BLUE BONNETS O'ER THE BORDER - The Diary of Private William Fessey D.C.M.Serving in the King's Own Scottish Borderers during the Boer War 1900-1902

Sep 29, 2026

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William Thomas Fessey’s diary records his service with the King’s Own Scottish Borderers during the South African Boer War from 1900 to 1902. The introduction traces his early life in Warwickshire, enlistment in 1888, and prior campaigns before South Africa. It describes his training and postings, including overseas service, then presents the diary as preserved and rewritten for readers. The book includes acknowledgements, regiment context, war timeline sections, chapters, glossary, and supporting references.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages92

Reading Time2 h 22 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

Acknowledgement

Introduction

The Regiment

South African War 1899-1902

Home and WW1

The Famil

Footnote

Glossary

Picture Credits

Quoted Extract Credit

Bibliography

Indices

The Diary - Chapters

England to Paardeburg

The March to Bloemfontein

Trek to Johannesburg

Advance to Pretoria

Forays around Pretoria

Food and Drink

Along the Delagoa Railway

January 1901-1902

# BLUE BONNETSBOERS AND BISCUITS BY HEATHER WILSON THE DIARY OF PRIVATE WILLIAM FESSEY D.C.M.SERVING IN THE KING's OwN SCOTTISH BoRDERERSDURING THE BoER WAR1900-1902 https://archive.org/details/bluebonnetsboers0000will Blue Bonnets.o'er the Border- The Regimental March ## Blue Bonnets,Boers &Biscuits T Nicol dmBa wn tes oore,CJo NOV 1998 The Diary of a Private serving withThe King's Own Scottish Borderers duringthe South African Boer War:1900-1902 First published in England in 1998by Heather Wilson 67 Cadogan Gardens,South Woodford,London E181LY Copyright CHeather Wilson 1998 ## ALL RIGHTS RESERVED No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any formor by any means without prior written permission. ISBN 0953336905 CONTENTS Acknowledgement ……………………………………………………………………………………………………3 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………………………5 The Regiment …………………………………………………………………………………………………7 South African War 1899-1902 ……………………………………………………………………………10 Home and WW1………………………………………………………………………………………………………71 The Famil……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………75 Footnote …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………76 Glossary……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………77 Picture Credits ………………………………………………………………………………………………………77 Quoted Extract Credit. ……………………………………………………………………………………78 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………78 Indices………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………79 The Diary- Chapters 1 England to Paardeburg……………………………………………………………………………………………………13 2 The March to Bloemfontein……………………………………………………………………………………………………25 3 Trek to Johannesburg……………………………………………………………………………………………………………33 4 Advance to Pretoria…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………39 5 Forays around Pretoria……………………………………………………………………………………………………………43 6 Food and Drink…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………53 7 Along the Delagoa Railway………………………………………………………………………………………55 8 January 1901-1902……………………………………………………………………………………………………67 Acknowledgements Mr.H.J.Garratt Mr. George Gunn, MBE Mr.David Martin Mr. George Nichols Mr. Colin George Wardley Mr Ken Brunton Mr.Clifford Colliss Lt. Col. David Ward (deceased) Mr.Jonathan Woolf Trustees of the KOSB The resources of the Kings Own Scottish Borderers archives, the Imperial War Museum, the National Army Museum, the Warwickshire County Record Office and the Public Record Office have contributed to this book. William Thomas Fessey D.C.M. The Medal Ribbons denoteDistinguished Conduct Medal Indian Medal 1895 with Clasp for Relief of Chitral Queen Victoria's South Africa Medal with Clasps for Cape Coloy;Paardeburg and Johannesburg Kings South Africa Medal with bars 1901 and 19021914-1915 Star;British War Medal 1914-1918,Victory Medal 1914-1918 ## INTRODUCTION William Thomas Fessey was born in Warwickshire on the 10th April 1870,theeldest of nine children,and lived with his family in Tysoe,a village nine milesnorth-west of Banbury.The village of Tysoe dates from before the Conquest and ona sandstone hill opposite the church was cut the figure of a horse,which gave it'sname 'The Red Horse'to the area around. In the fifty-first year of the reign of Queen Victoria,William then aged 18 on a visitto Banbury ‘took the Queen's shilling'and enlisted in the King's Own ScottishBorderers and was attested at Aldershot in June 1888. Tysoe cottages where William spent his childhood (E) According to his army papers he was 5'9”in height with fresh complexion and darkbrown hair. After training at the Depot he joined the 2nd Battalion in Egypt in 1889,where theBattalion had been part of the Suakim Force fighting against the Dervishes atGemaizah.In January 18902nd.Battalion The King's Own Scottish Borderersembarked from Suez to Bombay and in 1895 William was in action with the Battalion at the Malakand Pass on the North West Frontier of I

FAQs

Who is William Thomas Fessey in the diary?

William Thomas Fessey is a private who served with the King’s Own Scottish Borderers and kept a record of his time in South Africa during the Boer War.

What period does the diary cover in South Africa?

The Boer War service covered is from 1900 to 1902, as indicated in the book’s title and chapter structure.

What kinds of materials does the book include besides the diary chapters?

The publication provides acknowledgements, an introduction, regimental and war context sections, along with glossary, picture credits, quoted extract credit, bibliography, and indices.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by jay