TOPIC:

I live on a farm on the north coast of Kwazulu-Natal and have recently taking up metal detecting as a hobby. I was quite surprised when I started finding American Great Seal buttons here. I have also found a Victorian Rifle Regiment tunic button, a British General Service Tunic button and a Transvaal Staats Artillery button along with Martini Henry and Mauser bullets. My newly made detector buddies all say Boer war but I don't know of any action in this area. I would also like to find out what the connection is with the American Great Seal buttons? Some say the Transvaal Government purchased uniforms from America but some of the buttons were only manufactured in 1902 so thats really cutting it fine as far as dates go.

Anyone able to shed some light on this for me?

Thanks.

Welcome to the forum.....

Take a look here about Irish (Always anti - British) ex-American solders who fought for the Boers it is written by Colonel J.Y.F. Blake Commander the Irish (Boer) Brigade...… If you look a the pictures in the book they wore American style uniforms (surplus ?????)…..

www.angloboerwar.com/books/210-blake-a-w...inter-with-the-boers

and

www.angloboerwar.com/unit-information/bo...-american-volunteers

Mike

Perhaps you are finding more durable elements from an old Zulu settlement. Army greatcoats were often worn by Zulu men, hence the mixture of buttons. A single coat could account for the multiple American buttons. The legal and illegal trade in firearms was, and still is carried on in Zululand, and that could account for the variety of bullets.

Long ago when I wandered the Natal Midlands countryside I found bullets ranging from muzzle loaders to the then present day, and more besides, including a few British greatcoat buttons. I did not have a metal detector and relied on soil erosion to expose relics from the Early Stone Age to the present, as well as fossils in underlying rocks.

Brett

Thank you, Brett. They must have been amazing times.

It is always very nice to see your avatar in the list of recent posts.

Best wishes
David

Thanks Brett. What interested me about the American buttons is that as soon as you mention them on Metal Detecting forums there is a general consensus that they are Boer War related. Apparently they are found at almost every Boer War site these guys hunt at and are extremely common which interests me as I can't find any information on this online.