Lot 567
MELTON PRIOR (1848 - 1910) THE 94TH AFTER BRONKHORST SPRUIT.
A pencil sketch, titled: 'The Sick, wounded and prisoners of the 94th Regiment (Bronkhorst Spruit) returning down country after their release. Kaffir women offering milk for sale'. 27 x 44cm, signed lower left Melton Prior, May 1881. Prior's was a successful artist who covered many conflicts in the latter part of the Victorian era, his work being regularly reproduced in the Illustrated London News. This image depicts man of the 94th Foot following the action at Bronkhorst Spruit. This was one of the first actions of the War, 246 men and six officers were marching towards Pretoria when they were engaged by Boers. The action lasted 15 minutes and resulted in 156 British soldiers killed or wounded and the remainder taken prisoner. The First Boer War came to an end with the truce of 6th March 1881. This work dated May 1881 suggests it is a contemporary account of the return of the British prisoners.
