Boer War serge jacket

[William1]

I thought fellow members would like to see one of these, as they seldom turn up. This pattern was approved for use in South Africa in 1899, and by mid-1900 most of the regular army was using it, though the khaki drill continued in service in a minor way on LOCs, blockhouse garrisons etc. It is in effect a copy in khaki of the red undress frock. Note the two inner skirt pockets, one for the field dressing and one for the description card, forerunner of the ID disc.

This belonged to a private in the 5th (militia) Bn Manchester Regt. Unfortunately the number stamped inside the button closure is not fully readable - it is 4**8. 5 M^an is visible above the number. This unit was stationed in and around Winburg and Smaldeel in the Free State from 1901-1902, and whilst seeing no major actions, it was evidently involved in the occasional smallscale local engagement, with casualties in action of 1 killed and 3 wounded.

Other than a Boer War helmet cover, this is the last remaining piece from my Boer War collection. I particularly like the fading and the heavy wear. It looks as if he has had cartridges in his pockets! There is a photo of men from this unit in After Pretoria - the Guerilla War, showing them with slouch hats and web bandoliers.

[William1]

Interior. Note the different-coloured offcuts used in construction.

[Chris Boonzaier]

That is a fantastic piece indeed!

If things like this were on the market it would be at the top of my list.

You lucky dog, you!

[Graham Stewart]

Very, very nice. I hadn't realised that they'd taken the undress frock coat to model these patterns on, however looking at it you can certainly seem the similarity between the two.

[leigh kitchen]

Lovely -brass buttons & shoulder titles?

[William1]

Yes, buttons and titles in brass, also belt hooks. The buttons are by Smith and Wright. The jacket is well and truly beat-up and has faded to a mustard colour which doesn't really come over here. I never found a plain period slouch hat to put with it - didn't really want one of the big batch with 4 badge holes that still turn up now and again, so if anyone has one they could spare, I'd be very pleased to hear from them!

[William1]

Here are C Company of the 5th Manchesters in South Africa. From After Pretoria, p. 810. Some have slouch hats, some have the blue undress cap. The two men with rifles appear to have webbing bandoliers.

[William1]

Here is a summary of the activities of the battalion in South Africa.

From http://www.tameside....history/militia

"Following the outbreak of the Anglo Boer War in 1899 two additional Line Battalions were raised and numbered 3rd and 4th Battalions. Accordingly on 1 March 1900 the two Militia Battalions were renumbered 5th and 6th Battalions. Both volunteered for service in South Africa. The 5th Battalion was embodied on 3 May 1900 and sent to Aldershot where it remained until 19 October when it returned to Ashton under Lyne and was disembodied. However from the commencement of the war drafts were sent to both the 1st and 2nd Battalions in South Africa.

In May 1901 the 5th Battalion was again mobilised and returned to Aldershot where it was soon under orders to proceed to South Africa. Sir Redvers Buller, who complimented it on its efficiency, inspected the battalion at Aldershot. On 17 June 1901 the battalion embarked from Southampton on the Bavarian. On the voyage the battalion changed from their scarlet uniforms to khaki and all their equipment such as the black valise etc was exchanged for web equipment on arrival at Cape Town on 10 July 1901. During the voyage everyone was inoculated against enteric fever, resulting in most people being ill for at least two days.

After disembarkation they proceeded to Winburg, Orange River Colony where they were employed on the defence of the town and the railway towards Smaldeel. A, B, C, D, G and H Companies were employed in the defence of the town whilst E Company was on the railway. By this time in the war the fighting had developed into mainly guerrilla warfare and the chief object of the defence was to prevent parties of the Boers from breaking through whilst flying columns tried to round them up. Attempts were made to break through the defences but were repulsed with the loss by the battalion of one man killed, one died from wounds and four others wounded.

On 8 April 1902 the battalion moved to relieve the 4th Cheshire Regiment and took over the defences of the railway line towards Kroonstadt with D Company being sent to Brandfort. The battalion remained in the Smaldeel area until peace was declared on 31 May 1902 and on 9 July the battalion embarked at Capetown on the SS Briton and sailed for England. They arrived back at the Depot in Ashton under Lyne on 31 July 1902 and disembodied that same day."

From the casualty list of the South African Field Force:

7200 Pte J Corcoran killed, Smaldeel, 17 July 1901

7322 Pte J Bowler severely wounded, Smaldeel, 8 August 1901

5758 Pte S Shaw severely wounded, Smaldeel, 8 August 1901

Lieut. E B W Solano prisoner (released), nr Dundee, 17 September 1901 (detached?)

7599 Pte J Brennan severely wounded, Winburg, 14 October 1901

7172 Pte E D Aspinall accidentally wounded, Winburg, 1 December 1901

6670 Pte F Wood accidentally wounded, Brandfort, 2 May 1902.

18 men died of disease (+ 1 officer attached SAC).

[Mervyn Mitton]

A rare item - we rarely see any items from even the Boer War - they deteriorate so quickly. Issue khaki helmets sell for over £400.

[Tony]

William,

I've always assumed (since being given the photo) the tunic pictured below was standard Boer War issue. All my own uneducated deduction from knowing the soldier served in the Boer War and going by the hat he's wearing.

Is it possibly an example of the khaki drill tunic you mentioned or do you think the uniform may have been used in somewhere like India instead?

Tony

[William1]

Tony

Yes, that is one of the two pattern variants of KD worn in the Boer War. KD wasn't completely replaced by serge and was worn throughout the war, but much less commonly after early 1900.

The slouch hat wasn't worn in India, and with the KD jacket it says Boer War to me. Do you know which unit he served with?

Regards,

W.

Add: That looks a very British scene! I would say he is wearing a jumper under that, wouldn't you? And I see there are what look like infantry shoulder titles on the jacket, and perhaps regimental buttons.

Edited March 31, 2010 by William1

[Tony]

Thanks for the confirmation William.

He was in the Queens Regt. but I don't know with which battalion he served. He was a territorial, the local TA unit being the 22nd but as I said, I don't know who he went to SA with. His QSA was was unfortunately stolen in the 70s but I have his BWM.

I believe the photo was taken when he returned home and think it was in the back garden just under a mile or so from Tower Bridge so yes, a very British scene. I also have a photo of him a few years later wearing his QSA ribbon possibly in India.

Tony

[Graham Stewart]

"He was in the Queens Regt. but I don't know with which battalion he served. He was a territorial, the local TA unit being the 22nd but as I said, I don't know who he went to SA with. His QSA was was unfortunately stolen in the 70s but I have his BWM."

The Territorial Force wasn't created until 1st April 1908(today being their 102nd Birthday), so if he was serving in the Boer War and he wasn't a Regular then he was probably a member of a Volunteer Service Company. The felt or slouch hat was a common item among Volunteer Battalions, whereas apparently unseen among regulars.

See this link regarding V.S.C.'s;-

http://armyservicenumbers.blogspot.com/2010/03/volunteer-service-companies.html

Edited April 1, 2010 by Graham Stewart

[Tony]

"He was in the Queens Regt. but I don't know with which battalion he served. He was a territorial, the local TA unit being the 22nd but as I said, I don't know who he went to SA with. His QSA was was unfortunately stolen in the 70s but I have his BWM."

The Territorial Force wasn't created until 1st April 1908(today being their 102nd Birthday), so if he was serving in the Boer War and he wasn't a Regular then he was probably a member of a Volunteer Service Company. The felt or slouch hat was a common item among Volunteer Battalions, whereas apparently unseen among regulars.

See this link regarding V.S.C.'s;-

http://armyservicenumbers.blogspot.com/2010/03/volunteer-service-companies.html

That's very interesting Graham.

He was indeed over 20 at the start of the war (26 years old actually) but I believe he was married although going by the above internet site unmarried men were preferred but not insisted upon.

His QSA would tell us more but I doubt it'll ever turn up again.

Tony

[LeeG]

I know I am about a year or more late on replying here, but I thought instead of creating a new thread that I would append to this one. Here is the pattern 1900 serge tunic in my possession on display. The tunic still has its paper tag inside indicating its 1900 date and appears unissued. Compared to William's example, this one is a much darker khaki -- partially because it wasn't issued, I suspect.

Lee

Edited September 30, 2011 by LeeG

[LeeG]

Here is another angle.

Edited September 30, 2011 by LeeG

[LeeG]

A closeup of the tunic (with accoutrements), you can see the darker khaki serge material here. The buttons are all Queen Victoria crowned.

[LeeG]

Here is a crop of the inside tag dated 1900.

[Graham Stewart]

Very nice - all I have is scarlet for this period. SD for this period is a rare as rocking horse sh*t. Which I.Y. unit does your slouch hat belong to?

[LeeG]

I believe the rosette is the general issue for all Imperial Yeomanry units in the 2nd Boer War. If anybody has any further details, I would be grateful to hear them. The slouch hat is dated 1901 on the sweatband by the way.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Really fantastic, the label just fantastic icing on the cake....

[Stuart Bates]

The GS rosette was worn by many units but some had their battalion number in brass over or under the Prince Of Wales's feathers.. Some units had their own distinctive patches eg. the 2nd Battalion (21st Cheshire Co) IY wore a rectangular maroon patch with XXI in brass below the PoW feathers. There are many more variations.

Stuart

[TS Allen]

Hello all,

I just picked up a Boer War serge jacket for my collection. It's an odd piece. Here's why:

• The pattern's a copy of the khaki drill tunic, in the same serge material as the other tunics on this thread.
  
• It also has a liner, which suggests it's a private-purchase piece.
  
• There is no paper label from what I can tell from the photographs.
  
• No sign of insignia, either. It generally appears unissued.
  

The buttons are all QVC, and the material and construction look absolutely Victorian to me. The seller bought it unidentified from an antiques dealer in New York City in 1972. I'll post pics when it arrives later in the week.

So, was a copy of KD in serge was an authorized pattern?

V/r,

~TS

[Mervyn Mitton]

TS - I had missed that you have already made the purchase. As I said in my IM , I feel that it is a genuine item - and therefore

worth purchasing as they have become rare items. We will look forward to further pictures. Best wishes for 2012. Mervyn

[QSAMIKE]

Good Morning Gentlemen.....

Here are a few pictures of a Boer War period Tunic and Pants that are in my collection.....

Note the difference in colour between the tunic and pants.....

The buttons are Kings Crown as this man served in the SAC for a number of years after the war had ended.....

Captain Perry Fall (1865-1960).....

In 1885 served in the escort of Louis Riel to trial and was one of the guards in the court room..... (Medal Only)

Served in Strathcona Horse 1900-1901 in South Africa...... (QSA Medal 4 Bars)

Served in South African Constabulary 1901-1908..... (KSA Medal 2 Bars)

The only markings are a Broad Arrow...... and the letter M in a circle......

Mike