A superb double Victoria Cross action casualty Queen’s South Africa Medal 1899-1902, 2 Clasps: Elandslaagte, Defence of Ladysmith awarded to Corporal H.A. Lacey, 3rd Battalion later 1st Battalion, Manchester Regiment who was wounded whilst serving as a Drummer with 1st Battalion, Manchester Regiment on 6th January 1900 during the attack on Caesar’s Camp, Natal where Private James Pitts and Private Robert Scott both of the 1st Battalion, Manchester Regiment would win the Victoria Cross holding their post for fifteen hours without food or water whilst under heavy fire from Boers in their immediate rear.
Queen’s South Africa Medal 1899-1902, 2 Clasps: Elandslaagte, Defence of Ladysmith; with feint ghost dates to reverse (3348 CPL. H.A. LACEY. MANCHESTER REGT.)
Condition: Good Very Fine
Along with:
Parchment Certificate of Character dated 25th May
Parchment Certificate of Discharge dated 25th May 1904
Old published image of the departure of the Manchester Regiment from Point, Durban
Thomas Albert Lacy or Lacey was born on in Chatham, Kent and attested at Warley on 14th September 1891 stating his trade as a Musician. Aged 14, he would initially serve as a Boy Soldier with the 1st Battalion, Manchester Regiment, he would serve at home until travelling to Gibraltar on 18th November 189. He would be appointed a Lance Corporal on 3rd May 1899 and would go on to see service with the 3rd Battalion, Manchester Regiment in South Africa from the 23rd August 1900 taking part in the Boer War being present in action at Elandslaagte on 21st October 1899, and in the defence of Ladysmith from 3rd November 1899 till 28th February 1900.
Lacy was wounded in the double Victoria Cross action at Caesar’s Camp on 6th January 1900 whilst serving as a Drummer with the 1st Battalion, Manchester Regiment. During this action both Private James Pitts and Private Robert Scott of the 1st Battalion, Manchester Regiment won the Victoria Cross, the joint citation appearing in the London Gazette of 26th July 1901:
‘During the attack on Caesar’s Camp, in Natal, on the 6th January 1900, these two men occupied a sangar, on the left of which all our men had been shot down and their positions occupied by Boers, and held their post for fifteen hours without food and water, all the time under an extremely heavy fire, keeping up their fire and a smart look-out through the Boers occupied some sangars on their immediate left rear. Private Scott was wounded.’
Both James Pitts and Robert Scott were invested with their Victoria Crosses by C-in-C South Africa, Lord Kitchener at Pretoria, South Africa on 8th June 1902.
Lacey would travel home from South Africa presumably for recuperation from 26th April 1900 until 27th July 1902, when he would travel to St. Helena. On 31st December 1902 he would then travel back to South Africa, remaining there until 27th June 1904 at which point he returned home and was officially discharged the next day.
