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QSA (2) Relief of Ladysmith, Belfast (3414 Pte. T. Mountford. Manchester Regt.);
KSA (2) (3414 Pte. T. Mountford. Manch: Regt.);
[ 1914-15 Star, British War and Victory Medals ]

Thomas Mountford was born at Nantwich, Cheshire, in 1868 and attested at Ashton Under Lyne for service in the Manchester Regiment on 29 October 1891. He served in Ireland with 1st Battalion until he transferred to 2nd Battalion, serving in India at Dinapur and then to Bombay. He returned to the UK and was discharged to the Army Reserve ‘time expired’ on 6 December 1898. On the outbreak of the South African War he rejoined 1st Battalion and embarked for South Africa on 30 November 1899, joining the Ladysmith Relief Column. He remained in South Africa until he was selected as one of the small party to represent the regiment at the Coronation of King Edward VII, which was however postponed due to the illness of the King. He was demobilised on 1 July 1902, reverting to the Army Reserve.

Following the outbreak of the Great War, Mountford enlisted in the Special Reserve and initially served in the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, but transferred to the 1st Battalion, landing in France on 24 November 1914 serving at the Front in the First Battle of Ypres. Later in the War he transferred to the Labour Corps and to the Royal Engineers.

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QSA (2) Defence of Ladysmith, Belfast (4304 Pte. H. Stones. Manchester Regt.);
KSA (2) (4304 Pte. H. Stones. Manch: Regt.)

MID London Gazette: 8 February 1901

Henry Stones (also recorded as Stone) was born in Bollington, Cheshire, in 1873. On 12 September 1894 he attested as a Private in the Manchester Regiment, declaring that he was still serving in the 3rd (Militia) Battalion of the Lancashire Regiment. He initially served ‘at home’ with 1st Battalion but in February 1896 transferred to 2nd Battalion, stationed in Dinapure, India. In November 1897 he reverted to the 1st Battalion then at Gibraltar; in 1899 his battalion embarked for South Africa, landing at Cape Town and then onwards to Natal and proceeded by rail to Ladysmith.

Stones was one of those defenders of Caesar’s Camp at Ladysmith which was heavily assaulted on 6 January 1900. For his conduct that day he was Mentioned in the Despatch of Lieutenant General Sir George S. White of 23 March 1900; of the 14 soldiers so mentioned, the two Sergeants mentioned, Gresty and Grant, were both subsequently awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. He returned to the UK in early September 1902 and was posted to the regimental depot at Ashton Under Lyne on 26 September, being demobilised the following day.

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QSA (2) Cape Colony, Orange Free State, clasp block loose on riband (13110 Pte. T. Green. R.A.M.C.) with contemporary silver brooch bar;
British War and Victory Medals (36540 Pte. T. Green. Manch. R.);

Together with a silver and enamel ‘God Speed’, fob medal from Manchester Harriers Club 1898, finely engraved to the reverse ‘To Tom Green - A Memento from his Clubmates on his leaving for South Africa Feb. 13th 1900 ‘God Speed’’,


Tom Green was born in Liverpool in 1877 and at some time he joined the Manchester Volunteer Medical Staff Corps, a volunteer unit set up in 1888. Green was one of those volunteers who were selected for one year’s voluntary service in the South African War and attested for service in the Royal Army Medical Corps. He and the Manchester Company of the Volunteer Medical Staff Corps sailed for South Africa on 24 February 1900; most of his company served in No. 5 General Hospital at Cape Town. He returned to the UK in August 1901.

Following the outbreak of the Great War, Green attested for service in December 1915, but was not called up until May 1916, when he was posted to 13th (Service) Battalion, Manchester Regiment. He joined his battalion in Salonika in the Spring of 1916 and served as a machine gunner. In June 1918 he transferred to 9th Battalion the South Lancashire Regiment. He was discharged to Class ‘Z’ Reserve on 21 April 1919.

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QSA (1) Defence of Ladysmith (5205 Pte. H. J.... M.... Regt.) attempt to obliterate name and unit, but details still just about legible, sometime harshly cleaned, edge nicks, fair to fine

5205 Private Henry James was born in about 1878 in Manchester. He attested for service in the Manchester Regimant at Ashton Under Lyne at the age of 19, with service number 5205. He joined 1st Battalion the Manchester Regiment when it embarked for South Africa in the S S Goth on 23 August 1899.

Henry James was wounded at Caesar’s Camp when serving in the Defence of Ladysmith, and subsequently died of enteric fever at Chieveley on 24 March 1900.

He is commemorated on the Boer War Memorials at Ladysmith and St. Anne’s Square, Manchester.

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QSA (1) Natal (4944 Pte. F. Taylor. Manchester Regt.)

Frank Taylor was born at Walham Green, Fulham, on 24 October 1881 and attested for service as a ‘Boy’ soldier in the Manchester Regiment at London on 24 September 1896, aged 14. He was posted to 1st Battalion in November 1897 and embarked for Gibraltar in November 1897. Following the outbreak of the South African War his battalion was despatched for Cape Town, landing there on 16 September 1899. On 24 October 1899 he attained the age of 18 and was officially appointed Private. His active service in South Africa was curtailed as he was invalided home and was discharged having been ‘found medically unfit for further service’ on 25 March 1901.

QSA (1) listed on WO100/198p79

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QSA (2) Tugela Heights, Relief of Ladysmith (3202 Pte. H. Bright. Manchester Regt.) suspension rod sometime re-fixed

Harry Bright was born in Hulme, Manchester. A Labourer by occupation and a member of the 3rd Battalion Manchester Regiment (Militia), he attested for the Manchester Regiment at Ashton-under-Lyne on 7 April 1891, aged 18 years. With the 2nd Battalion he served in India from September 1894 until November 1898. Transferred to the Army Reserve in December 1898, he was recalled to the Colours in November 1899 and with the 3rd Battalion served in South Africa from November 1899 to October 1900, seeing service in the Relief of Ladysmith with the 8th Bearer Company before being invalided. He was discharged on 23 April 1906 being medically unfit for further service. On his discharge paper his character is described as ‘Fair, addicted to absence’.