War Medals

QUEEN'S SOUTH AFRICA MEDAL, ROYAL IRISH RIFLES KILLED IN ACTION NEAR REDDERSBURG, 4 APRIL 1900 :

Bars, 'Cape Colony', 'Orange Free State', officially engraved naming - 4144 Pte. J. KENNEDY, R. Ir. Rif. (Royal Irish Rifles) : (On 3 April 1900, Captain McWhinnie and a column were on duty proclaiming the "Queen's Peace" and accepting the surrender of Boer farmers in the area of Reddersberg, when surprised and threatened by a large Boer force commanded by De Wet, numbering about 4500 men. Captain McWhinnie had under his command just his three rifle companies, and one mounted company of the 2nd. Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles, and one attached mounted company of the Northumberland Fusiliers, and so immediately took up a defensive position on a nearby feature. This however proved to be too large an area to effectively defend with the small force at his disposal. The Boer commander conscious of the superiority of his force, called upon McWhinnie to surrender, but on receiving a somewhat curt rebuff, ordered his men to open fire on the British position. The night was very uncomfortable for the British Regiments with very little food or water. At dawn on 4 April 1900, the Boers closed in and overran part of the position and subsequently split it in two so that McWhinnie was forced to surrender to the overwhelmingly superior enemy force. The Royal Irish Rifles had nine men killed, twenty-six wounded, including Captain Dimsdale who subsequently died of his wounds on 9 April, and three hundred and eighty-eight men taken prisoner, the Fusiliers had two Officers and one private soldier killed, seven other ranks wounded and sixty-eight taken prisoner. The recipient was among those men KILLED IN ACTION during this engagement.) : Sold with verification and copy Casualty Roll : NEF - £595