Fantastic and unique original WW1 single owner uniform collection to Major General Francis Adrian Wilson, Royal Artillery.
Wilson was commissioned into the Royal Artillery as a 2nd Lieutenant on 1st July 1895, and promoted to a Lieutenant on 17 November 1897.
He served in the 2nd Boer War in South Africa, during which he was promoted to captain on 6 February 1901, and later to Major, before the end of the war. He was Mentioned In Despatches, including the final despatch by Lord Kitchener dated 23 June 1902, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO).
He served as Chief of the General Staff in Australia from 1911 to 1912, and then returned to the UK to prepare for WW1.
He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on 29th November 1911 and to full Colonel on 29th November 1915.
The London Gazette of 18th February 1915 also states that "Lt. Col. F. A. Wilson, D.S.O., Royal Artillery, to be temporary Brigadier-General whilst commanding a Brigade".
He was awarded the Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 1916 New Year Honours at which point the London Gazette describes him as "Lt. Col. (temp. Brig.-Gen.)" and he was also awarded the French Legion d'Honneur.
The jacket itself is named to him as "Col. F A Wilson CMG" so the jacket itself is most likely later war from 1916-17 onwards.
Jacket is beautifully tailored and lined and is made of a heavy cloth - it has a makers label for J Daniels & Co Ltd of London.
It has metal rank insignia / pip for a Major General on the shoulders and a General's red and bullion wire lapel insignia. All General's brass buttons are present.
It has an extensive medal bar containing :
- Queens South Africa medal
- King's South Africa medal
- Distinguished Service Order (DSO)
- Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG)
- Army Long Service medal
- WW1 1914 Star with Rosette
- WW1 War medal
- WW1 Victory medal with MID leaf
- French Legion D'honneur
Jacket condition is excellent except for two small darned holes on the front at the bottom.
Jacket Chest is approx 38 inches. Measures 20 inches armpit to armpit and 18.25 inches from armpit to cuff.
The Sam Browne includes a leather sword frog and has a lovely patina of old leather.
The General's cap is very high quality and has lovely bullion wire double braiding on the visor and a bullion wire Generals badge, plus General's brass buttons securing the chinstrap.
Cap has a makers label for A J White of Jermyn St London. The cap also has an unusual barathea Khaki cover over the dark blue wool.
Cap condition is generally very good, except for some minor moth trails on the scarlet band, some wear to the rim and some small darned / repaired patches on the top of the cover. Note that i have not removed the cover to see underneath.
Cap size is approx 57.
Trousers / Breeches in a tan thick corduroy fabric. Beautifully tailored and with lace-up ankle/calfs. Supplied with his original braces. All buttons present.
Trousers measure 15 inches across when laid flat, so approx 28-29 inch waist. Inside leg is 23 inches (but designed to be worn inside boots.
The Boots are fantastic with 13 rows of eyelets for the laces and then also 3 side straps/ buckles - they are in excellent condition and, like the belt, they have a lovely patina to the leather.
Size is hard to gauge but probably 8-9.
The Shirt is good quality cotton/linen and approx a 15.5 inch neck. It bears the label Sanforized Shrunk Fabric, which means that it is likely from the early 1930s.
The Tie is also very high quality and has a silk lining on the collar area.
His wooden walking cane is also included.
Boer War Service
Wilson served in several key campaigns with the British Army in South Africa, including:
1. Relief of Ladysmith (Natal Campaign, 1899–1900)
Participated in the heavy fighting leading up to the relief of the besieged garrison.
Fought at Colenso (15 Dec 1899) and Spion Kop (Jan 1900).
Noted for his skill in deploying artillery under difficult terrain and enemy fire.
2. Transvaal and Orange Free State operations (1900–1902)
Served during the advances into the Transvaal (Pretoria region) and later in Cape Colony during the guerrilla phase.
Given the date of his DSO and mentions it is likely that they were for his conduct in leading gun batteries under intense fire and maintaining cohesion during retreats and counter-attacks.
WW1 Service
At the outbreak of war, Wilson was serving with the Royal Field Artillery under the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France and Flanders.
During 1915–1916 he commanded divisional artillery formations during major early campaigns on the Western Front.
He had multiple mentions in despatches for distinguished service in the London Gazette during this period.
During 1916-18 he continued to command artillery formations during the Somme, Arras, and Ypres offensives.
He oversaw coordination of heavy and field batteries during intense operations — particularly noted for his organizational skill and calm leadership under fire.
He served as Commander, Royal Artillery (CRA) for a division and later for a corps-level formation.
During 1918–1919 he continued in artillery command through the final Allied offensives.
He is mentioned in despatches several more times for “gallant and distinguished services in the field.”
He returned to the UK in late 1919
After WW1 he became Colonel Commandant Eastern Command Royal Artillery for which he was also awarded the Companion of the Order of the Bath.
He was promoted to Major General on 2nd March 1929.
Supplied with research material.
