THE BOER WAR AND WW1 CAMPAIGN GROUP TO MAJOR E.C. HOLLAND, 6TH INNISKILLING DRAGOONS AND REMOUNT SERVICE, WHO WAS AWARDED THE ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETYS MEDAL FOR SAVING TWO SOLDIERS FROM DROWNING DURING THE BOER WAR, AND ADDITIONALLY DECORATED BY THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT DURING WW1. Eight: Queen's South Africa Medal, 5 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Johannesburg, Belfast, officially engraved (Captain, 6th Dragoons) Kings South Africa Medal, 2 clasps officially engraved (Captain, 6th Inniskilling Dragoons) 1914-15 Star (Major, Remount Service) British War Medal and Victory Medal with MID oakleaf on ribbon (Major) Victoria, Jubilee Medal 1897, silver (unnamed, as issued) France, Medaille d'Honneur des Affaires Etrangeres, silver gilt, with ornate crossed swords and oak leaves suspension unnamed, as issued, rim struck twice with the Paris mint mark for medals of the period, a Horn of Plenty, and additionally impressed "Argent" (silver) between the two mint marks Royal Humane Society Lifesaving Medal, bronze, small size (38mm), successful (officially engraved: CAPT: E.C. HOLLAND. FEB: 21. 1901.) Campaign medals, Jubilee Medal and French decoration mounted loose style, as worn, Royal Humane Society Medal mounted separately, two small nicks to obverse rim of Medaille dHonneur (test marks?) at 7 oclock and 8 oclock, otherwise generally Almost Extremely Fine, and undoubtedly a unique combination of medals, certainly to the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons and probably to any branch of the British armed forces (group accompanied by an article by John Liffiton from the September 2024 Journal of the Orders and Medals Society of America, which confirms that a total of only 93 Royal Humane Society Lifesaving Medals, 8 in silver and 85 in bronze, were awarded to British servicemen, army and navy, during the Boer War).
Group accompanied by photocopied Medal Index Card, photocopied extract from regimental history, etc.
Born 21/4/1871, Ernest Charles Holland was first commissioned 2nd Lieutenant, 6th Inniskilling Dragoons, 4/3/1891, and promoted Lieutenant, 17/8/1892 and Captain, 25/2/1899. Holland retired from the army in 1902, but rejoined following the outbreak of WW1, being appointed Captain and Assistant Superintendent, Remount Depot, 30/11/1914, and promoted Major, 25/4/1915.
Major Holland first saw active service during the Boer War, when he initially commanded the regimental baggage train. Later, when regimental baggage trains were abolished, in order to improve column mobility, Holland was placed in command of the combined baggage train for the column in which he was serving at the time (among the columns that Holland and the Inniskilling Dragoons served in during the Boer War was one commanded by a former Inniskilling Dragoons officer, Colonel Rimington, of Rimington's Guides fame). During WW1 Holland served with the 43rd Remount Squadron, initially in the Egyptian theatre of operations from 21/11/1915, and subsequently in Salonika.
Holland won his Royal Humane Society Medal for an act of gallantry, saving the lives of two men from the 14th Hussars from drowning, 21/2/1901, during the Boer War. The following description of the incident is taken from "With the Inniskilling Dragoons During the Boer War" by Lieutenant Colonel J. Watkins Yardley: "At 6am it was off again towards the Intombi River, on a day of continuous rain and over terrible roads and drifts, in some of which the water was over the horses' backs. After getting over the Chaka Spruit, Tambootiesbult (17 miles) was reached after dark. The Chaka rose too high at last, and several wagons had to be left on the other side till the next day. The ambulance wagon, with two men in it, passed the night in the midst of the torrent - the drowned mules in their harness were bobbing about. At daylight Captain E.C. Holland, Inniskillling Dragoons, found the flood still rising and the two men on the top of the hood of the wagon in imminent peril of being washed away, hood and all. He pluckily swam out with a rope and managed to get them off, a deed for which he obtained the bronze medal of the Royal Humane Society."
Major Holland was mentioned in dispatches during WW1, London Gazette 21/7/1917, page 7449.
1897 Diamond Jubilee Medal rare to the Inniskilling Dragoons, the Regimental History recording only the regimental band and a detachment of officers and ment being sent to London to take part in the procession.
The French Medaille dHonneur not traced in London Gazette, but group is mounted as worn.
Medal Index Card gives address as 38 Rutland Gate (London) SW7.
From May 1791 the Paris mint had the sole right to strike medals and tokens in France, though later some makers were sub-contracted under licence to strike medals in their workshops. Silver medals struck by the Paris mint were of .950 standard and were impressed with the word "Argent" (silver) in full along the edge, and additionally struck with the Paris mint mark for the period.The mint mark in use by the Paris mint for 1/1/1880 onwards was a Horn of Plenty.
