Clothes Brush : Private C Cooke, Queensland Mounted Infantry

Clothes Brush. The number '149', has been roughly carved into the top of the wooden handle. The top of the handle has a thin wooden cover that has been nailed with 8 small tacks to the base. One of the tacks is missing. The bristles are set in a ring pattern into the reverse of the handle. The outer two rings have tan coloured bristles while the inner rings are black.

Clothes Brush used by Queensland Military forces during the Boer War. This brush was issued to Private C. Cooke of the Queensland Mounted Infantry and he has roughly carved the numbers '149', his regimental number into the top of the wooden handle. Charles Cooke joined the Second Queensland Mounted Infantry Contingent when it was raised for service in South Africa on 29 December, 1899. He was allocated the service number 149 and the rank of private. After two weeks of training, the contingent numbering 10 officers, 144 other ranks and 178 horses, embarked in the transport 'Maori King' from Brisbane on 13 January 1900. The contingent disembarked in Cape Town on 24 February and went into Maitland Camp for four days. On 28 February, Cooke travelled with the contingent to Modder River, arriving there on 3 March. On arrival, the contingent joined Lord Robert's field force. Cooke saw action at Osfontein, Poplar Grove and Driefontein. He also saw action in the series of skirmishes leading up to the occupation of Bloemfontein. Cooke was chosen to spend time in Lord Robert's Bodyguard Detachment. This unit was made up of one man from each of the British Colonies and accompanied Lord Roberts wherever he travelled. Cooke returned to the Queensland contingent later in the year and saw further action at Belfast with Chauvel's Mounted Infantry. Cooke embarked at Cape Town with the Second Contingent in the transport ship 'Tongariro' on 30 March 1901 and after a brief stop in Fremantle on 20 April, disembarked in Sydney on 29 April. The contingent travelled by train to Brisbane on 1 May, arriving two days later. Cooke was discharged on 10 May and the Second Contingent was disbanded.