Description
Egypt Medal, undated, bar Gemaizah 1888, 673 Private T.T. Gibson, 2nd Battalion King’s Own Scottish Borderers, KOSB.
Officially engraved: “673 Pte T.T. Gibson 2/K.O.S.B.”
Some pitting through wearing alongside his pointy Khedive’s Star and he lived another 60 years after the battle at Gemaizah he fought in when he was a young man of 22.
Thomas Tait Gibson was born in Berwick upon Tweed, Northumberland, just 2.5 miles south of the Anglo-Scottish Border on 8th June 1866, home town of the KOSB Regiment.
His father John was a Baker born in Tweedmouth, his Mother Elizabeth was Scottish.
He had served his terms of engagement in the 2nd KOSB including the war in Egypt where he fought in the 1888 Battle of Suakin aka “Gemaizah”, where the British Force consisted only of the Royal Navy, 20th Hussars, 2nd KOSB, 1st Bn Welch Regiment and the 1st Batt Royal Ulster Rifles.
After having seen prior service earning this medal in the “K.O.S. Borderers, discharged on completion of 1st Period of Engagement”, Thomas signed up on 4th June 1900 with the 2nd Royal Scottish Reserve Regiment.
The unit was involved with the KOSB as his medical reports state: “I hereby certify that the above named recruit was inspected by me and I consider him FIT for service in the KINGS OWN SCOTTISH BORDERERS and that due care has been exercised in his enlistment.” dated 4th May 1900 at Berwick on Tweed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Reserve_Regiments
You can read above these unusual short lived regiment above, in short due to the shortages of soldiers who were all at the front in South Africa fighting in the Boer War, these Reserve Regiments were raised from Veteran Soldiers for Home Service, they invited time expired Warrant Officers, NCOs and other ranks between the ages of 21 and 45 who would be willing to enlist once again for 1 year, they received in exchange a generous bounty of £22, which enticed most men over their call to serve “Queen and Country”.
He was 34 years old a worked as a Miner since his discharge his distinguishing marks being “Scar of a cut, front right upper arm.”
He spent a year with the unit until his discharge finishing his 1 year contract on 3rd June 1901, soon after the short lived reserve regiments were disbanded.
He is later seen on the 1911 Census, Living with his wife Mary, Son and Newphew in Longbenton, Nothumberland, working as a Miner Coal Hewer.
The old soldier could apparently not resist joining back up one more time during World War 1.
He served as 8324 Lance Corporal in the King’s Own Scottish Borderers until his discharge on 18th September 1917.
He enlisted on 28th November 1914 and was discharged on 18th September 1917, being 48 years old at the time he did not serve overseas and he looks to have earned no medals just the Silver War Badge for his service.
He and his wife were still going as of the 1939 Census, shown living back in Berwick-Upon-Tweed on Tweedmouth Union Park Road, listed as an “Army Pensioner”.
He died in Northumberland during 1948 aged about 82.
