State: Victoria, Australia
Issued on: Return
Date of presentation: 31/07/1901
Number issued: 19
Gold medals, to:
1st Victorian Mounted Infantry Company [1st Victorian Contingent] –
112 Private Samuel William EDWARDS
1st Victorian Infantry Company [1st Victorian Contingent] –
113 Private Egbert William TYERS (absent, having returned to the front - received his medal in S. Africa, Sept 1901)
119 Private Frederick CRAWFORD
102 Private Donald McDONALD
115 Private Arthur Oscar SCHAECHE
111 Private Frederick W. WAITES
2nd Victorian (Mounted Rifles) Contingent –
132 Sergeant William Grant MILLER (probably - listed as Sergeant Miller)
113 Private George A. BLOY
332 Private Frederick George BURN
273 Private Arthur James BATTYE
333 Private [Lance-Corporal] John CROUCH
318 Private Henry Richard Perris MITCHELL
3rd Victorian (Bushmen's) Contingent –
Lieutenant William McCULLOCH
534 Corporal Edward Charles JESSE
424 Private David McMURTRIE
4th Victorian (Imperial Bushmen's) Contingent –
550 Private Gottlieb David SCHAECHE
Victorian Contingent (unknown units) –
???? Sergeant WILLIAMSON
???? Private G. HAMILTON (possibly Samuel George Hamilton, 1st Victorian Infantry Company)
???? Private H. STUART
Obverse with dismounted trooper shooting in kneeling position.
Reverse: "Presented / By the / Citizens of Ararat & District / to [PRIVATE E.W. TYERS] / for services rendered to the / TRANSVAAL WAR / 1900-1".
Presentation made at the Town Hall, Ararat.
Private Tyers example illustrated in Hibbard.
Private Tyers example now held in the collection of the National Army Museum, London (1997-11-80).
Hibbard #F1
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Ararat Advertiser, 14th June 1901
At the meeting of the Borough Council on Wednesday evening, the Town Clerk reported the determination arrived at at the meeting of the delegates from the Borough and Shire Councils held recently at the Town Hall to consider a proposal to give a reception to the returned local and district soldiers. At the meeting it was agreed to tender the men a smoke social, and also to present each of them with a gold medal in consideration of their services. A general discussion ensued during which Crs Hargreaves, Wild and Elliott tendered apologies for not being present, as business engagements had prevented them attending. Cr Wild remarked that he had intended to be present, but did not know that the time for the meeting had been altered. He did not agree with the proposal for he thought it would cost about £100 and was in favour of a concert, to which everybody could be invited. Eventually, however, it was resolved that the suggestion should be carried out, the councils to pay, proportionately, the cost of the affair.
Melbourne Argus, 5th August 1901
HOME FROM THE WAR.
ARARAT. – There was a great demonstration at the town hall on Wednesday night, when the returned soldiers from the Transvaal were welcomed back. Each was presented with a gold medal, inscribed, “Presented in recognition of services rendered in the Transvaal war, 1900-1901”. The recipients were Lieutenant McCULLOCH, Sergeants WILLIAMSON and MILLER, Corporal E.C. JESSE, Lance-Corporal CROUCH, Privates F.G. BURN, H. MITCHELL, S.W. EDWARDS, G. BLAY [sic], G. HAMILTON, E.W. TYERS, A.J. BATTYE, F. CRAWFORD, D. McDONALD, O. and D. SCHAECKE [sic], F.W. WAITES, H. STUART, and D. McMURTRIE.
Ararat Advertiser, 15th October 1901
NEWS FROM THE FRONT.
PRIVATE E.W. TYERS.
From a letter, dated 15th September, sent to his relatives at Ararat, by Private E.W. TYERS, who some time ago returned to South Africa, we make the following extracts: —
"I have been endeavouring to work my way up to Johannesburg, but could not manage it, as no one is allowed up without a permit. I therefore joined the Cycle Corps, to which you only have to sign on for three months at a time, and as I have only three weeks more to complete my time, I will have taken my discharge before this reaches you. I have had a very nasty experience in this corps. I don't know whether you saw an account of a train being held up and burnt at Ganna siding. I had the pleasure of being in that train, but only got a splash on the hand with an explosive bullet. I was in the worst place I have ever been in, and I don’t want another like it. There were 30 casualties out of 90. Since that little bit of excitement I have been attached to General French's staff, here you never hear a shot fired.
When I get my discharge I intend going to Kimberley to see how things are there. It is about the best place now as far as I can hear, and I gather this knowledge from a young fellow who works there. Cape Town is overrun, and it is nothing else but robberies end murders, on account of there being no work there It is not even safe to go out at night.
I received the gold medal from the citizens of Ararat, it is a handsome trophy, and something can always remember the town of Ararat by. I will write and thank them later on when I have time. I will be quite flash with the medals if I go on in this way. I hope to get a medal for the Cape Colony troops, which is very much talked about now, but I am not certain of it being given yet.
This is a nice little town, but there are a lot of trials of Boer prisoners and a stringing up case now and again, which is done in the opening on the market square, and all the people have to turn out to witness it.
I met one of my old comrades of the First Contingent, Jim RULE, he is now sergeant in Scott's Railway Guards in an armoured train".
