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The Royal Warwickshire Regiment arrived in South Africa in December 1899 and saw service in Natal and under Roberts in the early stages.


Picture courtesy of DNW

QSA (6) Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Johannesburg, Diamond Hill, Belfast, South Africa 1901, unofficial rivets between fifth and sixth clasps (2301 Pte. H. Hawtin, Rl: Warwick: Regt.)

No service papers extant.

From the next City Coins auction, November 2020

Vlakfontein, 19 September 1901

On 18 September a Boer laager was discovered at Vlakfontein, south of Sannaspos. A force of about 200 Officers and men (12th Company, Mounted Infantry and Bedford Mounted Infantry) under Capt H M Tufnell, Essex Rgt with 2 guns of “U” Battery, RHA, left Sannaspos to co-operate with a party of 30 SA Constabulary in making a raid on the laager. They were surrounded by a superior Boer force, and after fighting creditably for four hours they were compelled to surrender.

One Officer and 5 men were killed, and 24 men wounded while 6 Officers and 85 men were taken prisoners. The two guns were captured, a moral gain to the Boers out of all proportion to the actual value but were recovered on 2 October. Post-war the incident was considered to be of sufficient importance to be the subject of Special Account No 26 in WO 108/372 “SA Surrenders”: this covers the action in minute detail.

QSA (5) CC, OFS, Tvl, SA01, SA02 (6150 Cpl. E. Woods. Rl. Warwick Regt.)

Cpl Woods was one of the men taken prisoner at Vlakfontein. According to Lt Col du Moulin in “Two Years on Trek”, who followed the tracks of the guns up to Wepener, the Boers put their prisoners over the Basutoland border and dispersed.

6150. CORPORAL E. WOODS. ROYAL WARWICKSHIRE REGIMENT.
PRISONER OF WAR. 19/09/1901. VLAKFONTEIN

Image for the medal to Woods as described in the previous post by djb.