TOPIC:

The second and final of my Imperial Light Horse arrivals this week is this beauty - rare to find this combination of battle bars - to 566 Trooper Arthur William Scandrett who emanated from the Eastern Cape and, finding himself in Johannesburg on the eve of war, did what most "Uitlanders" who had the means to do so did - he fled the city and the ZAR. Only a better quality of man was deemed suitable for the ILH and Scandrett cracked the nod.

He fought at Elandslaagte and then at Wagon Hill and other skirmishes in the Defence of Ladysmith before being selected as one of those who went round via the Cape to the rescue of Baden Powell and those besieged in Mafeking. In later life he was a Company Secretary although his wife eclipsed him in terms of public persona.

Rory and others interested
Yes, that combination of clasps is certainly worth having. The old (1980's?) Kaplan roll shows just 184 entitlements overall to clasps Elandslaagte, Defence of Ladysmith and Relief of Mafeking. The same roll shows his surname as "Scandiett" (rather than "Scandrett as mentioned in your post) and marginal note "discharged 12/10/1900". A lot of the ILH appeared to have been discharged/resigned in October of 1900.
I always felt that it is a pity that some author has not given the ILH the same treatment as Robin Droogleever did for TMI.
Regards
IL.

Rory,

Surely one of the best combinations of four clasps on a QSA.

LinneyI wrote: Rory and others interested
Yes, that combination of clasps is certainly worth having. The old (1980's?) Kaplan roll shows just 184 entitlements overall to clasps Elandslaagte, Defence of Ladysmith and Relief of Mafeking. The same roll shows his surname as "Scandiett" (rather than "Scandrett as mentioned in your post) and marginal note "discharged 12/10/1900". A lot of the ILH appeared to have been discharged/resigned in October of 1900.
I always felt that it is a pity that some author has not given the ILH the same treatment as Robin Droogleever did for TMI.
Regards
IL.

I fully agree IL. The ILH is a highly underrated outfit in terms of published material. I know only of the history written by Gibson and the much later Light Horse Cavalcade by Klein. If I was still in SA and had access to the various archives likely to house the material required, I'd give it a go.

Regards

Rory