NAM.2017-09-7-61-72

Photograph of a local man (back to camera) holding the reins of two ponies next to an officer holding a polo mallet, possibly taken in Harrismith, South Africa, during the Boer War, 1901-1902. The officer is likely to be from the 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards, who were based there with Lieutenant-General Sir Leslie Rundle's 8th Infantry Division. Other horses can be seen in the background, as can a building with a corrugated metal wall, and distant mountains. The territory around Harrismith served as a major site for the British Army encampment and a temporary Boer Prisoner of War (POW) camp established around 1900/1901. The town became the strategic operations and supply base for the 8th Infantry Division for the remainder of the conflict. From a photograph album of 111 photographs entitled '2nd Battalion 1897-1909', relating to the 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards in the UK, South Africa and Gibraltar from 1897 to 1909. Mostly group photos and individual portraits.

Boer War (1899-1902)