County: Suffolk
Issued on: Return
Date of presentation: 09/11/1901, etc.
Number issued: ?
Silver medals, gold watches, chains, or rings (to the value of £5 and the choice of the individual), to:
6754 Trooper Sydney Morgan OLIVER
Presentation made by the Mayor (Alderman Thomas Shillitoe), in the Council Chamber at the Guildhall.
The Mayor described these gifts as "the presents that are being made by the Borough of Bury and the County of Suffolk".
The "silver medals" referred to in the Norwich Mercury & Eastern Daily Press are almost certainly the silver badges described in Hibbard under #A25. The civic arms borne on the latter badges are those of Bury St Edmunds.
It is possible that the badges given to Norfolk members of the 43rd & 44th Suffolk Companies (see: Norwich) were these badges, though they are described as "similar in design to those which had previously been presented to the men of the Norfolk Volunteer Service Company".
I am taking the opportunity this morning of also performing another duty, and a very pleasant one, and that is to present to those yeomen of Bury who have been out to South Africa the presents that are being made by the Borough of Bury and the County of Suffolk. When they responded to the call of their country nearly two years ago now, the Yeomanry especially came forward and formed one force that our arms were short of in South Africa, and made the turning point of the war. (Applause). They showed that the spirit of patriotism was formed in their minds, as it has ever been in the minds of all true Englishmen. They proved and showed that the grit they were composed of was the same as existed in their fathers and forefathers. Englishmen have always been Empire makers, and what they have got and what they have gained they invariably hold on to. This was not with the idea of acquiring new territory or anything of that kind, but of upholding the Union Jack, and maintaining and extending the principles of freedom which Englishmen have always taught and always practiced. One of those Yeomen, I am happy to say, and we are all proud of him, is Mr Councillor NICE, a member of this Council. (Loud applause). We admired him immensely before he volunteered, but I cannot find words to express the admiration we have felt ever since, and the happiness we experienced when we saw him safely returned, and with us round our Council Board once more. Of course we could not expect Aldermen, by reason of their age, to volunteer. We have had our day, but we like to see the younger men coming forward, but the Aldermen of this Council have not been unrepresented. Ald. Oliver could not go himself, and so his son went in his place – (Applause), - and as it was necessary and right that some ex-members of the Council should be represented, the son of our much respected ex-Alderman Andrews was one of the number. (Applause). Later on, the spirit of emulation having set in, the son of our much respected Town Clerk volunteered, and is still out in the performance of his duties. (Applause). I take this to be a record which will take any Council a very great deal of trouble to beat. We are represented on all sides, and represented well. The fellows who went from Bury I reckon were the pick of the 43rd and 44th Companies of the Yeomanry that came under my eyes. I have not seen any other Companies of them, but those who went from Bury were, in my opinion, the flower of them, and in asking them to receive these little gifts, which were arranged by the Committee, I am voicing the wish of you all, when I say that our most hearty thanks are due to them for the arduous a great work they have done for their country in serving as they did in South Africa. (Applause). – His Worship then presented the gifts, consisting of watches, chains, rings, &c., subscribed for by townspeople and inhabitants of the neighbourhood, to the value of £5 each, to the following members of the Duke of York’s Own Loyal Suffolk Hussars (Imperial Yeomanry), each of whom came in for an ovation, a special round of applause being accorded to Councillor NICE, and Trooper OLIVER, the former being called upon by the Mayor, as “our own particular” –
Corporal T. NICE, and Troopers G.H. ANDREWS, W. GREEN, S.M. OLIVER, T. LAND, E. BROWNE, E.F. FLOWERDEW, C.C. GATES, O.S. NUNN, H. ALLEN, H.C. SPARROW, JILLINGS.
Mr W.E. Land, of the Dog and Partridge Inn, received the gift on behalf of his son, Trooper T. LAND, who was unable to be present.
BURY ST EDMUNDS.
Alderman Shillitoe was unanimously re-elected Mayor for the third time in succession. His Worship returned thanks, and then took the opportunity of presenting silver medals, gold watches, and rings to Troopers H.G. ANDREWS, E. BROWNE, FLOWERDEW, GATES, O.S. NUNN, ALLEN, SPARROW, W. GREEN, L. JILLINGS, OLIVER, and T.H. NICE, of the Imperial Yeomanry.
Cabinet photograph of a Trooper in the 44th (Suffolk) Company, 12th Bn. Imperial Yeomanry
