A Master Mariners & Old India Hand's South African War & Great War campaign medal group of 3: Captain David Liddell Livingston, British India Steam Navigation Company & late Sind Volunteer Rifles, Lumsden's Horse & Bombay Volunteer Cavalry
- QSA. 'CC' 'OFS' 'Joh' (229 Tpr. D. L. Livingstone, Lumsden's Horse)
- British War Medal. Silver issue (D. L. Livingston.)
- Mercantile Marine War Service Medal (D. L. Livingston.)
Important: QSA medal and all clasps verified, per respective medal roll:
- QSA Medal & clasps: Ref WO 100/258. Shown on roll as 'Livingston'
Note: Trooper Livingston is confirmed as having served with No. 4 Section, B Company, Lumsden's Horse. At the time of his enlistment his civilian occupation and address were recorded as, 2nd Officer British India Steam Navigation Company, Calcutta (ref The History of Lumsden's Horse - A Complete Record of the Corps from its Formation to its Disbandment (Pearce, 1903)).
David Liddel Livingston, second son of Thomas Gott Livingston (a Priest / Vicar of Addingham in 1881) and Charlotte Willmott Livingston (nee Borrett) was a native of, Little Salkeld, Penrith, Cumberland, England, where he was born on 11 June 1875. David was one of seven children in the Livingston family, he was the youngest son. David's siblings comprised his older brother (Thomas) and five sisters (Frances Elizabeth, Sarah Laura Charlotte, Mary Dorothea, Emma Alice and Lucy. David Livingston was educated at Loretto Public School, Musselburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, where he was a boarder. After leaving school in 1891, David moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, and joined the Merchant Navy, his sailing career starting in 1891. On 28 December 1895, David obtained his Second Mates Certificate Of Competency for a Foreign Going Ship, having passed his exams at the Leith Marine Board Examinations. At the time of gaining his Second Mates Certificate his address was, 51 Gilmore Place, Edinburgh, Scotland. Shortly after gaining his 2nd Mates 'Ticket', David relocated to British India, where, he was, initially, based in Calcutta, and from where he sailed as a 2nd Officer with the British India Steam Navigation Company
Shortly after the outbreak of the South African War, David was one of a number of B.I.N.S. Co deck officers - many already serving in local Indian volunteer units - who took leave of their steamship employers and enlisted for overseas in the South African War, when they volunteered for service with the India raised 'Lumsden's Horse'
Lumsden's Horse, also known as Colonel Lumsden's Corps, was the name given to the Indian Mounted Infantry Corps, which was formed in Calcutta in 1899 by Lieutenant-Colonel Dugald McTavish Lumsden of the, Assam Valley Light Horse. The new corps was raised from volunteers from various existing Indian regiments, including the Assam Valley Light Horse. Colonel Lumsden contributed 50,000 rupees.
The Corps left Calcutta 250 strong in February 1900, consisting of two squadrons and a maxim gun detachment. It was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel D M Lumsden, of the Assam Valley Volunteers; while Lieutenant Colonel Eden C Showers, Commandant of the Surma Valley Light Horse, went as second in command with the rank of Major. 'A' Company sailed from Calcutta on 26th February 1900, and 'B' Company on 3rd March. 'A' Company landed at Cape Town and 'B' at East London, and both joined the army of Lord Roberts at Bloemfontein in April. On the 21st Lumsden's Horse marched out of camp to join General Tucker's Division, which had been holding the hills won at the battle of Karee Siding, 29th March. They were attached to a mounted infantry corps commanded by Colonel Ross, which consisted of Lumsden's Horse 240, Loch's Horse 220, West Riding and Oxford Light Infantry MI 220, and the 8th Battalion Regular MI 420.
On 29th April Ross received orders to make a demonstration against the Boer right, to draw them out, if possible, and allow Maxwell's Brigade to seize their position. Henry's Mounted Infantry were to co-operate. Lumsden's Horse occupied various spurs about 1500 yards from the Boer position; but the enemy moved out and took the offensive with vigour. Major Showers, who was exposing himself with rash bravery, was killed early in the action. So strong and determined was the enemy that Lumsden's men were ordered to retire. Lieutenant Crane, who with his section had been detached from Lieutenant Colonel Lumsden's command, did not receive this order. He and his men held on to the position which they were holding, and were cut off and captured. The casualties of the two squadrons in this their first engagement were most severe. Major Showers and 5 men were killed, and Lieutenant Crane and 5 non-commissioned officers and men were wounded. After the engagement, General Tucker complimented Lumsden's Horse, but 'rebuked' them for an exhibition of bravery which, he thought, bordered on rashness and the unnecessary courting of danger.
On 3rd May Lord Roberts commenced his advance to Pretoria. During this movement Lumsden's Horse scouted and skirmished in front of the right centre of the great army. At the Zand River on the 10th, at Viljoen's Drift on the Vaal on the 26th, and near Elandsfontein on the 29th, Ross's Mounted Infantry, including Lumsden's, did well, and their work was much praised by various correspondents. During the advance, and particularly after the Vaal was crossed, Lumsden's men had several casualties.
After the occupation of Pretoria, Lumsden's Horse were employed about Irene and at Springs, where they had the usual hard outpost work and some skirmishing. On 22nd July they marched into Pretoria and joined a force under Colonel Hickman, with whom they did some patrol work. About this time Lumsden's Horse left Colonel Ross, who issued an order in which he bestowed on them the highest possible compliments.
About the beginning of August the corps, now under Brigadier-General Mahon and General lan Hamilton, started on a march to Rustenburg, thence to the country north of Pretoria, and back to the capital, which was reached about the end of August. At Zilikat's Nek there was stiff fighting, in which the Berkshire Regiment did very well.
Mahon was now ordered to make a forced march to Carolina. He arrived there on 6th September in order to co-operate with French in the march to Barberton — a splendid effort on the part of all ranks.
Lumsden's Horse next took part in the march from Machododorp to Heidelberg along with the other troops of Generals French and Mahon. After some very severe fighting Heidelberg was reached on 26th October, and the corps then marched to Pretoria.
On 23rd November, 1900, Lumsden's Horse left Pretoria for India. Lord Roberts telegraphed to the Viceroy expressing his 'appreciation of their excellent services', and said: 'It has been a pride and a pleasure to me to have under my command a volunteer contingent which has so well upheld the honour of the Indian Empire'.
Men of Lumsden's Horse earned a number of orders and decorations for their services in South Africa including; 1 x C.B., 1 x C.M.G., 2 x D.S.O.'s & 6 x D.C.M's
After returning to India, David Liddel Livingston, returned to his employment with the B.I.N.S.co, subsequently relocating variously to Karachi (now in Pakistan) and Bombay, the two great port cities of the Arabian Sea. During his residence in those port cities, David served as a Volunteer with the Sind Volunteer Rifles (Karachi), and the Bombay Volunteer Cavalry respectively. On, 6 February 1904, David married Ruth Prudence Cuddy, at Bombay, India.
David Liddell Livingston, Master Mariner, is recorded as having died at Greenwich, London, England, on 18 October 1931 - and most likely considering his location of death, an event that occurred while he was in command of a ship (his index card from the Registrar General of Shipping and Seaman has some annotated notes pertaining to his death). His Merchant Navy registration index card with photograph identification is held and accessible at The National Archives, in the series ref BT350. Interestingly, his index card records his race as 'Scotch' - a proud honorary Scot!
A most interesting and scarce medal group to a most desirable South African War 'Colonial' unit - 'Lumsden's Horse'
Condition: About EF
