Field Marshal Lord ROBERTS, V.C.

Woven on Silk:-

ribbon with words:-
THE EMPIRE'S HERO

Printed at top of card:-

EMPIRE DEFENDERS.

Printed at bottom of card:-

woven in pure silk.
 
FIELD MARSHAL LORD ROBERTS, V.C.

Card-mount:
cut down to:
17.6cm deep by 11.0cm wide

silk:
10.0cm high by 6.4cm wide

by Geoffrey Godden:
Godden does not include this silk portrait in his published list.

Other comments:
This silk is the Grant number 113.

The reverse of this card mount is blank, other than for an unknown reason, is printed:

" Made in Switzerland. "

 

The 'EMPIRE DEFENDERS' silks comprise:

Baden-Powell [go72 on this site]

General Sir Redvers Buller, V.C. [go120 on this site]

Field Marshal Lord Roberts, V.C. [the image above]

General Sir George White, V.C. [go312 on this site]

Lord Kitchener of Khartoum. [go244 on this site]

History of Roberts:
Frederick Sleigh Roberts was born in India in 1832. He had a distinguished military career, serving in India, Afghanistan and South Africa.
In 1899 when the Boer War erupted in South Africa, Field Marshal Lord Roberts, aged 67, was sent out to the Supreme Command with Major General Lord Kitchener as his Chief of Staff.
The seige of Kimberly was ended when Roberts' cavalry division dashed through the Boer lines just weeks after Roberts arrived in Cape Town.
Upon his return to England, Roberts received an Earldom for his services in South Africa.