Lt Ernest Brooks

[Patricia Kelly]

Around 1892 Pte Ernest Brooks served in the 3rd Dragoon Guards and Glamorganshire Yoemanry.   Is there any record of him serving in the Boer War?  Thanks.

[michaeldr]

Patricia, 

The Guardian here https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2017/jan/12/first-world-war-italy-pictures-photography reviews the exhibition

“War in the Sunshine” [https://www.estorickcollection.com/exhibitions/war-in-the-sunshine-the-british-in-italy-1917-1918]

 

The latter page mention “a fully illustrated catalogue with essays by curator Jonathan Black and historian Mark Thompson” and from The Guardian piece it appears that in the catalogue Black refers to Brooks' service in the Boer War:-

“Unlike Brunell, Brooks had been a soldier before, in the second Boer war. ‘He acquired a reputation for impetuous, even reckless, courage which came to greatly irritate his army superiors’, Black writes”

 

Perhaps contacting Jonathan Black may be helpful

[michaeldr]

As a brief aside from the principle topic here, 
and in view of a recent press report regarding photoshopped royal photography, 
The Strand article already mentioned in this thread indicates that this is nothing new

 

[Patricia Kelly]

https://magforum.wordpress.com/2019/12/31/a-fake-fag-for-the-prince-of-wales/

Thank you!  Here is another example of early "photoshopping" but although Ernest Brooks took the original photo, I don't think he was involved with the addition of the cigarette.