26.7cm (10.5in) x 12cm (4.75in) 12.8cm (5in)
English oak, with slatted pitched roof, the hinged front door inset with a watercolour of
a Royal Irish Fusilier. Signed lower right R. Simkin under glass, the door opening to reveal three drawers each with flush brass ring pulls.
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The Royal Irish Fusiliers was formed in 1881 by amalgamating the 87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) Regiment and the 89th (The Princess Victoria’s) Regiment. In England at the time of the merger, the 87th Foot became 1st Battalion and saw action in the Egyptian campaign the following year. In 1883, the 1st Battalion moved to India, remaining there for 16 years. The 89th was in India when the amalgamation occurred and became the new unit’s 2nd Battalion. It returned to Britain in 1884, via the Sudan. The 1st Battalion sent detachments to the Gold Coast in 1895 and to the Sudan in 1898. Then, in 1899, both regular battalions deployed to the Boer War (1899-1902), fighting in many engagements including Talana Hill (1899), the Relief of Ladysmith (1900) and Tugela Heights (1900).