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Thanks Rory.......

At least David now has a picture to go with his medals........

Mike

That's fantastic. Many thanks, Rory.

I had not heard this explanation for 'WPMR' contained in the current Spink catalogue:

The unit was heavily engaged in the extreme south-west of Cape Colony and patrols were frequently attacked and often captured by marauding Boer Commandos. So much so that the W.P.M.R. earned the nickname of 'Will Provide Maritz with Rifles'!


Picture courtesy of Spink

QSA (1) Cape Colony (181 Tpr: H. W. Abbott. W. Prov: M.R.);
British War Medal 1914-20 (2/Lt. H. W. Abbott.).

The Western Province Mounted Rifles were raised in December 1900 and had a strength of about 500 during the Guerilla War. According to Tylden, one Troop was composed almost entirely of amateur cricketers.

From the next City Coins auction, November 2020

Nelskop, Calvinia, 21 April 1901

On 21 April 1901 Commandant Manie Maritz with 10 mounted men surprised a 15-man patrol of the Western Province Mounted Rifles who were on their way to the farm Nelskop, some 40 km south of Brandvlei in the direction of Calvinia. After a short skirmish the majority of the WPMR men remounted and made for a nearby hill, Swartkop. Maritz and five men charged in parallel and ascended Swartkop on the opposite side as the British. As Maritz dismounted near the summit, he received a flesh wound in the arm. One of his men helped him to get up and as he started a charge up-hill he received two further light wounds in the arm and back. He again got up and stormed the WPMR men. At this stage he was joined by the rest of his party and after a short exchange of fire the WPMR party surrendered.

The British losses were two men killed, Lt Tidmarsh and 2 men wounded, and 9 men taken prisoner.

The Boers gained 13 horses and 13 rifles with ammunition. Maritz was the only casualty on the Boer side, and he was nursed on a nearby farm T’Boop by the owner’s wife, Mrs Hessie Nel. Later in the war the farm was to become a hospital for wounded Boer rebels.
Translated from Memoirs of Commandant Manie Maritz.

QSA (1) CC (561 Tpr. A.L. Sprigg. W. Prov. M.R.)
No trace on QSA roll of issue of SA’01 clasp.

Trooper Arthur Sprigg was one of the two men killed in the skirmish.

He was a near relative of Sir Gordon Sprigg, the Prime Minister of the Cape Colony.

From today's City Coins auction, 27 November 2020

Defence of Piquetberg, 8 November 1901

During the first week of November 1901 the Rebel General Manie Maritz steadily advanced along the West Coast in the direction of Malmesbury while the British columns in the area were disorganised.

“In short, the road to Cape Town was practically open and a blow which, successful or not, might have roused all rebel Cape Colony, seemed about to fall. But at this critical moment Maritz, instead of rushing across Malmesbury, lingered on the Great Berg River to attend to a side issue.”
Official History, Vol IV, p360.

Because he was in urgent need of arms and horses to equip a number of his new Cape Rebel recruits, he sent Commandant Jan Theron with some 300 men to attack Piquetberg at 4:20 am on 8 November 1901. The town was defended by Major A F Pilson with 86 officers of the Town Guard & District Mounted Troops as well as the Western Province Mounted Rifles behind well-planned and well-constructed fortifications and wire entanglements. After maintaining fire for the whole day, Theron fell back southwards to Moorreesburg. Conflicting numbers of casualties were reported: the SAFF Casualty Roll records 2 killed and 4 wounded on the British side whereas one Boer source mentions 7 Boers wounded and another source adds 3 Boers killed.

QSA (1) CC (1155 Tpr. A. Panting. W. Prov. M. R.)

Panting was slightly wounded during the Boer attack: recorded on SAFF Casualty Roll with date given as 7 November. The QSA Roll notes that the clasps SA’01 and SA’02 clasps were returned in 1907 as Panting could not be traced at the address given.

From today's City Coins auction, 27 November 2020

Siege of Tontelboschkolk, 28 November – 5 December 1901

The farm Tontelboschkolk, some 80 km north-east of Calvinia, was used by the British as a remount- and grain depot. It was garrisoned by 90 men of the Western Province Mounted Rifles and more than 100 Bushmanland Borderers (a coloured unit), dispersed in six small forts, with the British officers quartered in the four farmhouses on the property.

It was surrounded on 28 November 1901 by Cape Rebels under Malan, Maritz, Van Deventer and Lategan. Vice, the Intelligence Officer at Calvinia reported to Col du Cane at Clanwilliam on 1 Dec 1901: “TBK was heavily attacked on morning of 28th at 2 am by a force of enemy estimated 600 strong. They have succeeded in getting possession of the houses & outbuildings& have consequently cut off the water. They kept up a heavy fire all that day & during the night again attempted to take our position, but were easily driven back, & our men succeeded in getting a limited supply of water from the dam. Friday the firing continued throughout the whole day, but not so heavy as on the previous day, water was also got into the forts that evening. Yesterday ‘Saturday’ continuous fire was heard till about 11 am when runner was too far off to hear…”

Although the Boers captured some 400 horses and mules, the main object of the attack, they could not take the depot. They retreated on 5 December and the British withdrew the garrison shortly afterwards.

QSA (1) CC (Lt R N. Woolf, W. Prov. M. R.)
Engraved naming.

Reginald Nunes Woolf: Trooper, Western Provinces Mounted Rifles. 11/01/1901 – 11/04/1901; Lieutenant 18/05/1901 – 31/12/ 1901. He is listed in Lord Kitchener’s Mentions: ‘For good service in the defence of Tontelbosch Kop: November 25 to December 3 1901’ (LG 25 April 1902, p2769). His unit is incorrectly noted as ‘Bushmanland Borderers’ instead of ‘Western Province Mounted Rifles’.

A late issue of a SA01 clasp (March 1908) was not attached to the QSA.