Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 4 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901 (7168 Gnr: T. Ross, 1st Nthld: Vol: Art:) good very fine £200-£260

Thomas Ross was a Gunner in the ‘Elswick Battery’ being the South African service battery of the 1st Northumberland Volunteer Artillery. Sold with copied medal roll extracts and a copy of a contemporary souvenir roll of the entire battery ‘that served through the Boer War 1900. Major Harvey Scott in Command’.

The Elswick Battery, manned by the 1st Northumberland Volunteer Artillery, did most excellent work throughout a great part of the campaign. They were furnished with six 12-pounder naval quick-firing guns manufactured by the Elswick firm. These guns and carriages were a present from Lady Meux to Lord Roberts. The battery landed at Cape Town about the end of April 1900. The battery was for a time in the Orange River Colony with Colonel Hickman's column, and was then taken to the Transvaal.

In July 1900 this battery and the Canadian Battery were the field artillery of Ian Hamilton's force, which was on the north or left flank in the eastern advance towards Balmoral, and then was taken north-west of Pretoria towards Rustenburg, and thereafter eastwards again to Belfast. They accompanied General Pole-Carew to Koomati Poort in September 1900 and a portion operated about Rustenburg during October. Six officers and five non-commissioned officers and men were mentioned in Lord Roberts' final despatch. Two officers afterwards got the D.S.O. and two men the D.C.M. In Lord Kitchener's despatch of 8 July 1901 it was noted that one gun was with Major General Babington, one with Colonel Williams, both in the Western Transvaal; one with Brigadier General Bullock between the Delagoa and Natal lines, and one with Colonel E. C. Knox in the north-east of the Orange River Colony and in the Transvaal. A section was also for a time with Sir Henry Rawlinson in the Western Transvaal in 1901. The weapons of the battery were admittedly very superior in range and otherwise to the ordinary field-gun, and their shooting was often most highly praised. One sergeant was mentioned in the despatch of 8 July 1901 for good service in General French's sweep through the Eastern Transvaal. The personnel of the battery sailed for home on 28 June 1901.