DELVILLE WOOD

BAILEY'S SHARPSHOOTERS

South African soldier had proved his valor in the marksmanship during the Boer War (1899-1902). In response to a British War Office request, a small sharpshooters unit was formed in South Africa to serve in Europe. Recruited and financed by Sir Bailey, the unit was named Bailey’s South African Sharpshooters and fought in France and Belgium from April 1916 to the Armistice, in a British Division. A total of 24 men served in this formation, of whom 6 were killed in action and 7 received medical discharges after injuries. The Bailey’s South African Sharpshooters reckoned to have killed more than 3 000 Germans.

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