Description
Sudan Medal, Queen’s South Africa, 4 bars, King’s South Africa, 2 bars, Khedive’s Sudan, bar Khartoum, 4362 Pte H. Small, 1st Northumberland Fusiliers.
Sudan officially engraved: “4362 Pte. H. Small. 1/Northd Fus”
QSA and KSA officially impressed: “4362 Pte H. Small. North’d Fus.”
Khedive’s Sudan, engraved: “4362 Pte H. Small. 5th Fusers”
During the Boer War, he was Severely Wounded on 3rd March 1901 in action at Lichtenburg, to his left leg and arm.
On this day a DCM was earned by Sgt Riggall, 10th Sherwood Rangers, Imperial Yeomanry.
On the 3rd March 1901, A large force under Asst Commandant General De La Rey, along side Veg-Gen Celliers and Commandant H.C.W. Vermaas, attacked the depot at Lichtenburg, where the 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers were stationed.
They fought for 24 hours and the British put up a stiff resistance, leading to the Boers later withdrawing.
In the wake of the attack the British suffered 18 men killed, 24 wounded, with the Boers losing 14 Burghers killed and 38 wounded, amongst the wounded was General Celliers.
Harry Small, was a Northumberland local born in 1874, from St Pauls, Newcastle on Tyne, Northumberland.
He first attested for service at the age of 19, having been a member of the 3rd Bn Northumberland Fusiliers Militia on 24th November 1894.
He saw the following service:
Home, 21st Nov 1894 – 14th Oct 1895
Dinapore, 15th Oct 1895 – 31st Dec 1896
Gibraltar, 17th Jan 1898 – 2nd Oct 1898
Crete, 3rd Oct 1898 – 14th April 1899
Home, 19th April 1899 – 15th Sept 1899
South Africa, 16th Sept 1899 – 9th Sept 1901
Home, 10th Sept 1902 – 14th Dec 1902.
He returned to service during the First World War, rejoining his old regiment, the Northumberland Fusiliers as number 3/8958.
Not long afterwards he was listed as being killed in action on 25th April 1915 during the Battle of Ypres, the 24th being the first day of the Battle of Julien, he is now commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial in Leper, Belgium.
