'How Capt. M.F.M. Meiklejohn (Gordon Highlanders) won his Victoria Cross', 1900 (c)

Cigarette card published by Morris and Sons Limited, from a set entitled, 'Boer War, 1900', celebrating recipients of the Victoria Cross of the Boer War (1899-1902), 1900 (c).

Captain (later Major) Matthew Fontaine Maury Meiklejohn, 2nd Battalion, Gordon Highlanders, had served with the Tirah Expeditionary Force on the North West Frontier of India and had been wounded at the Battle of Dargai in 1897. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on 21 October 1899 at Elandslaagte in Natal, during the Boer War (1899-1902). Meiklejohn rallied men of his regiment caught in Boer crossfire. He was wounded a number of times and his right arm was shattered. He received his award from Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle on 15 December 1900. He died in London in 1913, aged 42.

Cigarette cards were produced from the mid 1870s until the end of World War Two (1939-1945). Used to strengthen thin cigarette packs the cards were quickly developed into advertising devices. Series of cards covering every conceivable subject, from sportsmen to flora and fauna, were produced to encourage collectors and potential smokers alike.