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Auction: 19002 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 755

(x) Rhodesia Regiment


A relief of Mafeking casualty's Queen's South Africa Medal to Trooper D. Robertson, Rhodesia Regiment, who was killed in action at Ramathlabama on 31 March 1900, during 'an extraordinarily cheeky venture, deep into Boer-held territory'

Queen's South Africa 1899-1902, 2 clasps, Rhodesia, Relief of Mafeking (Tpr: D. Robertson. Rhodesia Regt.), nearly extremely fine

D. Robertson was one of 500 men who struck out by different routes towards Mafeking under Colonel Plumer, in an attempt to fight their way into the besieged town. Having lived rough since October 1899 and 'not spent a night under a roof in that time or slept in a bed for five months', Plumer's mounted force now ventured deep into the Transvaal covering 70 miles in 26 hours - a remarkable feat made more impressive by not losing a single horse in the extreme prevailing conditions.

The Boers under General Jacobus P. Snyman moved in quickly to surround Plumer's men and, owing to faulty information received from Baden Powell - who had mistakenly led Plumer to believe that a second relief force was approaching Mafeking from the south - the Rhodesia Regiment quickly found itself alone and vulnerable. It suffered severe casualties, including Trooper Robertson, who was among eight men killed; the wounded included Plumer, who was wounded in the arm. The first that the defenders of the Town knew of the relief attempt was when the bodies of three Troopers were brought within the defences, 'to friends who knew them not'. According to the Official History, it would have been much worse except for 'the masterly handling of the squadrons in successive rearguard actions'.

Sold with copied roll entry and extracts from The Siege of Mafeking (1900) by J. Angus Hamilton.


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Sold for
£450