Boer War an important archive relating to Captain W S Carey, 2nd Battalion, Prince of Wales Own,

Boer War an important archive relating to Captain W S Carey, 2nd Battalion, Prince of Wales Own, West Yorkshire Regiment, Natal Frontier, comprising his personal photo album and a series of original pencil campaign sketches including a view of Spion Kop and the plain to Ladysmith. The album comprises approx 68 photos and is a mixture of personal and professionally taken shots. Included are some senior officers such as Buller and there is also one of Cecil Rhodes, but in the main the contents concentrate on the notorious battle of Spion Kop in which the British suffered considerable losses, and after which Buller was relieved of his command and replaced by Lord Roberts. A series of approx 15 photos are particularly important being a professional shots of the preliminary and Spion Kop battles, showing British troops and Boer positions, troops in action etc. One of these shots shows the construction of the pontoon bridge over the Tugela River which was a famous key incident in the campaign. The four original sketches include a detailed panorama of Buller’s and Warren’s attack on Spion Kop showing troop locations, lines of attack and terrain. This is annotated to verso ‘Rough sketch (in haste for post) of Spion Kop from South – as attacked by Gen Buller & Sir Ch Warren’ and is signed. Another sketch annotated ‘View of Spion Kop & plain in rear, seen from N of Ladysmith after the Relief’ is signed and dated by Carey March 5th 1900. Some of the photos are slightly faded as if often the case with albums of this kind. However, all images are legible. The sketches are strong images