Tobacco tin, presented to men of Scottish Horse

This tobacco tin was presented by the Duchess of Atholl to men of the Scottish Horse leaving for South Africa in 1901 to fight in the South African War. The tin dates from around 1900 and contained 'Beppo's Brand' tobacco, mixed and sold by Thomson and Porteous of Edinburgh.

The outside of the tin is decorated with lines from Byron: 'And so he hired a vessel come from Spain/Bound for Corfu: she was a fine polacco/Mann'd with twelve hands/ And laden with Tobacco'. The tin has a printed paper label pasted inside reading 'To the men of the Scottish Horse going to South Africa with best wishes and good luck from the Duchess of Atholl 1901'.

The Scottish Horse was a mounted infantry unit that had originally been raised among Scots in South Africa. They were soon joined by other Scottish volunteers from Australia, England and Scotland. The regiment's first commanding officer was the Marquess of Tullibardine, son of the Duke and Duchess of Atholl. This Perthshire land-owning family used their traditional influence to encourage recruitment.

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