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Hello Henk,

I would just like to say one thing. Fantastic

Regards
Adrian

Gobsmacking Henk

Some truly great examples you have there, from both sides of the battle.Do you, perchance, have any photos of the site which you could post?

I particularly fancy that Talana clasp one.

It must have taken you quite some time to build that little lot up?

Regards

Rory

Interestingly, Stott was a serving member of the 1st City of London Artillery and had already served a 2 year apprenticeship with the Fore Street Warehouse Company at the point he joined the Imperial Yeomanry, so perhaps the few weeks of completely inadequate training would have been a little less of a matter for him as it would for so many others.
However, the fact remains, moreover, Henks fine collection stands testimony to the rotten state of the Imperial Yeomanry in 1901.
I have always taken the view that they were rather more of a liability than an military force.
If you start to do the all important number crunching, you see that their 1700 casualties are similar when taken as a percentage to the army, but, the figure of non disease or KIA deaths, is very differant.
The Imperial Yeomanry had near 500 men that were actually KIA, with a staggering 900 or so deaths from disease.
These men, however, really cannot be compared with the regular army, many of them just had no idea what soldiering was all about.
The real issue with so many of these men was that they were just not up to it, by mid 1901, so many were arriving at hospitals like those at Deelfontein and Elandsfontein.
Often in a batch of thiry or so every day, they had been described as "pale" or "seedy looking" boys, unfit, many with heart disease, few or no teeth, men who should not have been in South Africa, yet, they had been past as "fit to serve" as just a brief look at their service papers confirms.
Yet, at the other end of the scale, the Sharpshooters and Lord Lovat's Scouts were "hand picked" and most came straight out of the top draw.
But, even they were not immune from disaster, the IY was put into the field far too quickly and sadly, so many, including Stott, had to pay a very high price indeed.
I quite like both Alphonso Stott's medal as well as those that Henk has shown on here too, I suppose, for most people, actually having a medal to man killed by De Wet's men is rather like, I myself, having a medal to a man killed by Von Richthofen a few years later.

Rory wrote: Thank you very much to those who have contributed so handsomely to my knowledge of the battle and the man.

Alphonso has proved quite a tough nut to crack with Ancestry having him as Alphonso Stott, Alphonso Scott, Alfonso Scott and Alfonso Stott.....

I can picture the scene as the census enumerator went house to house - er... did you say Scott or Stott Mr Stott or is that Scott?.......

All told a jolly nice medal and a very pleasant vendor from whom it was procured - he even phoned me in South Africa to ask how I would like it posted!

Regards

Rory

I would tend to agree with your assertion Frank that most IY chaps were deployed in an active combat role far too early. I agree, likewise, that, especially with the second contingent, they were not of the same ilk as their predecessors.

Stott was probably fortunate with his limited exposure to military life with the Volunteers - others were not as lucky and couldn't even ride a horse. Of course what has been mooted as a partial reason for the slaughter that took place was the fact that it was Christmas Eve and their guard was, quite literally, down with the possibility also of alcohol having been consumed in a quantity in excess of the norm.

As to the state of health of the IY chaps. I have many QSA's to quite a number of the Companies and, if memory serves, the name of Dr Hastings Stewart appears on many Attestation forms as having passed the men "Fit" for service. I don't want to single him out but it does beg the question as to what pressure was being exerted on the Medicos to get chaps through the process and out to the Front.

Regards

Rory

P.S. Another outfit which I find came from "good stock" was Paget's Horse - the 51st Company.

Henk

Many thanks for another great contribution to this forum.

Regards
Brett

Hello Henk,
Can you tell us about Wessels and Du Plessis, I really like ABO's they are all too scarce here thesedays and only seldom turn up, really nice ones never seem to turn up.
Regards Frank

Brett Hendey wrote: Henk

Many thanks for another great contribution to this forum.

Regards
Brett