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This is all that the paper printed along with his image - "Bugler Colin Campbell, Cathcart Frontier Mounted Rifles, aged 12 years. The youngest soldier on active service in South Africa."
The Blackburn Times, Saturday 17th February 1900
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Hi Berenice,
On the Medal Roll I have located the Cathcart Town Guard or the Frontier Light Horse, but not a mixture of the two so it seems there was a typo with the news article. No luck finding the Bugler with the Cathcart Town Guard.

Looks like there might be some truth to the story, at least that I can confirm that there was a Bugler in the Frontier Light Horse, 981 Bugler C. Campbell who was only entitled to the Cape Colony clasp. In the remarks column of the Medal Roll there is also mention of Reg. No. 183 of the New England Mounted Rifles.


A Medal Roll for the Frontier Light Horse dated 5 months later still acknowledges him as a Bugler, but with a different Reg. No. which is 327. I have just had a look at the New England Mounted Medal Roll and believe that there might have been some confusion with another Campbell whose rank was Private with the initials 'G.C.' who continued service earning the Kings South Africa Medal.

Trev

Thanks, Trev. It wouldn't surprise me if he was older than 12 - fact-checking of syndicated South African war news by regional British newspapers probably wasn't very good.

There was a volunteer corps, formed in 1886, which was originally named 'Cathcart Mounted Rifles' and later renamed 'Frontier Mounted Rifles'.

Hi Arthur,
Thanks for the further information about Cathcart Mounted Rifles.

Trev