Stories From The Past

The other day some one suggested that each item we have in the antiques centre should have a story behind it, a history, real or fake who cares as long as it trys to be entertaining so ...
One of the women who display at this place brought in a pith helmet from the second Boer war (late 19c early 20c) the helmet was grimy, a little torn and had seen better days but considering it was over 100 years old not in bad nick. It had been originally owned by Private Lloyd Jones ( it said so inside the brim) who had been captured by the Boers during a small skirmish with a commando a month or two before the final surrender by President Kruger. Jones along with five other soldiers, all of various ranks, was taken to Johannesburg for trial, he was classed as a spy due to his lack of uniform (exactly where his uniform had gone is open to question as Private Lloyd gay boy Jones never revealed the answer.) So the trial began our hero ( Lloyd Jones) bravely refused to answer questions only revealing his name rank and serial number despite the threats of torture, he was beaten on many occasions and finally having been found guilty was executed by firing squad early on the morning of January 2nd 1901 along with 4 others and buried in unconsecrated ground outside a pig farm. He may have been offered leniency but his decision to only address the judge and court as either "dearie" or " you rotten bastard Boer" may have influenced matters.
The helmet was finally returned to his wife (despite the nick name) and was kept in pride of place by his widow and only son David whom he had never seen. After the death of his mother young David also kept the helmet in a place of honour but, having never married, upon his death late in the 20th century the helmet was passed from hand to hand, from cousin to 2nd cousin ending up eventually in a car boot sale and finally being purchased for £5 and displayed as an antique with no history or past.