Over 100 years of working history in your hands

[Gil Boyd]

I am a glutton for buying a bit of history or something that is ex Military with some provinance attached to it after a bit of Detective work.
This week was no exception, I purchased a three level telescope in its leather pouch and straps.
The image was clear and each outer brass tube needed some TLC which brought up the following more clearly " H.F.W BIRCHAM, 4th Kings Royal Rifles" on one side of the tube by the eyepiece and "J.H STEWARD 406 & 457 STRAND, 7 GRACECHURCH STREET LONDON.

Well this set me off running and enquiring into all my usual pre WW1 and Boar War lists under the 4th Kings Royal Rifles.
The next half hour revealed so much about this little known rifle Regiment and one of its decorated officers HFW Bircham DSO.

He was educated at Eton Boys School, so he clearly came from a wealthy family background.
He joined the 1st Kings Royal Rifles Mounted Corps and progressed through the ranks.
He saw the following rifles brought into service whilst serving as a young officer which helps those in possession of these rifles to appreciate their respective history in British Conflicts such as the Indian Mutiny/BOAR war and WW1.

It is recorded in the 1st KRR ledgers that:
January 1841 the BRUNSWICK percussion rifle was entered into service
July 1857 saw the Enfield Rifle issued to the Regiment in the same month helmets were also issued to the Battalion but it does not describe them in any detail.
In 1860 whilst fighting in the Indian Mutiny 1 KRR were awarded 8 Victoria Crosses for brave action.
On the 1st of November 1892 The LEE METFORD was issued to the Battalion whilst in India.
On the 1st of October 1902 1 KRR were dispatched "forthwith" to the BOAR War.

This is a recorded passage about Lieutenant Bircham in action with the BOAR's:

The Boars attacked the rear guard while harassing the flanks and front at extreme ranges. The country was bare and boggy but undulating enough to allow mounted men to approach within a mile or so completely unseen. The transport began to straggle. By 9am it had begun to rain and the ox-wagons were badly delayed crossing a wide, deep spruit. The two columns became one, during the delay at the spruit, half of 2 Company Kings Royal Rifles Mounted Infantry two miles out on the right flank ran into part of "Groblars Commando" losing one man killed an Lt HFW Birchan wounded. A cold driving rain from the south limited visibility and helped the attackers to get closer but rifle and pom-pom fire kept them at a respectful distance.
Thanks to the Roll of Honour for this text.

I have contacted Eton School to obtain his date of Birth and also his full first names who appear very obliging. This will then open other avenues making possession of his personal telescope a great find.

Shortly after this action Lt BIRCHAM was promoted to Captain.
The next recorded military entry is the award of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO)

He was sadly killed on 23/7/1916 as Lt Colonel of the 4th Kings Royal Rifles in France during World War One.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Patrick Chadwick]

What an extraordinary find - an item with a traceable historical context! Congratulations

PS: sorry to have to be picky, but they were Boers, not boars!

[Gil Boyd]

Patrick,
They still left plenty of bore holes up the arses of many a British Soldier.....................their shooting skills which the paragraph aludes to above must have been phenominal. No doubt someone on the site will know what long range rifles they were using, and what Pom-Pom fire was?

[emmagee1917]

37mm pom-pom . Nordenfelt-Maxim. An oversized watercooled machinegun .
Chris

[Gil Boyd]

Chris, Thanks, clearly the derivative of the Ship borne Pom Pom gun