Orders, Decorations and Medals

Three: Private J. Smith, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, late 99th Regiment, a scarce ‘Mashonaland 1896’ casualty

South Africa 1877-79, 1 clasp, 1879 (1102 Pte., 99th Foot); British South Africa Company Medal 1890-97, reverse Rhodesia 1896, 1 clasp, Mashonaland 1897 (1716 Pte., 1/R. Dub. Fus.), claw refixed; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 4 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901 (1716 Pte., Rl. Dublin Fus.), last clasp loose, contact marks, especially on second, nearly very fine and better (3) £1000-1200

James Smith was born in the Parish of Ballygarrett near the town of Wexford, Co. Wexford. A Labourer by occupation, he enlisted into the 99th Foot at Chatham on 21 March 1878, aged 21 years, having previously served in the Wexford Militia. With the regiment he served in South Africa, 2 December 1878-7 February 1880. In May of 1879 he was tried by court martial for some misdeed and was sentenced to 25 lashes; his papers indicate he was also several times fined for drunkenness. He was transferred to the 60th Brigade in September 1880 and to the 2nd Battalion Scottish Rifles in July 1881, during which time he served in India, February 1880-April 1884. Smith was transferred to the Army Reserve in June 1884. On his service papers he is stated to have fraudulently re-enlisted into the Royal Dublin Fusiliers; certainly his attestation papers, dated 7 August 1884 make no mention of his previous military service. This oversight doubtless being sorted out, Smith continued in his military service, being stationed in Egypt, October 1885-February 1886 and India, February 1886-March 1894. After a spell at home he was then despatched to South Africa in May 1896. Serving in the Mashonaland Rebellions of 1896-97, he was severely wounded by a gun-shot to the chest at Williams (or Villams) Kraal on 19 September 1896. Smith was one of just 33 officers and men of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers to receive the ‘Rhodesia 1896’ medal - being part of the Mounted infantry Company (Although it appears from the medal roll that these men were entitled to the Mashonaland clasp, they are not. The confusion stems from some clerk’s over zealous use of a check mark in the ‘Clasp’ column when telling off the Medals). He returned home in June 1897 but was again sent to South Africa in 1900, serving with the Irish Mounted Infantry Company in the Boer War. He was finally discharged from military service on 15 October 1905. Sold with copied service papers and other research.