A hundred and one years after Private Thomas Henry Noble was awarded his medals for service in the Boer War, they are now safely in the Regimental Museum of the Green Howards, thanks to his granddaughter's generosity.
Pte Noble died in Leeds, at the age of 84, more than 50 years ago. He had always promised his granddaughter, now Mrs Norma Idle, that she should have his medals. She has kept them in her house since she was 15, but has now donated them to the museum.
Pte Noble served in South Africa with the 1st Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment (The Green Howards), from December 1899 to July 1902. He was present at the Relief of Kimberley in January 1900, and fought in the Battle of Paardeberg the following month. By 1902 he was helping to guard the main railway lines through the Orange Free State and the Transvaal from blockhouses.
Mrs Idle, who lives in Bridlington, was delighted to see the medals, the Queen's South African Medal and the King's South African Medal, on display in the museum's Harrison Gallery. They have joined more than 3,500 other medals won by Green Howards, inc*uding 16 of the Regiment's 18 Victoria Crosses.
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