Bovril bottle oil lamp
Bovril bottle oil lamp |
After one of the first and most disastrous battles in the Boer War at Talana Hill on 20 October 1899, the 1st Battalion of the Royal Irish Fusiliers were forced to retreat, marching 60 miles in 86 hours and leaving most of their equipment and belongings behind. They sought refuge in the town of Ladysmith and after attempting to fight their way out several times, were ultimately trapped and besieged by the Boer forces. The Royal Irish Fusilier officers and men used whatever came to hand to supply their needs. One of their officers, Major Douglas Churcher, a veteran of the campaign in The Sudan in 1897, converted this 10cm high Bovril bottle into an oil lamp.