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Forum members
Recently, and after a considerable collecting drought, IL was fortunate to become the current custodian of a most interesting trio named to a NSW officer who was selected for Special Service during the South African campaign.






The trio consists of -
(1) 1911 Coronation medal, engraved to "Capt. C.F.Brace, N.S.W.A."
(2) QSA medal, "F" rev., clasps Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Transvaal, engraved to "Lieut. C.F.Brace, N.S.W. Art."
(3) KSA medal, clasps SA 1901 and SA 1902, engraved as above.
Special Service officers during the South African campaign were a selected group of both British and Colonial officers who were to operate in both staff roles and in the field. The number must have been considerable; as a glance through the many pages of "Services of Boer War Officers" (Savannah publications) will show. Indeed, as can be seen on p.59 of Conan Doyle's "Great Boer War", months before the outbreak of hostilities, on 7/7/1899 it was reported in the press that a number of SSOs had been ordered to proceed to South Africa - noteworthy inclusions being Col. Baden Powell and Lt.Col. Plumer.
Doubtless as an adjunct to drawing upon British army resources, soon after the outbreak of hostilities, a War Office request was made to various Colonial Australian military establishments for a number of SSOs to serve and gain first-hand experience in South Africa. It can be imagined that competition to serve amongst members of the relatively small professional Colonial forces would have been intensive. The invaluable OZ-Boer database records forty such officers on Special Service. Murray's "Official Records" lists twenty one SSOs from NSW journeying to the front between October 1899 and February 1900.
Murray gives us some idea of the scope and intent of the SSO scheme by means of the following quotation -
"A certain number of officers were sent to the war, with the sanction of the Imperial War Office, not detailed to contingents, but independently, for the purpose of employment at the theatre of operations, as authorised by the Commander-in-Chief. Thus, either in staff employ or attached to columns in the field they would gain valuable experience in the many changes and chances which occur during active service. They would also be afforded opportunity to observe and sustain the vicissitudes and privations of warfare, and to note the value of initiative, and capability to act promptly upon any valuable resources in each and every emergency".
It is not supposed that the military establishments of Colonial Australia were the only respondents to the announced SSO scheme as outlined above. Canada, for example, had an establishment capable of raising quality units; although "Painting the Map Red" makes no mention of any Canadian SSOs. Similarly New Zealand provided excellent mounted troops for the campaign and could have been invited to contribute. And then there is always the probability that officers of the Indian Army were serving as SSOs. Unfortunately, details are lacking.
One of the successful NSW applicants for Special Service was Lieut. Charles Frederick Brace of the NSW Artillery. Born in 1858 in Ballarat, Victoria, he came to NSW in 1880. He travelled to England and upon his return in 1882, and passing a six months course at Sydney's Victoria Barracks depot, he received a commission in the Artillery. Following that, he participated in a course of coast defence at Sydney Harbour's South Head battery and, in addition, secured his certificate of proficiency in Infantry Drill, etc. He passed for Captain ("distinguished in artillery work") in 1897; a year after he gained his full Lieutenancy.
At that point, he was senior subaltern of No.4 Coy., NSW Garrison Division Artillery and in 1899 attended a six months' instruction course at both Middle Head establishment and Victoria Barracks; attached to No.2 Company, NSW GDA. Interestingly, at that point, his C.O. was a certain Major Murray - who, a decade later as Lt/Col. P.L.Murray, RAA (ret) - compiled the "Official Records of Australian Military contingents to the war in South Africa" for the Dept. of Defence in 1911.
It is probably too much to expect that Lt. Brace's application to become an SSO has survived; perhaps it lurks with other papers and reports known to have been submitted by him amid the piles of paperwork passed on to the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. Nevertheless, Lt. C.F.Brace does appear to have been well suited for such an appointment - given both his artillery and infantry qualifications and extensive service.

Here is a contemporary view of Lt. Brace -

Doubtless with keen anticipation, Lt. Brace embarked from Sydney for Special Service on 17/1/1900 and arrived at Cape Town on 16/2/1900. Within two days, he was attached to 23rd Coy., RGA and on 6/3/1900 joined the Pom Pom depot at Stellenbosch as Staff Officer to Colonel Crampton, RA. As Col. Crampton was present on operations in the Transvaal in May and June of 1900 (including actions near Johannesburg, etc), it is perhaps reasonable to assume that Lt. Brace earned the "Johannesburg" clasp on his QSA medal under the Colonel's command. On 17/6/1900, Lt. Brace received command of "V" Section, Pom Poms and proceeded to Johannesburg. On 8/7/1900, after the occupation of Pretoria, he was placed in command of an armoured train operating between Pretoria and Kroonstad. Brace's entry in "Services of Officers" shows him acting as Railway Staff Officer in the Transvaal and ORC. In October of 1900, he was sent to reinforce Springs (a railway terminus 40 km east of Johannesburg), where he assumed command of the garrison.
On 10/1/1901, Lt. Brace returned to Pretoria for duty. However on 8th July of the same year he was invalided to England, presumably for treatment.- and his recovery took several months. It was not until February 1902 that Lt. Brace took charge of a shipment of horses from Fiume, Hungary, for Durban. Upon arrival he was appointed Commandant, Remount Depot at Springfontein, ORC, from15/5/02 until 31/7/1902.
Subsequent to his return from South Africa in 1903, 1st Lt. Brace is shown in the NSW Government index as serving with the NSW Regiment of the RAA. In June of 1905, Lt. Brace gave evidence before the Government Pay Royal Commission - which investigated alleged pay anomalies brought forward by members of the NSW 2nd Contingent during their journey to South Africa. After the Royal Commission, and prior to being placed on the retired list, he was promoted Captain - and is shown at that rank when he attended the Coronation of King George V in London in 1911. He was one of the very few officers of the Commonwealth of Australia to receive the 1911 Coronation medal.
During the opening months of the Great War, Capt. Brace (RL) did attempt to rekindle his military career; a reference being found in the Ballarat Star newspaper of 18/12/1915 to effect that a former "local boy" had been appointed Major in the RFA. As there is no entry for any "C.Brace" in the on-line AIF embarkation roll in the Australian National Archives, it is assumed he remained in the UK after attending the 1911 Coronation. Perhaps on business.
At that point, having exhausted local resources, further research in the UKNA was entrusted to the very capable hands of Kevin Asplin. Happily, Kevin managed to locate file WO339/20879; which resolved the question of Charles Frederick Brace's attempted later military career. It transpired that, by the time of the publication of the Ballarat Star' edition of 18/12/1915, Temporary Major Brace of the RFA had been found by Authority as being "old for his years" and to be "too unwieldy of figure" to be of any use as an Artillery Officer on service in the field. He was duly required to resign his commission and did so by letter of 19/4/1915. His resignation was submitted to the King on 6/5/1915. Brace's request to be given other employment on the General List was met with a curt "No, Thanks".
Doubtless, Captain Brace (RL) would have been disappointed - however, times and warfare had changed, and the conflict was clearly headed towards an unprecedented, industrial level conflagration. He must have realised his knowledge of artillery employment and tactics, dating as they did to 1902, was plainly out of date. Captain Brace, however, had no cause to harbour resentment. He had studied long and hard and had become a true professional soldier; indeed, being selected as an SSO put him amongst the cream of the Australian military crop of his era. In South Africa, he had creditably served both the Empire and the embryonic Commonwealth of Australia military establishment and - many years later, to his great credit, at a time of crisis, he had come forward again.
Akin to many Boer War veterans who had lived into the 1940's, Charles Frederick Brace had observed conflicts escalate from Colonial actions to Total War and seen and endured massive social and economic changes. So much had changed and would change further.
Thus, any post such as this must necessarily skim over much of a man's later life and times. It is, however, hoped that the memories of Charles Frederick Brace, Special Service Officer, New South Wales Artillery, included the artillery batteries around beautiful Sydney Harbour, the bustle and dust on the way to Pretoria, the watchful "puffing along" of armoured trains and perhaps the bark of his Pom Poms across the veldt.
He passed away on 111/2/1944 at age 85 years in the London borough of Wandsworth.
Thanks to all of those stalwarts of the Forum who persevered to this point.
IL.

An unusual surname - I wonder if he wasn't family of this chap of mine

www.angloboerwar.com/forum/nat-medals/27...-brace?start=6#57666

You have acquired areal gem there Linneyl-and I have to confess to being an absolute fan of that engraving style- I would defy anybody to do it these days as that form of engraving requires the removal of metal and not being bunched up or ploughed with an engraving tool that you find these days.

A fantastic and very well documented trio, IL.

Rory
Indeed, "My" Brace and "Your" Brace were indeed related! Charles Frederick BRACE was born in Ballarat in 1858 to John Webb BRACE and Jane Clayton. Father died at Numurka in 1890 aged 59 years and Mother died at Armadale in 1922 aged 86 years. Info from Victorian BDM index.
Regards
IL.

Interested Forum members
This post is bumped up to include an active service view of Lt. C.F. Brace at the Pom Pom depot, Stellenbosch:


Regards
IL.