Description
Queen’s South Africa, bar Relief of Ladysmith, Trooper Guy Vivian Grice, Colonial Scouts during the Relief of Ladysmith, who died whilst serving with the Natal Mounted Rifles on 26th December 1901.
Officially impressed: “Tpr G.V. Grice Natal M.R.”
Provenance, ex City Coins Sale 45 19th Dec 1997: Collection of M.G. Hibbard, F.K. Mitchell and B. Cairncross, then Spink 2019.
Scarce issue to the this unit for Relief of Ladysmith.
Guy Vivian Grice was born 18th August 1876 in Durban, Natal, South Africa, being baptised there on 24th September 1876.
The son of John James Grice and Martha Lozzia Natalia Grice.
The Grice family were noted as important early British Settlers in Natal having come to Natal from Essex, England in the 1840-1850s.
His father John was: ”Well known in mining circles in Barberton and Johannesburg, one of the pioneers of Barberton and was connected with the Sheba, Victoria, Pigg’s Peak and other mines.”
With the outbreak of the war, Guy first enlisted into the Colonial Scouts at Durban on 27th November 1899.
Angloboerwar.com provides the following brief resume on this unusual little unit:
“In December 1899 another corps, known as the Colonial Scouts, was raised by the Natal Government; strength five squadrons, commanded by Colonel F. Addison, MLA. They were during part of 1900 chiefly employed in Zululand, and on the border of tat country and the Transvaal. The corps did not see much fighting, but their presence in this district was very valuable. The Scouts provided a bodyguard of about 30 men to General Warren. The corps was disbanded in April, but the majority of the volunteers joined other irregular bodies – for example, “G” squadron practically became “F” squadron of Bethune’s Mounted Infantry under their old company commander Major Menne, who afterwards raised Menne’s Scouts. Steinaecker’s Horse was also at first recruited from men of the Colonial Scouts, in which Steinaecker himself had been a non-commissioned officer.”
Following the successful relief of Ladysmith, he was discharged on 7th March 1900, alongside the rest of the unit when it was disbanded.
Naturally the men who left the Colonial Scouts such as Guy would join other irregular units.
Guy then joined the Natal Mounted Rifles on 20th March 1900.
However he fell ill in May of that year and died of Enteric aka Typhoid Fever at Pietermaritzburg on 7th May 1900.
He was buried in Fort Napier Cemetery.
