Other Properties - Australian Singles

Lot 4936    SESSION 18 (2.30PM FRIDAY 28 JULY)    Other Properties - Australian Singles

Estimate $1,500
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $1,500

QUEEN'S SOUTH AFRICA MEDAL 1899, (type 3 reverse), - clasp - Cape Colony. 124 Pte G.R.Brooks. Tasmanian I.B. Impressed. Sometime cleaned of oxidation, now re-toned, otherwise very fine.

Private George Robert Brooks, 2nd Tasmanian Imperial Bushmen (Fourth Contingent); Emb.27Mar1901; RTA 22May1902, arrived in Tasmania 25Jun1902.



Pte Brooks wrote graphic letters home to his mother. One on 9 May 1900 gives an account of his activities and narrow escape from death when he and men from his unit were attacked by the Boers (amendments have been made to some spelling and punctuation as the letter is written almost without any stops at all). He wrote,

'Ever since I wrote to you last I have been in the saddle. We are attached to Scobell's flying column & they keep us on the move, I don't know what it is to sleep at night. We just get a couple of hours through the day, they are using us as scouts we are about a day in advance of the column so I am taking advantage tonight to write to you. This morning while on out-post duty about 3 o'clock my mate shot at a Boer, he was trying to creep into our lines, but he missed him it was too dark, so when we came into camp, this morning about 6 o'clock 18 of us & 20 Imperial C I Bs went out mounted on patrol. We had got out about 6 miles when we came across 2 horses belonging to the Boers so we followed up their tracks. It led up a valley the hills on both sides were very rocky, we had 6 scouts about 4 hundred yards ahead of the rest of us; this was my first experience under fire it was a funny feeling.



I can assure you, anyhow the Boers let our scouts go on right by them until the main body of us got well up the gully & then the first thing I knew was the snap of a mauser it sounded just like a stock whip & then they let go a volley into the midst of us. My mate I saw him knocked clean out of the saddle & three more in front of me, I was completely stunned for a second or two till one struck Stair Case (presumably the name of his horse) in the butt of the tail. All the rest was off their horses & trying to get cover, as soon as Stair Case was hit he gave a bound forward & nearly unseated me, I went to get off him & another bullet struck him in the knee. He went down with me, I managed to get clear of him & I crawled on my hands & knees to a bit of a gutter where the rest was.



The bullets were whistling all around me. This occurred all in a few seconds, we were completely trapped. They were firing from both sides & ahead of us, it was a proper cross fire & I can tell you it was hot. There were two hundred of them & you could not see one of them. The Lieutenant gave the order to retreat, every man for him self, how we got out of it I don't know. We left 4 stretchered out & 5 horses killed. All I was thinking about was where I was going to get hit. You could hear the snaps of the rifles & then the hissing around of the bullets & the ping of them when they would strike the ground about you & send the dust up. One went by my head I could almost swear it burnt me as it went by but anyhow I got out of the gully.'



With research, photocopy photo and copies of letters.