A very rare WW1 South African Scottish presentation quaich

[sabrigade]

The 4th South African Infantry Regiment was formed as part of the 1st South African Infantry Brigade for service on the Western Front in France during the First World War.

The member of the Regiment were therefore all volunteers and many of the officers and senior members were veterans of other campaigns and the then recently concluded German South West Africa campaign.

The Regiment soon became known as the South African Scottish.

The companies were formed from some established South African military establishments:

A Company from the Cape Town Highlanders.

B Company from the 1st Battalion Transvaal Scottish.

C Company from the 2nd Battalion Transvaal Scottish.

D Company was formed from the Caledonian Societies from the provinces of the Transvaal and Orange Free State.

The honorary Colonel of the Regiment was Sir William Dalrymple who commanded the Scottish Horse during the Anglo-Boer War.

The Regimental Commander was the very popular Lieutenant Colonel F.A. Jones, DSO. He was commonly known as "Fatty" to his officers and men.

The Regiment was formed in Potchefstroom and proceed to England by ship where they disembarked in early November, 1915.

Training then started in all earnest for France.

A Scottish quiche is a two-handled drinking cup and the word "quiche" literally means "cup".

A traditional Scottish item, it was used as a cup of welcome and also for a "farewell" drink which usually took the form of whisky or sometimes brandy.

[sabrigade]

In December 1915 it was decided to send the 1st South African Infantry Brigade to North Africa where the successful Senussi campaign was concluded and by the 15th of April 1916, they were in France.

On 8 July 1916, the South Africans entered Bernafay Wood as part of the Somme offensive.

On 11 July 1916, Lieutenant Colonel Jones was hit and killed by a shell splinter as he left his dugout in the Wood.

His death came as a great shock to the regiment as he was the first senior South African officer to be killed in the campaign.

Frank Aubrey Jones died at the age of 42 and was later awarded the CMG and was also mentioned in dispatches.

He is buried in the Peronne Road Cemetary in Maricourt.

[sabrigade]

Major Reginald Sergie Hunt was a senior officer in the 1st King's Dragoon Guards.

On the 3rd of June 1911 he has been transferred to the Guards from the 3rd Hussars.

In 1915, Hunt was the commander of B Squadron of the 1st Kings Dragoon Guards and was wounded on 31 May 1915 in "Zouave Wood" as his squadron entered.

His connection with the S.A. Scottish is not confirmed but I am of the opinion that he may have been a training officer attached to the Brigade when they arrived in November 1915 at the Bordon Camp.

Hunt may still have been recovering from the wounds that he had received in France.

Hunt went on to command the 3rd RLR in France and was awarded a D.S.O. on 1 January 1918.

After the great war, Hunt served in Iraq where he was also awarded the General Service Medal or GSM as it was known

Edited April 29, 2012 by sabrigade

[sabrigade]

The silver hallmarks on the quaich.

It would have some amazing stories to tell and I often wonder if this unique item accompanied the Regiment during the battles that were fought in the Senussi and Western Front campaigns.

Edited April 29, 2012 by sabrigade

[Mervyn Mitton]

A lovely historical item - that has been well looked after. I would think you are right that it would have been part of

the Officer's Mess kit. Mervyn

[sabrigade]

Thanks Mervyn,

I am very privileged to have been given it.

The SA Scottish had 1164 members killed or who died as the result of active service during WW1.

Regards,

Will