Perdrix

1900 · 537402 — South Africa 1900. Hardcover. Very Good. Oblong octavo 9 ½" x 7 ½". Olive green cloth boards. Contains two large format studio prints and 82 glossy gelatin silver prints laid into double-sided paper sleeves with cut-out rectangular frames. Neatly captioned throughout in ink on the paper sleeves. Owner's name: "J.E.C. Partridge" in ink on front cover. Boards are a little darkened and rubbed a few prints are faded very good.<br /> <br /> A notable album of images compiled by Lieutenant J.E.C. "Birdie" Partridge an officer in the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers and founder of the British Army Rugby Union ARU in 1906. The album documents the activities of Partridge's militia unit throughout South Africa during the Boer War. The unit is identified as the "46th R.E.". Included are images of the militia and several R.E. officers on the march and performing various duties and at leisure at various camps. Also included are images of Boer farms and families and Boer prisoners at Cape Town.<br /> <br /> Partridge was promoted to lieutenant in March 1901 and he represented South African rugby teams during the Boer war when he was serving there. After the war he became a prominent international rugby union player and founded the Army Rugby Union. The album likely includes more than one image of Partridge in particular in one print of an "X-mas dinner 1901". A well-preserved historically important collection of images. hardcover