Queen's South Africa Medal : Lance Corporal P Field, 38th Company Imperial Yeomanry

Queen's South Africa Medal with clasps 'CAPE COLONY', 'TRANSVAAL', 'SOUTH AFRICA 1901' and 'SOUTH AFRICA 1902'. Impressed around edge with recipient's details.

Percy Field was born in Birmingham, UK, on 18 June 1879. In December 1899 a Royal Warrant was issued creating the Imperial Yeomanry, which allowed members of existing Yeomanry (volunteer militia) regiments to serve outside Britain in response to the need for additional troops to support members of the regular British army already serving in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Each Yeomanry regiment was asked to supply a company of about 115 men. Four companies, from the same regional area or county then united to form a battalion. Percy Field enlisted as a trooper, with the service number 29239, in the 38th Company, which formed part of the 10th (Buckinghamshire) Battalion. The first action in which the Yeomanry took part, on 5 April 1900, at Boshof, involved members of the 3rd and 10th battalions and resulted in a Boer defeat. The second action, at Linley, left 21 members of the Yeomanry dead, with a further 400 taken prisoner by the Boers. Following this disaster the Yeomanry were restricted to routine patrols and small skirmishes. Morale dropped and many men volunteered to join the South African police forces to escape the monotony. So many left the Yeomanry that only a third of the original number were left in September 1900. In 1901 members of the first contingent returned to Britain, with the exception of those who had elected to stay, as a second contingent was raised to take its place. Percy Field, by now a lance corporal, was one of those who stayed in South Africa to join the replacement contingent. The new arrivals from Britain had been poorly trained and the contingent's first engagement, at Vlakfontein in May 1901, was a disaster as the Yeomanry fled after suffering 70 casualties. They had improved greatly by September, although almost all of the 11th battalion was killed, wounded or captured at Tweefontein in December 1901. Field returned home safely in 1902. After his first wife died in childbirth he emigrated to Australia in 1911, aboard SS Persic, arriving in Sydney on 14 December. He may possibly have selected Australia as a destination because some elements of the Imperial Yeomanry had fought beside both the Queensland Mounted Infantry and the New South Wales Citizens Bushmen's contingents. Field found work as an upholsterer and married Clara Huxley in 1917 and had three children. He died on 18 August 1959.