This story of a Canadian‘s receipt of one of the more unusual military decorations has its beginning in the Boer War of 1899–1902 and ends in September 1968 at Chelsea, Québec. This is the story of Private Richard Thompson and his award of what is known as the Queen‘s Scarf of Honour.

Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901, had crocheted 8 scarves in the last year of her life with the intention of presenting each as one of the highest military awards for bravery. They were made of khaki coloured Berlin wool with the Royal Cipher “VR1” embroidered in silk on one of the little knots of wool above the fringed end.

Queen Victoria‘s death and the end of the Boer War resulted in the Queen‘s Scarf being generally forgotten by the public, until 1956 when the Victoria Cross centennial ceremonies in London, England, brought out references to this unique gallantry award. There was the greatest competition among soldiers to become the fortunate possessor of one of these scarves and it took a very long time to get the required information which would enable selection of those eligible.

In 1960, the Department of National Defence in Ottawa received a letter from RS Malone, a Brigadier in World War II, who was publisher of the Winnipeg Free Press. He had read an article in the Manchester Guardian about this award, believed to be valued higher than the Victoria Cross, which had been presented to soldiers fighting in the Boer War. Among the names mentioned was one, Private Richard Rowland Thompson, the only Canadian to receive the “Scarf of Honour.” Brigadier Malone‘s query was: where was he buried? And where was his coveted scarf?

The job of research couldn‘t have fallen to a more dedicated and competent person than Bombardier Ken Richardson who was an information specialist employed by the Department of National Defence‘s information services. Mr. Richardson had a personal love for military lore and the challenge to bring a really worthwhile story to light could not be resisted.

It took Mr. Richardson more than eight months to track down the world‘s rarest award for bravery. He spent his evenings and long weekends, putting 4,000 miles on his car, combing the Ottawa area for Thompson‘s gravesite and trying to locate Boer War veterans who might shed some light that would lead to the scarf.

In his research he found that Private Thompson had immigrated to Buffalo, New York, from Cork, Ireland, and had moved to Ottawa in 1899 where he enlisted in the 43rd. Ottawa and Carleton Rifles, one of the predecessors of the present Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa, as a medical assistant. His age was 22.

After serving some time in the Boer War, Pte. Thompson was invalided home to Canada in October 1900, but subsequently returned to South Africa to become a lieutenant in the South African Constabulary. He later worked for the Debeer Mining Corporation in Kimberly where, in 1904, he married Bertha Alexander, a member of a prominent Gatineau family of Meach [Meech] Lake. She had also served in the Boer War—as a nurse. Not long afterwards they returned to Canada and then moved to Buffalo.

Richard Thompson died on April 6, 1908, of appendicitis. His widow brought his body back to Ottawa and he was taken, with full military honours, from the Drill Hall in Ottawa to a private cemetery in the Gatineau Hills, the burial place of his choosing.

Walton, Lillian, Up the Gatineau! Vol. 6, 12–18.