Andy May - Anglo-Boer War Uniform Artist & Stamp Designer

#1 · September 23, 2025, 6:28 pm

Quote from Steve on September 23, 2025, 6:28 pm
I did not attend the last SACS meeting in Letchworth on Letchworth on 30 August 2025 because it conflicted with the Bury St. Edmunds postcard fair which I attended. One of its dealers was selling an accumulation of modern albums on behalf of a charity. Normally I do not buy such items but he seemed to be fairly giving it away. The chuffed buyer before me walked away with a cardboard box stuffed full of these albums for £25. This tempted me to look at a very modern, plastic wrapped album marked 'South Africa'.

Left. A pig in a poke? Modern plastic covered 'Greenergy' album marked 'SOUTH AFRICA' on spine.
Top right. Opened up. Yuk! Not my thing at all. No disrespect intended to the kilted Cape Town Highlander.
Bottom right. Two more pages. Sketches of 'Boers'. Okay! This is more interesting. I can use some of this!

1983. 26 September. Ciskei (Homeland). Maximum Card, 'British Military Uniforms'.
6th Foot (1st Warwickshire Regiment) 1821 - 1827. (Artist. Andy May. 1983)

1984. 26 October. Ciskei (Homeland). Maximum Card, 'British Military Uniforms'.
The Cape Mounted Rifles 1827 - 1835. (Artist. Andy May. 1984)

On opening the book I did not immediately like what I saw. It was full of modem museum postcards and maximum cards from Ciskei but redeemed by prints of the combatants of the SAW (South African War of 1899 -1902) displaying a wide variety of military uniforms. Two postcards caught my eye, one a nice Tuck's Oilette of General Louis Botha (in blue uniform) in about 1917 and an attractive large but badly reproduced postcard of the Battle of Elandslaagte (now on the SAPC website). There were 64 prints of uniforms of the South African War in total. When the dealer told me he wanted just £5 for the album, I handed him the money saying my instinct was not to buy it, but what the heck, it's for charity. I left with mixed feelings about its content. I guessed that one of two items were worth the fiver I paid.

Circa 1995. The South African War Uniform Artist Andy May with his wife, Irena.
This photo was on the first page of the album I bought.

Now that I am home and I have had time to look at it more deeply and to research the uniform sketches by 'A May', I must say that I am pleased with this purchase. Much of it is a collection of work by Andy May, a South African Military Uniform artist that I had not previously been aware of. This album came as a wonderrful introduction to his work. Oddly, the album included a photo of a man and a woman on the first page of the album above a worn postcard cancelled 1995 of the democratic Republic of South Africa's new flag, There is other material besides, much of it postcards from South African military museums of the 1980s - 2000.

Thes flag postcard was addressed to F. Glenn Thompson. Googling him shows that he was an Irish artist who also specialised in military uniforms. Thompson's "THE UNIFORMS OF 1798-1803" (Four Courts Press, Dublin & Ireland, 1998) is said to be a well-illustrated guide for anyone trying to understand or research the uniforms and weapons of the 1798 Rebellion and the 1803 Uprising.

Sticking with the Irish connection, the album curiously includes a postcard of Prime Minister General Louis Botha who married Annie Emmett in 1886. She was distantly related to Robert Emmett whom the British publicly hung, drew and quartered in Dublin as a traitor on 20th September 1803. Perhaps mindful of this, gave his brother in law, ZAR Field-Cornet, later General, Cheer Emmett, the honour of bringing in Colonel Long's abandoned guns from the field after he defeated the British at the Battle of Colenso in December 1899.

Andy May was born on 3rd October 1936 in Buckie, a burgh town located in north-east Scotland on the Moray Firth coast known for its fishing and shipbuilding. In Scotland a burgh historically referred to a self-governing fortified place or stronghold (like an English 'borough'). From an early age Andy developed an interest in military uniforms, weapons, equipment and accoutrement. At school his favourite subjects were art and history while his hobby was the drawing of military uniforms.

After 13 years in the British Merchant Navy as a ship's carpenter, Andy settled in Durban in 1971. His relocation to South Africa led him to discover a keen interest in the uniforms worn by the soldiers of the SAW (South African War aka Anglo-Boer War) and the Zulu War. His hobby gradually became his profession. A high point in his career was his consultancy work on the film 'Zulu Dawn' which was shot at Pietermaritzburg, Rorke's Drift and Babanango in Natal in 1978 starring Burt Lancaster, Peter O'Toole, John Mills, Simon Ward and Bob Hoskins. Andy designed all the uniforms and was responsible for the historic props. He was later also a props consultant on the set of the internationally successful South African TV mini-series, 'Shaka Zulu'.

Andy's work featured in the two South African Military History Society's centennial journals which commemorated the Zulu War of 1879 and the First Boer War of Independence (1880-1881). It was during his involvement with the Military History Society he that he met his wife, Irena. In 1986, he joined the SADF (South African Defence Force) Engineers as a full-time military artist with the rank of sergean tbased at Military Museum Fort Klapperkop in Pretoria. (In those days the fort was an outstanding Boer War Museum.) Andy served as its resident military uniform illustrator and consultant as well as the curator of weapons.

1984. 26 October. Ciskei (Homeland). Maximum Card, 'British Military Uniforms'.
The Cape Mounted Rifles 1827 - 1835. (Artist. Andy May. 1984)

Through his great interest in and knowledge of colonial era uniforms Andy received commissions from many military museums,
journals and societies needing detailed coloured pencil drawings of military uniforms. It is said he was most proud of the commission he received from the Ciskei government to design and draw three sets of postage stamps, which appeared in 1983, (6th Warwickshire Regiment of Foot), 1984 (Cape Mounted Rifles) and 1986 (98th Regiment of Foot). These depicted the uniforms worn by British troops serving in the Eastern Cape / Ciskei area at Fort Beaufort from 1821 to 1835.

1983. 28 September. Ciskei (Homeland). First Day Sheet, 'British Military Uniforms'.
6th Foot (1st Warwickshire Regiment) 1821 - 1827. (Artist. Andy May. 1983)

Andy's work survives in many museums around the world, including the New Zealand Army Museum, the Dorset Military Museum in England, the Scottish United Services Museum and the Forfar Museum in Scotland. In South Africa his artwork can be seen in the Ditsong National Museum of Military History in Johannesburg, the Natal Mounted Rifles Museum in Durban, the Talana Hill Museum in Dundee and the Ladysmith Siege Museum. Among his many lithographs that focus on SAW uniforms are "The Australians, 2nd Anglo Boer War, 1899". These were published by his company, May's Military in 2007.

Tragically, Andy drowned in the Mzinduzi River in Natal on the 21st January 2016. His body was recovered from the "Duzi" in Pietermaritzburg. At his memorial service his former commanding officer at Military Museum Fort Klapperkop, retired Colonel Andy Malan, commended him for his diligence and passion for excellence. Andy's sense of humour, amusing anecdotes and wealth of knowledge concerning SAW military regalia and weaponry was unmatched. Despite being a self-taught artist, Andy's distinctive work has given South Africans a valuable new perspective on old conflicts that future generations must not forget.

I did not attend the last SACS meeting in Letchworth on Letchworth on 30 August 2025 because it conflicted with the Bury St. Edmunds postcard fair which I attended. One of its dealers was selling an accumulation of modern albums on behalf of a charity. Normally I do not buy such items but he seemed to be fairly giving it away. The chuffed buyer before me walked away with a cardboard box stuffed full of these albums for £25. This tempted me to look at a very modern, plastic wrapped album marked 'South Africa'.

Left. A pig in a poke? Modern plastic covered 'Greenergy' album marked 'SOUTH AFRICA' on spine.
Top right. Opened up. Yuk! Not my thing at all. No disrespect intended to the kilted Cape Town Highlander.
Bottom right. Two more pages. Sketches of 'Boers'. Okay! This is more interesting. I can use some of this!

1983. 26 September. Ciskei (Homeland). Maximum Card, 'British Military Uniforms'.
6th Foot (1st Warwickshire Regiment) 1821 - 1827. (Artist. Andy May. 1983)

1984. 26 October. Ciskei (Homeland). Maximum Card, 'British Military Uniforms'.
The Cape Mounted Rifles 1827 - 1835. (Artist. Andy May. 1984)

On opening the book I did not immediately like what I saw. It was full of modem museum postcards and maximum cards from Ciskei but redeemed by prints of the combatants of the SAW (South African War of 1899 -1902) displaying a wide variety of military uniforms. Two postcards caught my eye, one a nice Tuck's Oilette of General Louis Botha (in blue uniform) in about 1917 and an attractive large but badly reproduced postcard of the Battle of Elandslaagte (now on the SAPC website). There were 64 prints of uniforms of the South African War in total. When the dealer told me he wanted just £5 for the album, I handed him the money saying my instinct was not to buy it, but what the heck, it's for charity. I left with mixed feelings about its content. I guessed that one of two items were worth the fiver I paid.

Circa 1995. The South African War Uniform Artist Andy May with his wife, Irena.
This photo was on the first page of the album I bought.

Now that I am home and I have had time to look at it more deeply and to research the uniform sketches by 'A May', I must say that I am pleased with this purchase. Much of it is a collection of work by Andy May, a South African Military Uniform artist that I had not previously been aware of. This album came as a wonderrful introduction to his work. Oddly, the album included a photo of a man and a woman on the first page of the album above a worn postcard cancelled 1995 of the democratic Republic of South Africa's new flag, There is other material besides, much of it postcards from South African military museums of the 1980s - 2000.

Thes flag postcard was addressed to F. Glenn Thompson. Googling him shows that he was an Irish artist who also specialised in military uniforms. Thompson's "THE UNIFORMS OF 1798-1803" (Four Courts Press, Dublin & Ireland, 1998) is said to be a well-illustrated guide for anyone trying to understand or research the uniforms and weapons of the 1798 Rebellion and the 1803 Uprising.

Sticking with the Irish connection, the album curiously includes a postcard of Prime Minister General Louis Botha who married Annie Emmett in 1886. She was distantly related to Robert Emmett whom the British publicly hung, drew and quartered in Dublin as a traitor on 20th September 1803. Perhaps mindful of this, gave his brother in law, ZAR Field-Cornet, later General, Cheer Emmett, the honour of bringing in Colonel Long's abandoned guns from the field after he defeated the British at the Battle of Colenso in December 1899.

Andy May was born on 3rd October 1936 in Buckie, a burgh town located in north-east Scotland on the Moray Firth coast known for its fishing and shipbuilding. In Scotland a burgh historically referred to a self-governing fortified place or stronghold (like an English 'borough'). From an early age Andy developed an interest in military uniforms, weapons, equipment and accoutrement. At school his favourite subjects were art and history while his hobby was the drawing of military uniforms.

After 13 years in the British Merchant Navy as a ship's carpenter, Andy settled in Durban in 1971. His relocation to South Africa led him to discover a keen interest in the uniforms worn by the soldiers of the SAW (South African War aka Anglo-Boer War) and the Zulu War. His hobby gradually became his profession. A high point in his career was his consultancy work on the film 'Zulu Dawn' which was shot at Pietermaritzburg, Rorke's Drift and Babanango in Natal in 1978 starring Burt Lancaster, Peter O'Toole, John Mills, Simon Ward and Bob Hoskins. Andy designed all the uniforms and was responsible for the historic props. He was later also a props consultant on the set of the internationally successful South African TV mini-series, 'Shaka Zulu'.

Andy's work featured in the two South African Military History Society's centennial journals which commemorated the Zulu War of 1879 and the First Boer War of Independence (1880-1881). It was during his involvement with the Military History Society he that he met his wife, Irena. In 1986, he joined the SADF (South African Defence Force) Engineers as a full-time military artist with the rank of sergean tbased at Military Museum Fort Klapperkop in Pretoria. (In those days the fort was an outstanding Boer War Museum.) Andy served as its resident military uniform illustrator and consultant as well as the curator of weapons.

1984. 26 October. Ciskei (Homeland). Maximum Card, 'British Military Uniforms'.
The Cape Mounted Rifles 1827 - 1835. (Artist. Andy May. 1984)

Through his great interest in and knowledge of colonial era uniforms Andy received commissions from many military museums,
journals and societies needing detailed coloured pencil drawings of military uniforms. It is said he was most proud of the commission he received from the Ciskei government to design and draw three sets of postage stamps, which appeared in 1983, (6th Warwickshire Regiment of Foot), 1984 (Cape Mounted Rifles) and 1986 (98th Regiment of Foot). These depicted the uniforms worn by British troops serving in the Eastern Cape / Ciskei area at Fort Beaufort from 1821 to 1835.

1983. 28 September. Ciskei (Homeland). First Day Sheet, 'British Military Uniforms'.
6th Foot (1st Warwickshire Regiment) 1821 - 1827. (Artist. Andy May. 1983)

Andy's work survives in many museums around the world, including the New Zealand Army Museum, the Dorset Military Museum in England, the Scottish United Services Museum and the Forfar Museum in Scotland. In South Africa his artwork can be seen in the Ditsong National Museum of Military History in Johannesburg, the Natal Mounted Rifles Museum in Durban, the Talana Hill Museum in Dundee and the Ladysmith Siege Museum. Among his many lithographs that focus on SAW uniforms are "The Australians, 2nd Anglo Boer War, 1899". These were published by his company, May's Military in 2007.

Tragically, Andy drowned in the Mzinduzi River in Natal on the 21st January 2016. His body was recovered from the "Duzi" in Pietermaritzburg. At his memorial service his former commanding officer at Military Museum Fort Klapperkop, retired Colonel Andy Malan, commended him for his diligence and passion for excellence. Andy's sense of humour, amusing anecdotes and wealth of knowledge concerning SAW military regalia and weaponry was unmatched. Despite being a self-taught artist, Andy's distinctive work has given South Africans a valuable new perspective on old conflicts that future generations must not forget.