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Today I stumbled across an interesting patriotic item from the ABW. Would this “A Gentleman in Kharki” buttonholer have been a promotional item for “The Absent Minded Beggar Relief Corps” charitable fund?

In theory, a proportion of all monies raised from the sale of items carrying either Rudyard Kipling's "Absent-Minded Beggar" poem or Richard Caton Woodville's "A Gentleman in Khaki" drawing were to be donated to the Daily Mail's Absent-Minded Beggar fund. The Daily Mail held the copyright for both of these. In practice, it appears that some companies reproduced the drawing on items purely for their own financial gain.

The Daily Mail Fund totalled £175,000, the sixth largest amount raised by any organisation during the Anglo-Boer War.


In his record of the philanthropic work in connection with the war ("For King and Country", 1902), Colonel Gildea summarised the contribution of the Daily Mail Absent Minded Beggar Fund thus:



In November, 1899, just after the beginning of the War, Mr. Rudyard Kipling sent to the Daily Mail the now famous poem, “The Absent-Minded Beggar,” with a request that the Daily Mail should “give what it was worth to some charity in aid of the soldiers and reservists.” The Daily Mail exploited the poem, and received about £135,000 from the public the world over. It is computed that the poem earned in addition, for other funds in various places and in all the Colonies, over £165,000, making, with some £40,000 (£5,000 for the working expenses of the Relief Corps and £35,000 to the “A.M.B.” Hospital Fund) contributed to the Fund by the proprietors of the Daily Mail, a total of over £340,000 earned by this poem of four verses.

Of the £175,000 which came into the hands of the Daily Mail, about £40,000 was donated to other funds, £65,000 spent on the “Absent-Minded Beggar” Fund, and £70,000 on the Alton “A.M.B.” Hospital.

Originally it was intended to raise money only for the purpose of helping funds and Committees already established, but the arrival at Southampton on December 16th, 1899, of a large number of soldiers' wives and children in a deplorable condition as to food and clothing, led to the foundation of the “Absent-Minded Beggar” Relief Corps, whose only rule was to “help deserving cases,” no matter what were the conditions. All the other funds were restricted in various ways in the granting of relief. In the execution of this work, depots of the “A.M.B.” were established and maintained until the early months of 1901 at London, Queenstown, Southampton, St. Vincent, Cape Town, East London, and Durban. In South Africa the Red Cross Society took the work in the field, and the “A.M.B.” Relief Corps took the work on the transports. The work of the “A.M.B.” embraced anything and everything, from clothing wounded men to caring for their parrots; from supplying Government Hospitals with medical stores to saving a man for the Service by furnishing a set of false teeth; from wiring and writing relations to inducing fifteen soldiers in special cases to marry and paying for the licences. Then the Patriotic Fund in every Colony that sent a contingent to South Africa was started by the Kipling Fund with a substantial contribution. Relief was afforded to Kimberley, Mafeking, and Ladysmith, to the expedition to Tientsin and Pekin, and that to Ashantee in 1900.

Summarised, the work is partly shown in these figures: –




Many other things were given in sixteen hospitals dealing with war sufferers, additionally, at request of the Commanding Officer in Natal and the distribution of an immense number of soldiers' parcels was undertaken.

The activity of the Fund was brought to a close in the presentation to the Government of 66 acres of freehold land at Alton, Hants, upon which the Daily Mail had erected a model hospital with 300 beds and all necessary quarters, offices, and outbuildings. The cost of this hospital was £70,000 – £35,000 having been contributed by the public to the “A.M.B.” Hospital Fund, the other £35,000 being a contribution from the Daily Mail.




This large plaque is the work of Frank Bowcher, who was responsible for the design of Spink's "National Commemorative Medal". As a proportion of the funds raised from the sale of the latter was forwarded to the Daily Mail fund, I assume the same was true of this piece.


















Another addition to the already large amount added to the Daily Mail War Fund by the reproduction of Mr Caton Woodville’s “Gentleman in Khaki” may be expected by the sale of the bronzes exclusively modelled by her Majesty’s silversmiths, Messrs Mappin and Webb, Limited, by permission of the holders of the copyright. The figures are delicately yet boldly fashioned, and fully uphold Messrs Mappin and Webb’s high reputation. A realistic touch is given in the colouring of the bronze, which is in the well-known khaki tint. The price of the figures is £3 10s., and twenty-five per cent of this amount will be added to the Daily Mail War Fund. The bronzes are now on view at Messrs Mappin and Webb’s London showrooms. (Illustrated London News, 27 Jan 1900).



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Wow, thank you Neville_C for the fantastic information!