Second Lieutenant Edward Younger, 16th Queen's Own Lancers, 1902

Oil on canvas by Charles Martin Hardie RSA (1858-1916), 1902.

Younger was commissioned into the 16th Lancers from the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, on 11 August 1900. On 22 December 1901, his regiment formed the rearguard for a convoy from Calvinia ro Clanwilliam in Cape Colony, 300km north-east of Cape Town. The convoy was attacked by a party of Boers, who kept up a running fight for more than 20km, before withdrawing in the face of heavy artillery fire.

The following morning the lancers formed part of the advance guard of the convoy, 'A' Squadron being set the task of dispersing a Boer force which had taken up a position beside the road. Lieutenant Younger was killed in this action, and one officer, one NCO and three privates were wounded. This posthumous image was painted, probably from a photograph, to commemorate the brief career of what the regimental history described as 'a very promising young officer'.