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I began with the Larsen medal in 2009, so actually fairly quick. In that time i have only seen one participant who served on the Boer side; Nils Iisager in the Staatsartillerie. Also in the collection, unfortunately he never claimed his ABO.

His Africa General Service, clasp in the photo.

This is of course the gem of the collection, he was born in South Africa, Swedish father.

Some time ago I won the DCM at DNW to Charles G Ohlsson, the son of a Swedish seaman settled in Capetown. Charles served with the Prince of Wales Light Horse and the Kitchener’s Fighting Scouts and other units in the Boer War. Severely wounded in action at Tweefontein 14/11/1901.

One year later, his QSA (five clasps)
was up for auction with City Coins.

Charles George attested on July 31st, 1901, stating his age as 17. His father is named as Charles G Ohlsson, living at 92 Bromwell Street, Salt River, Cape Town.

Charles George Jr is 5”4’, brown eyes, brown hair and 110 pounds. Previous service with PofW Light Horse.

His DCM was gazetted in october 1902, so quite a young recipient. An interesting fact is that another C Olsson served in the KFS, wounded at Boschbult. In newspaper articles about Charles, it is stated that his father was in the military and was killed beside him - a journalistic exaggeration of serving in the same unit and being wounded? To be further explored!

He travelled to the US in 1904 with hundreds other veterans to tour the US with Frank Fillis ”Boer War spectacle” before settling and enlisting in the US Cavalry.

Link here to Fillis ”spectacle”: archive.org/details/angloboerwar00fill

Subsequently, he served in the 2nd & 8th US Cavalry, taking part in the Phillippines campaign. In WWI, he came late to France, I found him on a replacement draft on a vessel bound for France very late in 1918, with F battery, 54th artillery, Coastal Artillery Corps.

In the Phillippines, this is recorded:

” Ohlsson was later transferred to Troop H, 8th US Cavalry on November 1, 1912, as the 2nd Cavalry were returning to the US (Most likely to remain in the Philippines until his enlistment expired.) Fifty troopers (Troop H) of the 8th US Cavalry participated in the Battle of Bud Bagsak June 11-15th 1913, which was the last major action in the Philippine Insurrection. “(The U.S. component consisted of M Company, 8th Infantry; a detachment of 50 cavalrymen from H Troop, 8th Cavalry; the 40th Mountain Artillery Battery; a medical detachment; and a demolition squad.)

Part of Collins’s report on the action “On the morning of the 14th, I was sent with a cavalry detachment to accompany the 51st and 52nd Companies, Moro Scouts, with a view to effecting a lodgment between Bunga and Bagsak from which the final attack could be made. By taking advantage of a deep ravine, Captain Charlton was able to reach, without any casualties, a favorable position on a knoll on the flank and about 600 yards from the Bagsak Cotta. Again with the idea of bringing out all points in connection with the use of the mountain guns in this fight, I will mention some of the difficulties Van Natta had in getting his gun up to the top of Bunga. Proceeding ahead of Charlton's column, I struck a trail which led to the base of the ridge where Van Natta was trying to haul up his gun. Just as we arrived, the rope, by which the men were hauling the gun up the precipitous slope, broke, and the gun came rolling several hundred feet down the hill. It was suggested that the gun be taken apart and carried up the hill, and it was so decided. This was about 7:00 A.M. Having watched Charlton's men on the 11th climbing Puyacabao, cut toe holds with their machetes, I suggested to the men as I passed up the hill, that they do likewise. When I reached the top of Bunga with my Boer orderly about 8:00 A.M., I had Captain Moylan detail half of his men with bolos to clear a trail through the brush for Van Natta's men. The entire gun was up about noon and the first shot at range 850 was fired at 12:20 P.M. The next shot at range 950 was sensed over. The third shot was at range 840 and the next at 830, which seemed the exact range to the cotta....”

In one of the articles on him, the WWI medal is mentioned, although with more clasps than actually awarded (just one!)

After the Phillippines, he was honourably discharged, but reenlisted just a week later. He was assigned to the Coastal Artillery Corps, and served with Battery F 54th Regiment CAC in France just before the armistice and into 1919 when he was transferred to the reserve with discharge in 1920 as a sergeant. In civilian life he worked as a truck driver, spiritualist and finally asa security guard at an Air Force base.

In WWII, his son Stanley Charles Ohlsson served in the air force, and perished when serving as a gunner in a B-25 operating from Tarawa, Their plane was intercepted and damaged on 29/12 1943, and the plane was lost. All of the crew were MIA, declared dead almost two years later.

Charles G Ohlssons american entitlement is extant and shown below.

As I have been in contact with the collector who has held the two american medals, I was pleased to be offered them to complete the reunite.

I have photographed them together. In the order a naturalized US citizen should have worn them.

ATB, Lars

February 4th 2011 I added this to the collection. 110 years to the date when Trooper Nils Nilson, Steinaeckers Horse, from Christiania (Oslo), Norway, lost his life due to disease at Waterval Onder in South Africa, near the borders to Portuguese East Africa (Mocambique).

This was awarded to trooper 1078 Hans Peter Peterson from Copenhagen, Denmark of Steinaecker’s Horse.

Such an enjoyable thread. Many thanks, Lars, for sharing these images and information. Fantastic!

Here is Eric Oscar Söderblom from the north of Sweden, Söderhamn.

Tpr 1044 E O Soderblom, BSAP, clasp Rhodesia.

SODERBLOM Eric Oscar. Resided in the Cape Colony. Enlisted 21.5.99. Trooper, 'Matabeleland' Division, British South Africa Police (No1044). Discharged (Time expired - very good character) 15.7.01. Trooper, South African Light Horse (No36433) (Aged 25 years c1901). Discharged 13.5.02. During his SALH service he was sometimes referred to as 'Oscar Soderblom' and 'Eric Soderblom'.

Soderblom is an interesting story, he was born sometime in 1875/76 in Sweden and went with his family to South Africa as a seven year old. When attesting in the Cape Police in 1902 he was 26, did not give a profession and had previous experience as we have seen in CMR, BSAP & SALH. Wonder what the 1910 records have and if he stayed on in South Africa?

As to the reason for his dismissal, probably only possible to speculate. With the quick help of Ian Johnstone in Harare I now know that the Zimbabwe Archives only hold attestations for those of the BSAP that served after 1903. Pity, as it would be useful to know his place of birth more exactly. Kew next for that to know if the SALH was more thorough in these matters.

His records in Harare say:
Attested: 21 May 1899
Discharged: 15 July 1901
Reason: TE [Time Expired]
Defaulter record: Book No. 2 [this means he committed a disciplinary offence at
some stage]
Character: VG [Very Good]

WO100/238QSA roll
BSAP No II Div Bulawayo AG2/M/2375 Folio 47
1044 Tpr Soderblon E.O.clasp Rhodesia Discharged
BSAP AG2/M/10778 folio 134
1044 Tpr Soderblom E.O.SA01/SA02/KSA all lined through with the notation KSA 2 clasps issued 68/Sa/7771 36443 SALH Discharged Time Expired 15.7.01
WO100/275QSA roll
SALH Supplementary Roll AG2/M/7952 folio 50
36443 Tpr Soderbloom E.O. clasps CC:OFS:Trans x Rhodesia issued off AG2/M/2375
WO100/365 KSA roll
SALH 68/Sa/7771 folio 107
36443 Tpr Soderblom E.O. remarks SA01 & SA02 clasps claimed on 7th Portion of Add clasps roll of the SALH

Also entitled to a KSA.