'How Corporal Shaul (Highland Light Infantry) won his Victoria Cross', 1900 (c)

Cigarette card published by Morris and Sons Limited, one of a set of twenty cigarette cards commemorating winners of the Victoria Cross during the Boer War (1899-1902), 1900 (c).

Corporal Shaul treats a fallen comrade on the battlefield.

Corporal John David Francis Shaul (1873-1953) was born on 11 September 1873 in King's Lynn, the son of a Crimean War veteran. At fifteen years old he joined the 1st Battalion, Highland Light Infantry. Shaul won his Victoria Cross at the Battle of Magersfontein on 11 December 1899 during the Boer War (1899-1902). Shaul was recognised for his bravery under fire, caring for wounded comrades on the battlefield. He was presented with the gallantry award at Pietermaritzburg by Prince George the Duke of Cornwall and York, the future King George V, on 11 August 1901. He died in South Africa on 12 September 1953.

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.