Description
Queen’s South Africa Medal, 3 bars, Tugela Heights, Relief of Ladysmith, Cape Colony (this bar loose on ribbon), 2929 Private J. Shaw, 2nd Bn Middlesex Regiment.
During the famous Battle of Spion Kop, on 24th January 1900, whilst attempting to relieve the Ladysmith siege, the 2nd Middlesex Regiment saw significant fighting during the battle.
Officially impressed: “2929 Pte. J. Shaw. Middlesex Regt”
Confirmed on the medal roll. With copy service papers.
Mr John George Shaw, was born in Deptford, London during 1871.
He signed up for the Duke of Cambridge’s Own Middlesex Regiment on 17th July 1890.
He was 19 years old and previously was a member of the Militia, the 3rd Bn East Surrey Regiment.
He saw the following service:
Home, 14th July 1890 – 17th September 1891
East India, 18th Sept 1891 – 23rd January 1898
Home, 24th January 1898 – 1st December 1899
South Africa, 2nd December 1899 – 8th August 1900
Home, 9th August 1900 -13th July 1902.
Discharged after completion of 12 years of service, having also been amongst those reservists “Emergency Recalled” in 1899 to be sent out to fight in the Boer War.
Pte Joe Packer, of the 2nd Middlesex, described the Battle of Spion Kop in a letter to Thomas Pakenham (The Earl of Longford), the author of “The Boer War, 1979.
“We waded through the Tugela, up to our breasts like, to get across, and we climbed up this ‘ere hil – cor, God it was a climb – you climbed up so far and you came to a bit flat rock and you had to go all the way round, cor it was stinkin hot it was, and we laid out there firing at one another, us and the Boers, the Boers was up above us, see – they’d got us in a trap like, I couldn’t see all round but I could hear blokes shoutin’ you know, blokes that was getting ‘it and all that.”
