Queen's South Africa Medal: Private T Brockett, Queensland Imperial Bushmen

Queen's South Africa Medal. Engraved around edge with recipient's details. Queen's South Africa Medal with clasps 'TRANSVAAL', 'ORANGE FREE STATE' , 'SOUTH AFRICA 1901' and 'SOUTH AFRICA 1902'. Obverse: The crowned and veiled head of Queen Victoria and the legend 'VICTORIA REGINA ET IMPERATRIX' around the rim. Reverse: Britannia with a flag in her left hand holding out a laurel wreath towards an advancing party of soldiers. In the background are two warships. The wreath in Britannia's hand points to the letter 'F' in the word 'AFRICA'. Around the top are the words 'SOUTH AFRICA'. The medal is fitted with a straight suspender and four rectangular campaign bars on a piece of 32 mm red ribbon with two dark blue stripes and a broad orange central stripe.

Associated with the service of Private Thomas Brockett of the 6th Queensland Imperial Bushmen, a mounted infantry unit. Imperial units’ costs were borne by the British or "Imperial" government rather than by the Colonial or later Commonwealth government. Men were required to be good shots, good riders and practical bushmen of experience. The 6th Queensland Imperial Bushmen consisted of 17 officers, 384 other ranks and 615 horses. They left Brisbane on 4 April 1901 on the transport Victoria, arriving at Cape Town on 2 May. They proceeded for Durban, arriving on 7 May and disembarked the following day. The 6th entrained for Pietermaritzburg, leaving horses and 30 men, including farriers and smiths at Durban. The unit arrived at Pietermaritzburg on 9th, entrained on the 14th, and arrived at Standerton on 16th May 1901. The horses arrived on the same day having not been fed nor watered for over two days. The contingent was posted to Lieut-Colonel Grey’s Column; a mix of a New Zealand Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery and East Lancashires. Like other contingents at this stage of the war, the 6th were employed for the most part in trekking over given districts, driving in and harassing the enemy, bringing to the various bases prisoners, horses, cattle, sheep, vehicles, and laying waste to the country. The contingent took part in constant skirmishing in the Ermelo district, at Kopjesfontein, the Wakkerstroom district, Newcastle, Drakensberg and the Orange River Colony. In early February 1902 along with the New Zealand regiment and the South African Light Horse the 6th Queensland Imperial Bushmen charged the enemy and took over 300 prisoners, as well as hundreds of horses, mules and cattle.
The 6th embarked at Durban on 17 May 1902 in the transport Devon and arrived back at Brisbane on 17 June. The unit had suffered 12 deaths whilst in South Africa; seven were killed or died of wounds and five died of disease.