TOPIC:

Interested members
In other topics ("Illustrations from the Graphic" and "Pietersburg") there have been a couple of examples of soldiers shown brandishing swords; one such supposedly in active pursuit of the enemy. OK, the other was about Lancers controlling would be recruits in Sydney. In any case, the attached illustration from Volume II of "After Pretoria, the Guerrilla War" shows the 7th Hussars coming to the rescue of the 2nd Dragoon Guards at Boschmanskop (sometimes referred to as Leeuwkop) in the Eastern Transvaal on 1st April, 1902. Here, swords are clearly shown …..


There does seem to have been some dispute as to whether this depiction is accurate. In "A History of British Cavalry" Vol. IV by the Marquess of Anglesey, F.S.A., that author comments that the Bays "were drawn into a deliberate trap" and "extricated themselves as best they could". A squadron of the Seventh Hussars covered the final stage of the withdrawal and the Marquess cites Conan Doyle as saying "They galloped in with such dash that some of them actually got among the Boers with their swords". A footnote casts some doubt that the 7H still carried them and observes that the Bays certainly did not carry swords - even though there were some complaints (before or after not stated).
One man who could have definitely told us - one way or the other about the wielding of those useless appendages - would have been "3852 Pte. F.T.Wallis" of the 7th Hussars. His BSACM (Mashonaland rev.) and five clasp QSA are shown here:


Regards to all
IL.

IL,

A very nice pair of medals and to someone who could have helped to dispel this uncertainty.