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Hi Trev,

I maintain that is why we collect medals. The thrill of the hunt when you pick up that unresearched gem.

When the medal appears in Noble’s catalog without any details of where the recipient was from, I thought, how good is this! As long no one else has looked into him prior to the auction.

I have a QSA to a fellow from Townsville who served in one of the Queensland contingents. That one was on eBay and was another good pick up.

Cheers,

Jim

Hi Trev!
What a goldmine of information! I am very grateful.
In particular, the photo of the graves for William and Hannah, side by side in Charters Towers is very profound for me. I would never have found them. Your information from Trove is also very valuable - it places the medal with the man.

Some more information and a theory...
In Trove, I found that Richard Harris Tellam was still in CT up until 1898. In that year he was hospitalised in CT with a foreign object in his eye. At the time he worked at Gelling Brothers, "the largest blacksmiths in North Queensland" (explains his role as a farrier Sergeant in the Boer War). In 1939 he visited CT from South Africa with his wife (who died a few months later). At that time (1939), a newspaper article (via Trove) said he left CT "40 years ago" i.e. 1899.

My working THEORY (speculation) is that he left for South Africa in 1899 and directly enlisted in SA on 21/12/1900 (official record). This would explain:
(1) his very low regimental number (58) compared with Australians recruited in Australia,
(2) the knowledge that the Scottish Horse was actively recruiting in SA before recruiting in Australia (Southern Cross Scots),
(3) his partial records in the National Archives of Australia,
(4) his omission from the Boer War memorial in CT.
(5) his skills were highly compatible with the needs of the Scottish Horse.

I will look for travel records to help substantiate this theory.

Note also that Richard Harris Tellam remained in the Scottish Horse for 5 months after the peace treaty was signed and that he was one of 8 Scottish Horse soldiers who were members of the "Coronation Contingent" (Southern Cross Scots). The latter soldiers went to London to celebrate the (delayed) coronation of King Edward on the 9th August, 1902. My speculation is that the extra 5 month enlisted boosted his funds and he may have even been given free transport to London for the coronation. He would have needed his medal for the coronation. He married Ella Vickery in London in 1906.

I am still working on his trail back to South Africa.

Cheers
Ross

Hi Jim,
I totally agree with your comments.
Many thanks
Ross

In case you did not see my reply to Trev, it follows:
"Hi Trev!
What a goldmine of information! I am very grateful.
In particular, the photo of the graves for William and Hannah, side by side in Charters Towers is very profound for me. I would never have found them. Your information from Trove is also very valuable - it places the medal with the man.

Some more information and a theory...
In Trove, I found that Richard Harris Tellam was still in CT up until 1898. In that year he was hospitalised in CT with a foreign object in his eye. At the time he worked at Gelling Brothers, "the largest blacksmiths in North Queensland" (explains his role as a farrier Sergeant in the Boer War). In 1939 he visited CT from South Africa with his wife (who died a few months later). At that time (1939), a newspaper article (via Trove) said he left CT "40 years ago" i.e. 1899.

My working THEORY (speculation) is that he left for South Africa in 1899 and directly enlisted in SA on 21/12/1900 (official record). This would explain:
(1) his very low regimental number (58) compared with Australians recruited in Australia,
(2) the knowledge that the Scottish Horse was actively recruiting in SA before recruiting in Australia (Southern Cross Scots),
(3) his partial records in the National Archives of Australia,
(4) his omission from the Boer War memorial in CT.
(5) his skills were highly compatible with the needs of the Scottish Horse.

I will look for travel records to help substantiate this theory.

Note also that Richard Harris Tellam remained in the Scottish Horse for 5 months after the peace treaty was signed and that he was one of 8 Scottish Horse soldiers who were members of the "Coronation Contingent" (Southern Cross Scots). The latter soldiers went to London to celebrate the (delayed) coronation of King Edward on the 9th August, 1902. My speculation is that the extra 5 month enlisted boosted his funds and he may have even been given free transport to London for the coronation. He would have needed his medal for the coronation. He married Ella Vickery in London in 1906.

I am still working on his trail back to South Africa."