Bisque ceramic figurine of Bugler John Francis Dunne, Manx Boer War hero
Date made: c1900
Maker: unknown
Description: A patriotic souvenir in the form of a bisque ceramic figure of a boy soldier in khaki, wearing a bush hat. One arm is in a sling, the other raised to hold a bugle (the bugle is missing as frequently occurs. It was held loosly in the hand). Around the base are the letters God Save the Queen. The figure represents Bugler John Francis Dunne, a Manx boy soldier who travelled with his unit the 1st battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers to the Boer War, and was badly wounded at Colenso. He became a national hero and was presented to Queen Victoria at Osborn. She gave him a silver inscribed bugle to replace that which he had lost on the battlefield.
When he returned to the Isle of Man he was carried shoulder high through the streets from the harbour to the railway station in Douglas. When he was discharged from the army he had a brief career as a music hall artiste, playing his bugle on stage, but there were a number of imitators. He died in obscurity in Australia.
Materials: ceramic
Object name: figurine
Collection: Social History Collection
ID Number: 2016-0049
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