Born in 1866, Tom Prince was the son of a British police officer, who went to Germany with his mother after his father's death. Starting his military career with the Prussian infantry, he left as a Lieutenant in 1889 to join the "Wissmann Kaiserlich Schutztruppe", a defensive force organized to bring native uprisings under control in German East Africa (modern day Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania). While staffed with highly trained Imperial German officers and operated under the highest standards of discipline, the Wissmann Troop was not beholden to the traditional chain of command, effectively operating as mercenaries in the direct employ of Von Bismarck's administration. Serving with distinction, Prince would earn the rank of Captain in the troop, in addition to working as an administrator in the colony and a plantation owner himself. In 1906 he was elevated to the nobility, and would come into direct contact with Kaiser Wilhelm II during the Kaiser's hunting trips to Africa. During these trips, the Kaiser was noted to have brought back trophies taken by favored soldiers and friends he hunted with as souvenirs. At the outbreak of World War I, von Prince went into battle with the local protective force, and was killed in action during the Battle of Tanga, a botched British attempt to invade German East Africa, which was repelled by a force 1/8 the size of the invading party. Measuring between 10 1/2 and 9 3/4 inches high and 7 3/4 and 6 1/2 inches wide each, this is a fine pair of springbok skulls, prepared European style, bearing a Lion's Order German Colonial Service Medal (2nd Class) just below the antlers and marked "Tom v Prince" across the sinus cavity. Each skull is supported by a spiral pattern brass column, which is mounted on a deeply carved hardwood base with a brass accent in the center, bead designs along the upper edge, and leaves across the front.