Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Four: Private J. Hart, Lancashire Fusiliers

Queen’s Sudan 1896-98 (5468 (sic) Pte. R. Hart, 2/Lanc. Fus.); Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 5 clasps, Tugela Heights, Orange Free State, Relief of Ladysmith, Transvaal, Laing’s Nek (3468 Pte., Lanc. Fus.); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps (3468 Pte., Lanc. Fus.); Khedive’s Sudan 1896-1908, 1 clasp, Khartoum (3468 Pte., 2nd L.F.) minor edge bruising, very fine (4) £500-600

John Hart was born in Lancashire. He attested for the Lancashire Fusiliers at Wigan on 20 October 1890, aged 16 years, 3 months. With the 1st Battalion he served in Egypt and Sudan, February-October 1898, being present at the battle of Omdurman, and was then stationed in Malta, October 1898-December 1899. He was transferred to the Army Reserve on 1 June 1899 but rejoined the Colours on 13 November 1899. With the Lancashire Fusiliers he then served in South Africa, December 1899-August 1902, taking part in several actions including Spion Kop (see below). He was once more transferred to the Army Reserve in April 1903 and was discharged having completed his period of service on 18 August 1903.

With riband bars and copied service papers and other research, and also a copied extract from the Wigan Observer which reprints a letter from Hart to his wife, written at Springfield. ‘... since I wrote to you we have been within eight miles of Ladysmith, to a place called Acton Holmes. We met the Boers in superior numbers to our, but we gave them their battle. That was on the 20th of January. My regiment was sent out to the front to attack. We had to cross the fire of the enemy at the double, and I can tell you the bullets whistled round us like hail. As we got from under cover commencing the attack, down went three men of my regiment, and then for about ten hours we were in a warm corner. I jumped out, and picked up a fellow of my company from under a terrible hail of bullets. I fully expected to get hit in the attempt, but I got him back. I bandaged him up, and with the assistance of another fellow we carried him back, having again to run the gauntlet, or rather walk it, for we could not run very well with his weight in our arms. Altogether on Saturday we lost 140 men of my regiment alone killed and wounded. We have had three days more fighting, but we were in a better position, and only lost one now and again. On Tuesday night on account of our brilliant work on Saturday, we were singled out specially to make a night attack. We carried the hill in fine style at the point of the bayonet, and thought we were secure for the rest of the day, but we were not. The Boers attacked the position in thousands. My regiment held the hill for seven hours against overwhelming odds. About 409 men of ours were killed and wounded, so that you will see that we have been in some tough places since we landed out. I got away without a scratch. ....’

The two Sudan medals are named to ‘R. Hart’; the two Boer War medals are named to ‘J. Hart’