Captain James Scott (1821-1890), born Edinburgh, Scotland;enlisted as Private Royal Engineers

South Africa 1877-79, one clasp, 1878 (Capt: J. Scott, Ft.)

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Captain James Scott (1821-1890), born Edinburgh, Scotland;enlisted as Private Royal Engineers, 1844; served with the 9th, 10th
and 15th Companies during the Second Kaffir War, 1847-48 and the 1850-53 Campaign (entitled to South Africa 1853); Second Corporal 1848; Corporal 1851; discharged 1853 and stayed in South Africa where he married; re-engaged as Captain with the Fort Beaufort Burghers for the 1877-79 conflict, including action against the Gaikas under Macoma in Water Kloof; Officer Commanding 11.12.1877, to their disbandment in May 1879.Approximately 62 ‘1878’ clasps issued to the Fort Beaufort Burghers.South Africa 1877-79 published roll gives recipient as, ‘should have had a clasp only’.Applicants for the South Africa 1877-79 medal who were in possession of a South Africa 1853 medal were supposed to declare the fact, whereupon they should have received an appropriately dated clasp for attachment to the earlier medal. Only 20 men are known to have been in this position. A very small number were issued with both medals despite volunteering that they held the 1853 award (O.M.R.S. Journal, Winter 1981, G.R. Everson), and this appears to be the case with Scott.

Nice find littlehand :)

It was your mentioned of Beaufort Burghers, that got be interested.

Lt James Henry Scott Douglas was born in Edinburgh on 27 May, 1853, the son of a Scots MP, and was educated at Winchester and Cambridge. Before proceeding to Cambridge he received a commission in the Queen's Regiment of Light Infantry Militia, but after graduating he was gazetted to the 19th Regiment on 1 April, 1875. However, as he was anxious to serve with a Scots regiment he transferred to the 21st Regiment, the Royal Scots Fusiliers. The regiment arrived in Durban on 29 March, 1879, and proceeded to the front where Lt Scott Douglas was appointed Chief of the Signalling Staff of the Second Division of the Field Force. On the morning of 30 June, 1879, he was employed with his signalling party at Entonjaneni but before noon a mist came down and prevented the working of the heliograph. Shortly afterwards Lt Scott Douglas was required to carry an important message from Lord Chelmsford to Fort Evelyn about 32 km away and decided to be accompanied only by his orderly, Cpl W. Cotter of the 17th Lancers, instead of a large party in view of the condition of the horses. The officer in command of Fort Evelyn tried to prevail on Scott Douglas not to return that afternoon in view of the fatigued condition of the horses and the unsettled weather, but Scott Douglas, knowing that the army was to march on Ulundi the following day, preferred to return. The start for Entonjaneni was made at about 15h00, and about an hour later a dense fog caused Scott Douglas and Cotter to take the wrong road to the deserted mission station at Kwamagwaza where they were surprised and killed by a party of Zulus at dawn the next morning, 1 July, 1879. Their bodies were found some days later by Brig-Gen Henry Evelyn Wood with every indication that the two had defended themselves most gallantly. Col W.P. Collingwood of the 21st Regiment wrote, 'Of the soldier like, manly bearing and social virtues of Lt Scott Douglas I, his commanding officer, cannot speak too highly. He was the ideal type of officer and a gentleman in the highest sense in which that term can be applied.'

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Funeral of Lieutenant Scott Douglas

hi littlehand.
Dont forget Cpl Cotter who was buried with him ( next to him ) . .
cheers 90th. Good post by the way .