Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A First Boer War gold C.M.G. and K.C.B. group awarded to Major-General Sir Thomas Fraser, Royal Engineers, the senior effective officer remaining after the battle of Majuba Hill, where ‘After being the foremost to scale the mountain, he descended again for the purpose of hurrying up the men, and was one of the last staff officers to quit the ridge’; he subsequently wrote the “Majuba” despatch

The Most Honourable Order of The Bath, K.C.B. (Military) Knight Commander’s neck badge, silver-gilt and enamels, and breast star in silver, silver-gilt, gold and enamels; The Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, C.M.G., Companion’s breast badge gold and enamels, complete with gold swivel-ring suspension and ribbon buckle; Egypt and Sudan 1882-89, 2 clasps, Tel-El-Kebir, The Nile 1884-85 (Major T. Fraser, C.M.G., R.E.); Jubilee 1897, silver; Coronation 1902, silver; Khedive’s Star 1882; Order of the Medjidie, 3rd class neck badge, silver gold and enamel; Order of Osmanieh, 4th class breast badge, silver-gilt and enamels, the obverse central surround chipped, the reverse arms now devoid of enamel and the centre replaced with a silver plate, generally very fine or better (9) £4500-5000

Thomas Fraser was born on 15 November 1840, and was educated abroad and at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, entering the Royal Engineers in 1862. He was in France following the military operations of 1871, and in Paris during the Communard Revolution and siege. In 1876 he commenced a tour of duty in Turkey and, during the Russo-Turkish War the following year, was specially employed as Military Officer to the Commander-in-Chief of the British Fleet in Bresica Bay. He subsequently accompanied the Turkish Forces in the campaign on the Lom and was present at several engagements, and at the bombardment of Rustchuk (Brevet of Major).

He served during the First Boer War as Deputy Assistant Quarter-Master General in the Intelligence Department, under Sir George Pomeroy-Colley, and in command of a body of Scouts. He was present at the action of Majuba Hill, of which he afterwards wrote the despatch. In his despatch published in the London Gazette of 3 May 1881, Major-General Sir Evelyn Wood, Commanding Forces in Natal and Transvaal, wrote:

‘In submitting the accompanying report from Major Fraser, Royal Engineers, the senior effective officer remaining from those engaged on the 27th February, I desired to bring to your notice the good service rendered by this officer. After being the foremost to scale the mountain, he descended again for the purpose of hurrying up the men, and was one of the last staff officers to quit the ridge. While in the act of withdrawal he fell over a rock and injured his hand, but with great endurance and determination he walked from 1 p.m. on Sunday until 2 a.m. on Tuesday without tasting food, ultimately regaining our lines through the Boer position.

Had Major-General Sir George Pomeroy-Colley survived he would, I have no doubt, have endorsed all that Major Fraser has written with regard to the conduct of both officers and men in the fight on the Majuba Mountain, and therefore, although the result of the action was disastrous, I feel confidence in submitting for favourable consideration the names of those mentioned in the report.’

Major Fraser gave two accounts of the battle, one in his official report, the other in a private letter written on March 2nd. As the latter is by far the most graphic, and enters into details which are not referred to in the official narrative, it will probably be interesting that some extracts from it should be quoted in preference to the despatch. After giving an account of all the preliminary arrangements made by order of General Colley, and of the start of the column, he continues :-

“The night was moonless, but with good starlight. I never had such a climb before, but we (the General, Stewart, and I) knew what we risked if we failed to reach in time and before daylight. So I shoved on, on my hands and knees. Colley was so eager, he followed close behind with Stewart. The stones were piled one on another like the bottom of a torrent, but still we made way. As we neared the top, remembering we had seen the night before a piquet on the point we were approaching, I took a rifle from a 58th man behind, and got on top at 3:40 a.m., feeling rather foolish at finding no one. I at once extended the 58th as they came up…The General sent us down to hurry up the men. We went down to the two worst places, and each dragged up rifles and entrenching tools till we all got up; but the men were very done, and the General too… When Stewart and I returned to the top about 5:30 a.m we found the men extended round the brow, which was, roughly speaking, a square of about 300 yards side, with a hollow basin in the centre, the slopes very steep all round, and in many places too precipitous to be got up. As soon as I looked down on the Lang’s Nek I saw that they must go or we…We saw the Boers break up their three or four wagon laagers and inspan their oxen, then they moved mounted and dismounted reinforcements to the hill….At about 11:45 a.m Hamilton of the 92nd, who was in charge of the shooting line on part of the crest, told me they could no longer see the Boers, who had walked up out of sight. I knew what that meant, and at once told him to look out for a rush. Almost at once there was a call for reinforcements…The Boers now advanced on us in great numbers, firing with extraordinary rapidity. The two Highlanders on my right and left fell dead shot through the head as they rose to fire. We could see nothing but rifle muzzles and smoke…I looked to the General, and saw him with a cluster of men round him, with his face to the enemy, retiring about twenty yards from the line. It was just then he was shot dead through the forehead. The miserable sense of defeat and exhaustion that followed the last thirty hours of work made me indifferent to everything. I moved slowly across the open to my right front to a point near where we had entered and near the left of our last line. There was almost a precipice before me, 200 or 300 feet high; but any risk was better than to be taken prisoner, there were no men to rally, so I went down. A fresh firing party opened on me from below; their shooting was admirable; indeed, even then one could not help admiring their gallant attack. I got to a ledge with a little recess of rock. They splashed their bullets on both sides of me, and I slipped and rolled down over and over. I dropped both sword and revolver but clutched at the latter as the more useful weapon, later on. Seeing me roll, they thought me dead and left me. I went down till I came to a sheer rock, about fifteen feet high, over which I went, breaking my fall by a branch on the top and at the bottom I found I was unhurt.”

Fraser lay where he was till dark and then started in the endeavour to reach camp. He gives a graphic account of the difficulties and perils he encountered. He had a compass with him and this he was able to examine by the light of some glow-worms, which he caught for the purpose. At length as day dawned he found himself once more at the foot of the Majuba Hill.

“I went on with my back to it, and suddenly found myself behind (that is north of) Lang’s Nek, in the Boer position. I made at once for a burn where there was a fall and some trees, and took shelter, as of course it would have been impossible to cross in the day; this was about 6:00 a.m. It is not often I have had 12 hours to do nothing in … It was now Monday afternoon and except some biscuits on Sunday at 6 a.m. I had had nothing since Saturday.”

At dusk he started again and contrived to pass through the enemy’s position undetected and at length stumbled upon a house lighted up. This turned out to be a farm within the British lines, and here he obtained shelter until he was able to rejoin at headquarters. His arrival there caused no little surprise, as he had been reported missing, and was naturally considered to have been killed.

Fraser subsequently became Assistant Military Secretary to Sir Evelyn Wood in Natal, and was rewarded with a C.M.G. (London Gazette 18 August 1882) ‘for services in connection with the settlement of Transvaal affairs.’

During the Egyptian War of 1882 he was Brigade Major of the Royal Engineers and saw action at El Magfar, Tel-El-Mahuta, Kassasin and Tel-el-Kebir (despatches London Gazette 8 September and 2 November 1882; medal with clasp; bronze star; brevet of Lieutenant-Colonel; 4th class Osmanieh). He served later on the Nile Expedition of 1884-85, as Assistant Adjutant General on the lines of communications (despatches London Gazette 25 August 1885; clasp; promoted to Colonel; 3rd class Medjidie).

Fraser was appointed Assistant Inspector of Fortifications in 1891, and was Commandant of the School of Military Engineering, 1896-1902, and Substantive Major-General and G.O.C. Thames District, 1898-1902. He was appointed C.B. in May 1891, and K.C.B. in May 1900, and became Colonel Commandant R.E. in 1913. A member of the Royal Commission on Piers and Roads, Ireland, 1886-88 and 1900, he was also the author of The Military Danger of Home Rule for Ireland (1912) and Recollections with Reflections (1914). Major-General Sir Thomas Fraser died on 5 May 1922.

Sold with full research and a first edition of Recollections with Reflections, an autobiographical account of his career up to 1878, particularly of his experiences in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, and the events of 1876-78 in Turkey including those of the war of 1877 in Bulgaria, where he ‘assisted’.