Was my great grandfather in the Boer War?

QThis is a picture of my great grandfather, David Malcolm. It has always interested me because of the tents in the background. I think he may have been a warrant officer, and that he was in a Scottish regiment, but could you tell me more? In addition, do you think it dates from the Boer War? Derrick Paz

AThis is a studio photograph of a private in the King’s Own Scottish Borderers (KOSB), possibly from one of the Volunteer Battalions (part-time soldiers who evolved into the Territorials in 1908). He’s been a soldier for at least six years, fought in the Boer War, and is wearing his undress uniform.

A “Private D Malcolm” (regimental number 6947) appears on the medal roll for the KOSB Volunteer Companies that fought in the Boer War, in the medal and award rolls (1793– 1949) on ancestry.co.uk, or downloadable for free from nationalarchives.gov.uk. He served in Cape Colony, the Orange Free State and the Transvaal. Since he had seen active service and served for six years with a clean sheet, he might have become a warrant officer later on.

1 SHOWING OFF

Your grandfather David is wearing a medal ribbon that appears to have a broad central strip with two stripes on either side, suggesting the Queen’s South Africa Medal, which was first issued in 1901; the photo was probably taken to show this off.

2 PRIVATE ATTIRE

The white undress jacket (worn in the Boer War) has no rank insignia (stripes or crowns) on the sleeves. A warrant officer would have a combination of these, and they would be obvious. The absence of any insignia suggests that he’s a private.

3 STUDIO SET-UP

The backcloth is rather good, but we can see the bottom of it, some of the tent ropes just fade away, and the background is nebulous for such a clear photo. It might have been taken in a South African photographer’s studio.

4 GOOD CONDUCT

The two inverted chevrons on the sleeve near the cuff are Good Conduct stripes, the first awarded after two years and the second after six. He therefore has a good record, which might serve him later if he is looking for promotion.

5 UNUSUAL SCROLL

Identifying the regiment is always important. The sporran badge shows a St Andrew’s Cross surrounded by a circlet with a crown above. This is a KOSB badge, but the unusual scroll beneath makes me suspect that it’s from a Volunteer Battalion.