officer whose parent unit was the 14th Madras Infantry (which became the 84th Infantry in 1903).

I do know that NCOs and other ranks who served with the M.I. would have had their medals named to their parent unit and with the letters M.I. following.
My own interest in the Worcestershire Regiment is also connected here, as the Worcesters' Mounted Infantry formed part of the 17th Mounted Infantry. I have examples of QSA/KSAs to the Worcesters bearing the initials "M.I." to the rim.

FURTHER RESEARCH

While I am delighted to welcome his QSA into my collection. However, he is throwing up a lot of questions that I am struggling to find answers for!

I found him sailing from India to South Africa as a Lieutenant, and so received his captaincy during his African service. Of that we can be pretty sure of. But as for how he came to be selected for secondment to the South African War I am struggling with in my internet searches.

I could really use a little (alot) of help from any interested forummers please in getting to know more about this chap and his circumstances.

Among the intrigue, the following:

1---was he seconded for service in South Africa or was he a volunteer?

2---was he effectively redundant given that the 14th Madras Infantry was to be reformed into the 84th Infantry back in India?

3--- did he have any special skills or experience in combat situations?

4---would he have taken his syce (groom) or officer's servant with him from the 14th?

5---did he return to India?

Any help or recommended further reading would be most gratefully appreciated.

Captain Walter Keyworth was one of 18,534 men from India that served during the Anglo Boer War. This number consisted of 17,950 NCOs and other ranks and 584 officers.
This figure does not take into account auxiliaries and camp followers

There is a sandstone memorial, in the form of an obelisk, that overlooks Johannesburg that is carved from stone cut from the hillside where it stands which bears the following inscription honouring the Indian Contingent s service:

"To the memory of British Officers,
Natives, NCIs and Men, Veterinary
Assistants, Nalbands (Farriers), and
Followers of the Indian Army, who died
In South Africa, 1899-1902."

Sources: the above information from "The Forgotten Indian Troops in the Anglo Boer War, 1899-1902." published in 2018 by Martin Plaut, a journalist specialising in the Horn of Africa and Southern Africa.

Morning Steve,

The answer to your question 5 would appear to be "Yes". See press clippings below, both from the Madras Weekly Mail in 1904:





But he must have returned to England first, if not something was untoward - the clipping is from the Bromley Journal of 28th August 1903:



Find My Past allows you to search for addresses in Censuses but in 1901 another family was occupying 7 Lonsdale Gardens but the 1911 Census hit the jackpot with the return being signed off by widowed Jane Denman Becker. Second on the list was her married daughter Mary Theresa Keyworth and fourth on the list was her 7 year old grand-daughter, Janice Clare Dorrinda Keyworth. Mary was born in Sydney Australia and Janice in Tunbridge Wells. But where was Mr (Captain) W Keyworth? Walter was staying in the Albany Hotel, Hastings with his parents and his occupation was given "Indian Army" and his father was a "Retired Army Colonel". I will email you the 1911 Census Returns this evening.

Having written all that I have noticed there is an apparent discrepancy in given name.

The only other thing I could find was this from the Civil Military Gazette of December 1901:



Regards, David.

Thank you David for your response to my appeal for help.
The discrepancy with the name was entirely mine! I have been researching a number of Williams lately!
Thread title etc duly altered.
Steve

The more one looks the more one finds!

Steve, By the time of the death of his father, John Walter Keyworth, in 1927 your man had risen to the rank of Colonel. Your man had a sister and she married "Stalky" as in Rudyard Kipling's "Stalky & Co". Stalky was also a distinguished soldier but was involved in sorting out the Chinese at the time of the ABW.

David.

Yes, I've found 'Stalky' on Wikipedia, Major General Lionel Charles Dunsterville, mentioned in despatches in Boxer Rebellion and commander of Dunsterville Force during the march across Iran and Iraq in WW1. No mean soldier himself! And the person whom Kipling's Stalky character was inspired by.
As a naturalist myself, also enjoyed the Wikipedia reference to Walter Keyworth's nephew Galfrid Charles Keyworth who co-authored books on Venezuelan orchids!
This is getting very interesting.