THE 1879 ZULU WAR AND BOER WAR PAIR TO PRIVATE E. OATEN, WHO SAW SERVICE WITH THE 24TH (2ND WARWICKSHIRE) REGIMENT (THE POST 1880 1ST AND 2ND BATTALIONS THE SOUTH WALES BORDERERS) DURING THE ZULU CAMPAIGN AND WITH THE 3RD (SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE MILITIA) BATTALION, GLOUCESTERSHIRE REGIMENT (ATTACHED 4TH, NORTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE MILITIA) BATTALION GLOUCESTERSHIRE REGIMENT DURING THE BOER WAR, GUARDING BOER PRISONERS IN ST HELENA . Two: South Africa Medal 1877-79, 1 clasp, 1879 (officially named, engraved in serifed sloping block capitals: 1853 Pte. E. OATEN. 1/24th FOOT); Queen's South Africa Medal, no clasp (officially named, impressed in plain block capitals: 1408 Pte. E. OATEN, GLOUCESTER: REGt.). Rim bump to reverse of South Africa 1877-79 Medal at 5 o'clock, otherwise attractively toned, generally Good Very Fine and a rare combination of medals to the 24th Foot / 3rd Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment.
Group accompanied by copied extracts Chelsea Pensioners discharge documents (2, for Oaten's first two periods of enlistment into the 24th Foot), extracts 1891, 1901 and 1911 census returns, extract Norman Holme's "The Noble 24th", and extract from Colonel George Jackson Hay's "History of the Militia" (London 1909) giving details of the services of the 3rd and 4th Battalions Gloucestershire Regiment during the Boer War, along with copied extracts South Africa 1877-79 and QSA Medal rolls (2) confirming both medals and clasp, the South Africa 1877-79 Medal to Oaten as 1853 Private, 1st Battalion 24th Foot and the QSA to Oaten as 1408 Private, 3rd Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment (attached 4th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment).
Born Taunton, Somerset, 1857, Edward Oaten enlisted into the 24th Foot on 9/7/1874 and was discharged on 8/7/1886. On discharge Oaten almost immediately re-enlisted back into the 24th Foot (South Wales Borderers), in July 1886 (no date for Oaten's second discharge from the 24th Foot given in Chelsea Pensioner discharge documents).
Oaten is listed in the 1891 census return as a 34 year old warehouseman resident in Barton Regis, Gloucestershire, with his 34 year old wife Eva and 11 year old son Alfred.
After being discharged for a second time from the 24th Foot, Oaten enlisted into the 3rd Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment (date of enlistment not traced). Although the 3rd Gloucesters did not see active service during the Boer War, the QSA Medal Roll confirms Oaten as being among a detachment of men from the 3rd Gloucesters who saw service during the Boer War attached to the 4th Gloucesters, guarding Boer prisoners of war in St Helena. The 4th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment (with a detachment of 124 nco's and men from the 3rd Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment on attachment) embarked for St Helena on 2/4/1900, where it furnished guards over Boer prisoners at Deadwood Camp and Broad Bottom Camp, along with a detachment that stood guard at Kent Cottage over the Boer general Cronje and his family.
Oaten returned to the UK prior to the May 1902 formal end to hostilities during the Boer War, and was back in England by the time the 1901 census took place on 31 March 1901, being recorded in the 1901 census as a 46 year old warehouseman ("provision") resident in Bristol with his 46 year old wife Eva and 21 year old son Alfred. Oaten is recorded in the 1911 census as a 56 year old hospital canvasser living in Bristol with his wife Eva.
