TOPIC:

Medals to Lovat's Scouts in WWI are, apparently, highly sought after - I was fortunate to acquire a group to a chap who kicked off in the Boer War in South Africa and ended up with them in WWI

Thomas Anderson Duncan

Trooper, East London District Mounted Troops – Anglo Boer War
Corporal, 7th Dismounted Rifles (Southern Rifles) – WWI – German South West Africa
Private, Lovat’s Scouts (Cameron Highlanders) – WWI - Egypt, Salonica and France

- Queens South Africa Medal to 215 Tpr. T.A. Duncan, East London D.M.T.
- 1914/15 Star to Cpl. T.A. Duncan, 7th Dismtd.Rfls.
- British War Medal to 6115 Pte. T.A. Duncan, 2-Lovat's Scts.
- Victory Medal to 6115 Pte. T.A. Duncan, 2-Lovat's Scts.

Tommy Duncan was born in Crail, Fifeshire, Scotland on 14 May 1873 the son of James Duncan, a Baker by occupation, and his wife Euphemia. The 1881 Scotland census showed that the Duncan family lived in High Street, Crail. Mr Duncan had his own bakery business employing 2 men and 2 boys. Of these his oldest son John (16) was a Baker’s Apprentice along with Mr Duncan’s brother David, who at 43 was a fully-fledged Baker in his employ.

The house was a very full one with, other than those mentioned above, the following residents: Barbara (18), Jessie (14), Maggie (12), Thomas (the subject of our story, 7), William Dickson, a nephew (14) and Eliza Christie (15) a domestic servant.

Ten years later at the time of the 1891 Scotland census the family were still living at the same spot but Tommy, now 17, was employed as a Bank Clerk (Apprentice). His father had passed away in the intervening years leaving his mother, a resourceful woman, running the bakery. Siblings Barbara, John and Jessie were all qualified bakers and shop keepers helping their mother in what was most decidedly a family business. It was only Tom and his cousin William Dickson who were employed in a Bank.

At some stage Tommy Duncan decided that life in bonnie Scotland was no longer an adventure for him and, packing his bags, he headed for South Africa where he made a home for himself in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape territory of that country. Our first sighting of him comes courtesy of the Lodge of Good Hope (Port Elizabeth) Free Mason’s register which carries an entry for 21 December 1899 where Thomas Anderson Duncan, a Clerk by occupation, was accepted as a member. His stay wasn’t destined to be a long one as the self-same register recorded that he resigned from the Lodge on 15 March 1900.

The reason for the above could well be because of what was going on around him. South Africa (or its various component parts) was at war. Initially the conflict was between the two Boer Republics of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal – pitted against the British Empire but, as things slowly progressed and the Boers began to make incursions into the Cape Colony, that part of the country became involved as well. 

Most small towns and cities were required to muster both a Town Guard for the defence of the townspeople and their possessions, as well as a District Mounted Troop, which would have a wider purview in patrolling the neighbouring countryside, keeping the Boers at bay. Duncan, having journeyed two hundred miles east of Port Elizabeth, joined the ranks of the East London D.M.T.  This Mounted Troop numbered some 300 strong and had quite a large geographical area to patrol and protect.

How long he spent in their ranks with the number 210 and the rank of Trooper is unknown but he was issued with the Queens Medal for his efforts off the role dated 23 August 1905 signed by Major Thomas Irvine, the Officer Commanding.

The Boer War over Duncan returned to his civilian pursuits but the peace that prevailed in the world wasn’t to last forever – on 4 August 1914 the world was at war – Great Britain and her Allies (including South Africa) were ranged against the might of Imperial Germany and he cronies. South Africa was called upon to assist in the effort by invading the territory adjacent to her borders, German South West Africa.

Duncan, now a man of 39, volunteered for service on 14 October 1914 with the 7th Dismounted Rifles (Southern Dismounted Rifles) – his first order of business was to assist in the quelling of an internal rebellion playing out within South Africa between Botha and his government and a force of rebels comprising burghers from the old Transvaal and Orange Free State who were unhappy with the decision to assist Great Britain in a war with Germany. 

For this purpose the 1st Southern Rifles (as they were known) were placed under Military District No.3 until 13 December 1914 by which time the rebellion was, to all intents and purposes, a thing of the past.

On 16 March 1915 the 1st Southern Rifles entered the German South West African theatre as part of the Northern Force operating out of Walvis Bay from 23 March 1915. The Northern Force were probably the most active of the various forces, taking the fight to the Germans and forcing them up northwards in the territory until, on 9 July 1915, they surrendered at Otavi signaling the end of the campaign. The Southern Rifles were used to protect the vital lines of communication on the march to capture Windhuk along the line from Walvis Bay to kilometre 13 beyond Swakopmund thus playing an invaluable role in the campaign.

Most of the South African men were now faced with a choice – either join the numbers being raised for the fight in German East Africa, join the 1st S.A. Infantry Brigade for the fight in France and Flanders or, simply, go home and about your business. Duncan, his Scottish blood stirring in his veins, chose none of the above opting instead to travel to the United Kingdom to join one of the local units there.

Having boarded the “Dunvegan Castle” in Cape Town (at his own expense) he sailed for England docking at Plymouth on 23 September 1915 with the intention, as he put it “to join a unit of His Majesty’s Forces”.

At Edinburgh on 18 October 1915 Duncan completed the attestation forms for Territorial Service with Lovat’s Scouts. The address he provided was a familiar one – 53 High Street, Crail – he confirmed that he had seen 9 months service with the Southern Rifles. Now aged 40 years and 5 months he was described, physically, as being 5 feet 6 inches in height, weighing 139 pounds with good physical development and good eyesight. By way of occupation he was a Bookkeeper. 

On 15 November 1915 he was approved for appointment to the 3/2 Lovat’s Scouts with number 6115 and the rank of Private (his papers show that he was embodied on 18 October). On 4 May 1916 he was promoted to Acting Lance Corporal rank embarking, on the same day, at Avonmouth and destined for the expeditionary force in Egypt. On 17 May he disembarked at Alexandria joining his regiment at Sherika on the 27th of that month where he took part in the Senussi campaign. 

The Senussi, a camel-riding Bedouin tribe, paid by the Germans and led by a Turkish Colonel called Ja'far, had started a guerilla campaign raiding villages in the cultivated Nile valley. Before making such raids, it was probable that they would first concentrate at one of the oases that dotted the landscape. The Dorset Yeomanry did much to nip this campaign in the bud with a brilliant charge at Agagiya in late February 1916, in which the leader Ja'far himself, was wounded and captured. But the threat remained and so the Scouts, as part of the Brigade, were stationed for over six months at various places in the desert- Oasis junction, a few miles north of Luxor; Dakhla, some sixty miles further west; Miniah; Sohag and Assuit. The Brigade was at various times strengthened by the Southwest Yeomanry Brigade, a Squadron of Egyptian Cavalry, the Hong Kong Mountain Battery and a Squadron of the Australian Camel corps. A few Scouts learned to ride camels and on one occasion an officer and his sergeant were lost with their camels for nearly twenty four hours in a sandstorm. Only once did the Scouts see a genuine Senussi tribesman and, unfortunately, he had already been captured by the Australian Camel Corps.


An unnamed group of 10th battalion Lovat's Scouts in the Egyptian desert

On 17 October Lovat’s Scouts embarked at Alexandria and were landed at Salonika where they fell under the command of 82nd Brigade in 27th Division. On 17 November 1916 his outfit was incorporated into the 10th (Lovat’s Scouts) Battalion of the Cameron Highlanders. To tell us more about where Duncan and his comrades were deployed in Salonika reference is made to Michael Leslie Melville's The Story of the Lovat Scouts 1900-1980.

Having landed at Salonica on 20 October ex “Minnewaska” they were marched to Struma valley where on 7 November they were moved up to the line near Nigrita, and then on to Kakaraska (also known as Ayia Elini, near Serres). There they were to remain until conducting a daylight attack on Tumbitsa on 5 December 1916 where they sustained heavy losses. From December 1916 to May 1917 they held part of the line between Homondos and Jeminah; manning two night outposts near Ada where after they hunkered down at Nigoslav. All these actions were fought against the Bulgarian Army.

On October 24, 1917 they attacked the enemy-held villages of Salmah, Kispeki, Ada (on the northeastern shore of Lake Tahinos) and, from January to May 1918, moved to part of the line between Lake Tahinos and the Aegean Sea. The action on October 24, 1917 was described by Melville as "...the Scouts' greatest achievement in Macedonia (which was) known as the Salmah affair" wherein 9 of the Lovat Scouts were killed and 29 wounded. 

On 21 June 1918 they were ordered to move to France (via Itea in Greece) and then on a French transport ship from Amazone to Taranto where they disembarked on 30 June 1918.

Many of the soldiers arriving in France from Salonica between June-July 1918 were still suffering from malaria and had to be quarantined until they were well enough to finish their training and be assigned to groups sent out to the field and, according to the War Diary for the period, there was quite a bit of turnover in the battalion as a result of men returning from quarantine camps or going off on leave resulting in the battalion strength reducing to 250 men in September 1918.

Although observation/communications training was going on almost every day for the battalion, groups of 2 officers and 20 O.R. each were being assigned to various Corps in the field. Duncan formed part of No. 7 Group who went to the XXII Corps, First Army before rejoining the battalion on January 25, 1919.

Duncan, his war over, was disembodied on demobilisation on 26 February 1919 – his discharge address being c/o Greig, Private Bag, Reeston, East London, Cape Colony, South Africa. On 14 March 1919 he completed the Particulars of Claim for repatriation to an Overseas British Possession form, thereby setting in motion a long chain of correspondence between himself and the authorities around the plans for his journey home. 

The O.C. No. 7 Group Lovat’s Scouts wrote as follows in support of his claim:

“This man served throughout the German West African campaign, having enlisted in South Africa on 14 October 1914 – After serving throughout the campaign, he came to U.K. and enlisted on 16/10/15 in Lovat’s Scouts and has served abroad practically ever since. In my opinion he should be released from service at earliest possible moment and repatriated by method he desires.”

Eventually Duncan boarded the “Carisbrook Castle” destined for Cape Town on 16 September 1919. For his efforts he was awarded the British War and Victory Medals to go with his 1914/15 Star and Queens Medal from the Boer War

He passed away at the age of 79 at 4 Kitchener Street, East London on 22 September 1952. A retired Commercial Clerk, his cause of death was Senility coupled with Arteriosclerosis. He had married a Margaret Jane Leslie in Scotland in 1934 but there had been no children born of the marriage. His bequests were thus in favour of his nieces and nephews.

 





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Must be a unique group to a Lovat Scout,
I am most impressed with the depth of your research.
Gordon