TOPIC:

Doyle's Scouts were a small corps of specially selected men, raised by Captain R D Doyle, DSO.


Picture courtesy of Noble Numismatics

QSA (4) Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901. 2028 Tpr T.Miller. Doyle's Aust.Scts. Impressed but renamed, possibly officially as they were not issued until 1907.

T.Miller's service file held in New Zealand has minimal information however it does contain some correspondence. On 31 July 1907 A.D.O.S. at Royal Arsenal Woolwich, England wrote to A.A.G. NZ Defence Forces, Wellington forwarding 4 Queen's South Africa Medals and clasps to various ex-members of Doyle's Australian Scouts, naming the four recipients including 2028 Tpr T.Miller. On the medal roll for Doyle's Scouts, the only recorded service no.2028 is to Charles Baker and there is no T.Miller on the roll. Perhaps T.Miller served under an alias and later advised his correct name which has resulted in the official impressed renaming of his medal.

On 13 September 1907 the NZ Council of Defence advised by letter addressed to T.Miller late Doyle's Australian Scouts, Liverpool Street, Wanganui that his medal and four clasps for Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal and South Africa 1902 was ready to be sent and could a delivery address be supplied as well as details of any other units in which he served.

Much later, on 6 April 1908, T.Miller's father responded stating that he apologised for the delay in replying but his family had not heard from their son for over a year. Initially his son had left Sydney, Australia with horses for the troops in South Africa and apart from Doyle's Australian Scouts his son did not serve in any other unit. He also requested that his son's medal and clasps be sent to him. Subsequently on 15 April 1908 the medal with four clasps was sent to T.Miller, c/- Mr R.Miller (his father), 17 Lombard Street, Palmerston North. An acknowledgement of the receipt of medals was then signed by Robert Miller, witnessed by Mrs Sarah Miller, on 20 April 1908.

DNW sold this KSA back in 1999.

KSA (2) (646 Serjt. N. A. Davidson, Doyle’s A.S.) suspension claw re-pinned, otherwise very fine and rare to this Australian unit.

Estimate £30-40
Sold for £850

David
Medals to Doyle's Australian Scouts are certainly a rarity. I was able to score the only one I had ever seen from the 1978 Lovell sale (impressed to "2016 Tpr. E.H.Carter, Doyle's Aust. Scts" clasps C/O/T/02). That item - together with the rest of my first collection - went many years ago. Correspondence with the AWM indicated that Carter was from NZ. Stirling says that the unit did most excellent work in the latter stages of the war - and was awarded a swag of MiDs.
Best regards
IL.

Davidson was reunited with his QSA and DCM by another collector.

I’m sold the KSA to Tyers on DNW. His tribute medal is illustrated in Hibbard and may be in the NAM.

The QSA to Miller sold for Au$ 1,000 yesterday.

Hi

I bought the Hawley QSA at a 1983 Glendining auction against stiff competition and it hammered at well over £200.
At that stage I already had a few QSA's to Scouts, Guides and Intelligence personnel and with the addition of Doyle's I decided on a new sub-collection theme.
I now have QSA's to 27 British "units" and ABO's to 15 Boer "units".
Henk