Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 4 clasps, Cape Colony, Johannesburg, Diamond Hill, Wittebergen, clasp block loose on riband (5983 Sapr. W. E. Durrance. R.E.) toned, extremely fine £180-220

William Elkington Durance served with the 26th Company Royal Engineers in South Africa during the Boer War, and was briefly taken Prisoner of War near Rustenburg. An account written by the recipient gives the story:
‘On the 25 September 1900 I was ordered with five more Sappers and one Corporal to go with Lieutenant Jackson, to repair telegraph wires so as to get communication from Rustenburg to Pretoria. We had repaired a break about 10 miles from Rustenburg and had found another break about 2 miles further on which was situated among a lot of trees. We were repairing this break when we were fired on and Sapper Sheply was wounded who was about 200 yards in front scouting. We had the order to return the fire which we did firing several rounds while in the meantime we had two horses wounded. We then had the order to get mounted and try to save the instruments. We retired about two miles into the open at the gallop during which we had two horses killed and two more wounded; the Boers had by this time circled round us and we were obliged to surrendered. The Boers who were about 60 strong then told us we were to go with them. We then came across Sheply and seeing he was badly wounded we refused to go any further with them unless they took him with them. They then, after much talking, told us we could go if we went back to Rustenburg, and then left us taking with them five horses and all the saddlery and our carbines, water-bottles, haversacks and spurs. We then carried Sheply about two miles to a store which was situated beside the road. We stopped there all night when 3 men started off at day-break to Rustenburg to get a doctor. They fortunately met a foraging party about 5 miles from Rustenburg which had a doctor with them. They reported the case to him and he came to the store and dressed Sheply’s wounds; in the meantime he heilographed for an ambulance from Rustenburg. I then started for Rustenburg getting there at about 2:00 p.m.’

Durance subsequently died of dysentery at Pretoria on 29 November 1900.

Sold together with an original letter from the recipient to his parents, dated 2 November 1900, and the original copy of his account of being taken Prisoner of War, both with typed transcripts; a large original photographic portrait of the recipient; and a cabinet photograph of Lord Roberts.