Orders, Decorations and Medals

The Boer War D.S.O. group of four awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel W. F. Bonham, Essex Regiment and Assistant Provost Marshal involved in the ‘Breaker’ Morant investigation

Distinguished Service Order, V.R., silver-gilt and enamel, complete with top bar (pin removed), some enamel damage; Queen’s South Africa 1899-19024 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Relief of Ladysmith, Transvaal (Capt., Essex Rgt.); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps (Cpt., D.S.O., Essex Rgt.), erasure after rank, these three mounted as worn; Africa General Service 1902-56, 1 clasp, Somaliland 1902-4 (Bt. Major, D.S.O., Essex Regt.), extremely fine except where stated (4) £4000-5000

D.S.O. London Gazette 26 June 1902.

M.I.D. London Gazette 8 February 1901, 10 September 1901.

Walter Floyd Bonham was born on 3 January 1869, the eldest son of Edward Bonham, and was educated at Charterhouse and at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He was gazetted into the Essex Regiment in April 1889 and was promoted to Lieutenant in Septemeber 1891 and Captain in January 1900. He served in South Africa during 1899-1902. On attachment to the 2nd Battalion Devonshire Regiment he had fought at the battle of Colenso, 12 December 1899. Cut-off in a donga close to the abandoned guns of the 66th Battery with his commanding officer, some gunners and other Devons during the heavy fighting, he was taken prisoner-of-war by the Boers. He was imprisoned in the State Model School, Pretoria, along with other captured officers (including Winston Churchill). After his release he was appointed Assistant Provost Marshal, Pretoria, in July 1900, serving under the Military Governor, General Maxwell and Provost Marshal , Major R. M. Poore, D.S.O. Twice mentioned in despatches, he was created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order in 1902 for his services as the Assistant Provost Marshal at Pretoria, 1900-02, in duties which involved the raising of the National Scouts and Bushveldt Carbineers and also the investigations into Lieutenants ‘Breaker’ Morant and Peter Handcock in 1901 which led to their court-martials and executions. When the Somaliland Burgher Corps was raised by Lieutenant-Colonel Kenna, V.C., Captain Bonham became the Commanding Officer and in August 1903 was awarded the brevet of Major. Bonham was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in July 1904 and appointed Militatry Attache at the British Embassy in Paris. However, his promising diplomatic career was cut short when he died at Argeles in the Pyrenees on 15 May 1905.