TOPIC:

392 TROOPER GUY VIVIAN GRICE

Guy Vivian Grice was born on 18th August 1876 in Durban, Natal, the sonnof John James Grice and Martha Lozzia Natalia Grice.
The Grice family were noted as early British Settlers in Natal, originating from Essex in England in the 1840-50s.
John was well known in mining circles in Barberton and Johannesburg, one of the pioneers of Barberton and was connected with the Sheba, Victoria, Pigg's Peak and other mines in the area.

Guy was baptised at St. Paul's Church, Durban on 24th September 1876. The family abode was recorded as St. Andrew's Street, Durban, and his father's trade/profession was "Gentleman". Guy was certainly of the more affluent stock of uitlander.

The education of this son of a gentleman was reasonably privileged as he attended St. Andrew's in Durban and so would have received a good standard of education.

Moving on to the events of 1899 and the beginning of the Anglo Boer War, Guy attested to the Colonial Scouts at Durban on 27th November 1899.

Following the relief of Ladysmith, he was discharged on 7th March 1900, alongside the rest of the Colonial Scouts when they were disbanded.

With the conflict ongoing, Guy then did as most of his comrades would have done and enlisted into other colonial units.
For Guy, the Natal Mounted Rifles were his unit of choice, joining them on 20th March 1900.

His service was tragically cut short as he fell ill in May 1900 and died of enteric fever at Pietermaritzburg on 5th or 7th May 1900 (reports differ for his actual date of death).

He was interred at Fort Napier Cemetery, Pietermaritzburg.

His life and ultimate sacrifice to Queen and Empire are commemorated on the war memorial tablets at his former school St. Andrew's and also on the Natal Volunteer Plaque at Pietermaritzburg, Natal.


Natal Volunteers Memorial at Pietermaritzburg, Natal.


The memorial plaque thereon bearing the name of G. V. Grice along with his fellow fallen comrades.



Queen's South Africa medal awarded to 392 Trooper G. V. Grice bearing the single clasp "RELIEF OF LADYSMITH" as confirmed on the medal rolls WO100/242 Colonial Scouts and WO100/260 Natal Mounted Rifles.



Number, rank and naming officially impressed to the rim of the medal.



Regimental naming to the rim.

I certainly feel very privileged to be the custodian of Guy's QSA for a while. It was formerly in the collection of messrs. M. G. Hibbard, F. K. Mitchell & B. Cairncross.

A very interesting medal to the son of a Natal pioneer, whose life was so tragically cut short at the age of just 24.