Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria. To coincide with the OMRS Convention

The Boer War medal awarded to Mr E. F. Wilson, a civilian engineer with the Steam Road Transport in South Africa

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 1 clasp, Cape Colony (E. F. Wilson, Stm. Rd. Trnspt.) very fine and rare £100-150

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Awards to Civilians from the Collection of John Tamplin.

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Collection

It was decided as early as October 1899 to send out a number of steam traction engines to South Africa, Colonel J. Templer, K.R.R.C. (Militia), being appointed Director of Steam Road Transport. In November 1899, a new unit, the 45th Steam Road Transport Company, R.E., was formed, and a number of civilian experts were engaged in England. The first lot of engines was unfortunately wrecked on the way out, which caused considerable delay, but work was started at Kimberley in a small way in March 1900, conveying supplies to Boshof, Barkley West, and to various camps. From the original numbers of 5 officers and 119 others, military and civil, the personnel had increased, when peace was declared, to 10 officers, 447 other ranks, military and civil, and 238 natives. The engines had increased in number from the 11 first sent out to 46.

A curious feature of its employment was that the enemy very rarely attacked a steam transport convoy. The suspicious nature of the Boers was in itself a great protection to the engines. When a traction engine had to be abandoned on the veld it was only necessary, in order to prevent its being damaged, to fasten a couple of wires to the engine and bury them in the sand.