COLONEL C.E. DUFF, C.B., 8TH KING'S ROYAL IRISH HUSSARS AND SCOTTISH HORSE. Five: Order of the Bath, Companions (C.B.) breast Badge, Military Division, silver-gilt and enamel, swivel-ring suspension and riband buckle, hallmarked London 1896; Afghan War Medal 1878-80, no clasp (officially named, engraved in serifed letters, 2nd Lieutenant, 8th Hussars) Queen's South Africa Medal 1899-1902, 5 clasps: Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Johannesburg, Diamond Hill, Belfast (officially named, engraved "officer style", Lieutenant-Colonel, 8th Hussars); King's South Africa Medal 1901-02, 2 clasps (officially named, engraved "officer style", Lieutanant-Colonel, C.B., 8th Hussars); Jubilee Medal 1887 (unnamed, as issued).
Group mounted court style, for display, generally Good Very Fine to Almost Extremely Fine.
Group accompanied by portrait photograph of Colonel Duff in the full dress uniform of a Colonel of the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars, wearing his C.B. and medals, along with photocopy of relevant entry from "War Services of Officers of the Army", giving brief details of Colonel Duff's active service.
Colonel Charles Edward Duff, the son of George Smittan Duff and grandson of John Duff of Dunkeld, Perthshire, was born on 25th April 1858, and educated at Uppingham and Cheltenham College. First commissioned 2nd Lieutenant, 8th Hussars, 11th May 1878, he was promoted Lieutenant, 1st July 1881, Captain, 19th September 1885, Major, 8th July 1893, Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel, 29th November 1900, Lieutenant-Colonel, 19th October 1901, Brevet Colonel, 10th May 1904, and retired, half pay, 19th October 1905.
Colonel Duff, apart from a brief period during the Boer War when he commanded a battalion of the Scottish Horse, served continuously with the 8th Royal Irish Hussars for 25 years, eventually commanding the regiment from 1901 to 1905. He first saw active service with the regiment during the Second Afghan War, 1878-80. On 16th December 1878, shortly after being gazetted 2nd Lieutenant, 8th Hussars, he sailed with his regiment for India. On February 1st 1880, after landing in India, the 1st Squadron of the Regiment marched to Junrood, en route for Afghanistan. On reaching Dakka Fort, Lieutenant Duff was detached there with 20 men for service on the Line of Communications. On March 30th the regiment marched from Junrood to Ali Musjid, en route for Bassawaal, taking with it 2nd Lieutenant Duff and his detachment, and was present at the action at Messina (awarded Afghan War Medal without clasp). He next saw service with the 8th Hussars in South Africa during the Boer War, embarking with his regiment at the Albert Docks on 17th February 1900.
Shortly after the regiment landed in South Africa, on May 1st 1900, Duff gave every N.C.O. and man in the regiment a present of a half a pound of tobacco, which was especially welcome, since by then the men were completely out of tobacco. In South Africa Duff initially took part in the operations in the Orange Free State, February to May 1900, the operations in the Transvaal, May to November 1900, including the actions near Johannesburg and Diamond Hill, and the action at Belfast (wounded in action at Geluk on 13th October 1900), and the operations in the Transvaal, December 1900 to 17th April 1901. Duff subsequently took part in the operations in the western Transvaal, 18th April 1901 to 5th December 1901, commanding the 1st Battalion Scottish Horse with the rank of Local Lieutenant-Colonel, in a mobile column commanded successively by Brigadier-General Dixon and Colonel Kekewich, and was present at the action at Moedwill (wounded in action for a second time). Promoted Lieutenant-Colonel on 19th October 1901, and after completing the operations with the mobile column in the western Transvaal, Duff returned to his regiment, the 8th Hussars, and commanded it for the remainder of the war, taking part in operations in the eastern Transvaal, from 5th December 1901 to 31st May 1902, successively with mobile columns commanded by Colonels Wing, Park and Plumer, and by Major-General Bruce Hamilton (Mentioned in Despatches, London Gazette 10th September 1901, Lord Robert's Despatch of September 4th 1901, "for special and meritorious service" in South Africa, and 29th July 1902, Lord Kitchener's final despatch of 23rd February 1902, for "exceptionally good service during the campaign", and promoted Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel, awarded Queen's Medal and 5 clasps and King's Medal and 2 clasps, awarded C.B., London Gazette, 31st October 1902, "in recognition of services during the operations in South Africa").
The 8th Hussars left South Africa for Aldershot on 28/10/1903. Colonel Duff was subsequently present with other officers of his regiment at St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, 1/3/1905, when Lord Dudley, the Lord Lieutenant, unveiled a memorial to the officers and men of the 8th Hussars who lost their lives during the South African war.
The Scottish Horse was originally raised in South Africa at the suggestion of the Caledonian Society of Johannesburg, the intention being that the regiment should be recruited mainly from the ranks of Scotsmen living in South Africa and South Africans of Scots descent.
Following his retirement from the army Colonel Duff resided at Combe, Bradford Abbas, Sherborne, Dorset. He died on April 10th 1906.
