A FINE AND VERY SCARCE GORDON HIGHLANDERS NCO’S BOER WAR D.C.M. GROUP, ALMOST CERTAINLY FOR THE BATTLE OF MAGERSFONTEIN, THE RECIPIENT BEING MENTIONED IN A CONTEMPORARY SOURCE FOR HAVING GALLANTLY ATTENDED THE WOUNDED UNDER HEAVY AND DIRECTED RIFLE FIRE; AT ONE POINT A BULLET PASSING THROUGH HIS LEGS AND HITTING THE HIGHLANDER HE WAS ATTENDING. THE RECIPIENT, WHO WAS BORN IN INDIA, HAD JOINED THE GORDON’S AGED 14, PRESUMABLY THE SON OF A SOLDIER AND APPEARS IN VARIOUS NEWSPAPER ARTICLES IN THE LATE 1880’S AND 1890’S IN RELATION TO INTER REGIMENTAL SPORTING COMPETITIONS; CRICKET, GYMKHANA ETC. ON DISCHARGE HE WAS NOTED AS MUSICIAN AND BAND CONDUCTOR

DCM EDVII ‘673 SERJT: C.R. GILHAM. GORDON HIGHRS.’, QUEEN SOUTH AFRICA 1899, 5 CLASPS CAPE COLONY, PAARDEBERG, DRIEFONTEIN, JOHANNESBURG, BELFAST ‘673 SGT C. GILHAM, GORDON HIGHRS.’, KING'S SOUTH AFRICA MEDAL 2 CLASPS, ‘673 SERGT: C. GILHAM GORDON HIGHRS’.

D.C.M. London Gazette 1 October 1901.

M.I.D. London Gazette 10 September 1901.

Charles Robert Gilham was born at Allahabad, East Indies on 4 November 1868; presumably the son of a soldier of the Gordon Highlanders who were then stationed in India. When he reached the age of 14 on 4 November 1882, he enlisted into the Gordon’s as a Boy soldier at Edinburgh. A mere 4 feet, 6 inches on enlistment, on 19 December 1883, he joined his battalion in Egypt, serving there until April 1885, when he moved station to Upper Egypt, returning to Egypt again on 13 April 1885 and shortly afterward for home service. Serving in Malta from 21 September 1885, on his 18th birthday (4 November 1886), he was appointed to the rank of private and on 15 July the following year, to Lance Corporal. Reverting to the rank of Private on 7 November 1887, his papers do not show his further steps in rank. Serving in Ceylon between November 1888 and January 1892, he would serve in India between then and October 1898, taking part in the Chitral Relief Expedition of 1895, followed by the Punjab Frontier and Tirah Expeditions of 1897-98 (medal and 3 clasps). After a brief service in Egypt, in December 1898 he was back on Home Service, before leaving for service in South Africa (Boer War) in November 1899. During their service in South Africa, the 1st Gordon Highlanders took part in the disastrous battle of Magersfontein, Paardeberg, Hout Nek, Doornkop, Krugersdorp, Belfast and numerous smaller actions later in the war.

For his service, sergeant Gilham was mentioned in despatches and awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. As with most Boer War awards of the D.C.M., a recommendation for the award is unknown and this is further complicated by the fact that large numbers of awards made in late 1901 were for gallantry performed between late 1899 and 1901, therefore giving a large ‘window’ for pinning down a possible date or action. However Gilham is mentioned in ‘With Methuen's Column on an Ambulance Train’ in relation to the highlanders at that battle and his gallantry in attending wounded under heavy fire at Magersfontein:

“..The Boers were very kind to our wounded. They came out of the trenches and gave them water. They did not in any case shoot at our wounded men, but frequently shot at any one who came forward during the fight to bandage the wounded. The slightest movement, however, of the bonâ-fide combatants in our ranks drew a hail of bullets from the trenches. A Scotch sergeant, Gilham by name, a most kindly and courageous man, noticed that a comrade near him had been shot through the abdomen. He raised himself up from his recumbent position and began to bandage the wounded man. "Lie down you —— fool," said the friend; "can't you see you are drawing the fire?" As he spoke a bullet passed between Gilham's knees and struck the wounded man. Soon afterwards an officer called out for a stretcher, so Gilham jumped up and put on his best "hundred" pace in a slanting run towards the ambulance waggons. Several other wounded men leapt up and joined him. One of them was immediately shot through the shoulder, and the good sergeant again stopped and bandaged him. The Boers had been watching him, and as he recommenced his devious course they sent two bullets through a bush two feet in front of him. These small bushes formed very inadequate cover, and the enemy, taking for granted that men were lying concealed behind them, fired repeatedly into the shrubs. In one case no less than eight Highlanders were shot behind one bush...”

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Sold with digital copy discharge papers, medal rolls etc. Gilham’s India General Service Medal was sold at DNW on 26 June 2008.