James Lindsay Lilley

The Distinguished Service Order awarded to Captain Lilley

Captain James Lindsay Lilley, who was terribly wounded at Karee Kloof, Orange River Colony on April 30, 1900, while assisting Sergeant-Major Healy to rescue Private Coghlan under a heavy fire, yesterday received from His Excellency the Governor- General the insignia of the Distinguished Service Order. The presentation was made at Government-house, the insignia having been sent out to His Excellency the Governor-General by the British military authorities. Captain Lilley was accompanied by Colonel Price, the acting state commandant, who was in command of the force to which Captain Lilley was acting as adjutant at the time of the engagement. His Excellency the Governor in handing the decoration to Captain Lilley, congratulated him upon the honour conferred upon him, and also upon his progress towards complete recovery.

During the action at Karee Kloof, when the order to retire had been given, and the Victorians and Cornwall Mounted Infantry were getting away under a hot fire from pom-poms and rifles, the horse ridden by Private Coghlan was hit and came down, breaking the rider's leg as he fell. Regimental Sergeant-Major Healy dismounted, and was endeavouring to place Private Coghlan on his own horse when Lieutenant Lilley, who saw what had happened, turned back and went to the assistance of the two men, the Boers being then close upon the party. As Lieutenant Lilley was helping the sergeant-major a rifle bullet struck him in the upper part of the skull, inflicting a terrible wound, and the brave adjutant and sergeant-major, as well as the private, all fell into the hands of thee Boers. Lieutenant Lilley was very kindly treated bythe Boers and Surgeon-Captain Kirkhoff, of the medical branch of the Netherlands Field Force in Batavia who had gone to South Africa to serve with the Boers, took charge of the wounded officer and treated him with great skill and attention at the Boer hospital at Brandfort. Three weeks later the British occupied Brandfort, and Lieutenant Lilley was handedd ovel by the Dutch surgeon to the British medical officers, by whom he was sent down to the hospital at Wynberg. After treatment there he went to London, where Mr. Horsley the celebrated surgeon performed tho operation of trephining and removedd the last fragment of shattered bone. Mr Lilley lately wrote to the two Dutch nurses who nursed him at Brandfort, thanking them for their kindness and reporting his progress. He is now well on the way to recovery. (Source: The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. :1848-1957) Tue 29 Apr 1902, Page 5 The Boer War).