| A member of the 7th "Queen's Own" Hussars. He is wearing one campaign medal that for some reason is pinned to his tunic backwards. From the unusual and unique shape of the medal's suspender it appears to be The British South Africa Company Medal that was awarded for services in Matabeleland (1893), Rhodesia (1896) and Mashonaland (1897). Research indeed indicates that elements of the 7th Hussars served in both Matabeleland and Mashonaland. The fact that his medal carries one clasp indicates that this man served in both campaigns since the medal was issued without a clasp for the first campaign and clasps were only issued for the second of third expeditions. A rare photographic representation of a rare campaign medal. The 7th Hussars returned to England in 1898 only to return to South Africa in 1901 for the closing phase of the Boer War. It is likely that this photograph dates from that brief respite in Britain. Cabinet Photograph R. W. Elliott - Photographer Aldershot, England c. 1900 |
