The Royal Patriotic Fund - a rare document

Thanks to lovely exchange off the The Register's Facebook page ("like" us if you haven't, thanks!) I was shown something I've not seen before. A donation slip from the "Patriotic Fund" in remembrance of a soldier who lost his life in the war, very many thanks for permission to publish this image of the donation slip:

Thanks to the National Archives for this information on the "Royal Patriotic Fund". The Fund was set up in 1854 during the Crimean War, Queen Victoria was concerned for the welfare of widows and orphans of deceased serviceman for which niether the Army or government made provision. The Fund was administered by commissioners and financed by public donations. So successful was the Fund it was maintained throughout Queen Victoria's reign. The Commissioners made many grants and even had enough money to create a school for boys and one for girls. After nearly 50 years of work the Commissioners realised that it was not appropriate for the public to fully support widows and orphans. They petitioned parliament to grant pensions to widows, the first pensions to war widows were paid in 1901. 

Gunner 62478 George Read, O battery, Royal Horse Artillery died of dysentery on October 23rd, 1900 at Pretoria. Unusually his service papers survive on FindmyPast, most service papers for soldiers were destroyed. George, born in Lichfield, Staffordshire, first enlisted for the South Staffordshire Rgt in April 1887 but transferred to the Royal Artillery in September.

In  December1893 he married Mary Bayne in Aldershot, just after he had transferred to the Reserve. They had daughters, Hilda and Nellie and a son, Richard George, who was born in April 1899. Richard received a sovereign from the Patriotic Fund. It is not known if every child in the family received a sovereign. Re-called for war service in October 1899 George was not sent overseas until April 1900 when he was posted to O btty RHA. O btty had been involved in the 'Relief of Kimberley' campaign, then onto Johannesburg and Pretoria, and then following the Boer army eastward towards Portuguese East Africa. 

The sovereign the young Richard George would receive was worth £1, today (June 2018) that equals £117, although now Sovereigns are priced on their gold weight so they are worth about £221. George is commemorated on the Royal Artillery Memorial, London, and the memorial for the men of Birmingham in Canon Hill Park. George probably lived there while on the reserves as his wife's address is noted as 27 Flack Terrace, Park Rd, Soho, Birmingham. His widow, Mary, would remarry in 1905, to a Cpl Shipp, from U Btty RHA.

Richard George followed his father's footsteps and joined the RHA age 14, he served in WW2 rising to the rank of Lt Quartermaster. He was captured by the Japanese in Singapore in 1942 and detained in Changi POW Camp. He died in Plumstead, south London in 1946 barely a year after his release from captivity. Richard's emotive Japanese POW Record card is reproduced on FindmyPast (you will need to pay to view it).

Updated 10-06 with more family details.

Hill of Squandered Valour. The Battle of Spion Kop, 1900

Hill of Squandered Valour. The Battle of Spion Kop, 1900

Ron Lock

Casemate Publishers, Newbury & Philadelphia 2011

Spion Kop is a well known battle of the Second Anglo-Boer War because of its intense and bloody nature – over 1300 British casualties in a day on “an acre of massacre”.  The battle was one of Buller's attempt to relieve the besieged town of Ladysmith. Spion Kop has been the subject of numerous books and battle field guides – as recently in 2010 and two titles in 2011 alone.

Ron Lock is well known for his work on the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 and this is his first foray into the Second Anglo-Boer War. The catchy title and cover art work (collecting the wounded after the battle) are reminiscent of his AZW work. The similarities do not end there; in 1996 two reviewers of Lock's Blood on the Painted Mountain about the battles of Hlobane and Khambula criticised Lock for an over long preamble and a lack of research, (see SOTQ March 1996 Issue 84, review article by Huw M Jones and book review by Ian Knight).

In Squandered Valour the Table of Contents reveal an inconsistency with the outward appearance and sales blurb on the book. Of the 13 chapters just one is about Spion Kop - 44 pages. Exactly why 11 chapters are required to get the reader to Spion Kop is a mystery. It would appear Lock had not enough material on Spion Kop itself. The other chapters cover the invasion of Natal and Buller's battles to relieve Ladysmith. However, this book is not the complete story of the Relief of Ladysmith, the key battles of Tugela Heights which were fought over a period of a fortnight are covered in just a couple of pages as the reader is rushed to the final page.

What of the chapter on Spion Kop? This, unfortunately is no tour de force, no concise elucidation of the facts, Lock brings nothing new in research, sources, facts or argument to the story of Spion Kop. His bibliography is painfully thin on Spion Kop sources. Strangely the official British Government record, the Spion Kop Despatches, which has been published numerous times since 1902  is listed under “Unpublished Sources and Private Information”. Lock has has not sought out a history for each unit involved; for instance the South Lancashire Regiment was covered in the excellent Red Roses on the Veldt Lancashire Regiments in the Boer War 1899-1902 (J Downham, Carnegie Publishing, Lancaster 2000). Nothing for the King's Own (Royal Lancaster), Middlesex Regiment or Scottish Rifles. The history of the Imperial Light Infantry (ILI) is admittedly very scarce, but the National Library of South Africa has a copy – Lock lives in Kwazulu-Natal. Even closer to home The Natal Archives contain a number of accounts from survivors of Spion Kop. The personal papers of Colonel A Thorneycroft, one of the key commanders at Spion Kop, have not been consulted, his surname is misspelt throughout as well.

The jacket blurb promises “vivid and complete detail...valuable to both historians and strategists”,  errors and omissions seriously undermine this claim. The “several companies” of the South Lancashire Regiment that attacked Spion Kop were in fact just two ('C' and 'D' companies). Their regimental commander Lt-Colonel MacCarthy O'Leary “survived the battle”, there is no evidence he was present on Spion Kop at all. A new regiment, “the Royal South Lancs” appears on Spion Kop, it may be a confusion between the South Lancashire and King's Own (Royal Lancaster) Regiments. Thorneycrofts MI had 18 officers not “eight” on Spion Kop, in fact the TMI suffered 10 officer casualties on Spion Kop. The complete story of the ILI is missing; two companies were told off to provide an escort to a howitzer that arrived too late, they were sent up Spion Kop ahead of the rest of the regiment). In the confusion on to whether to retreat or reinforce the Somerset Light Infantry were readied to go up and build gun emplacements.

The supplied casualty figures are woefully inadequate and they cover the period 17-24 January, no figures are given for the day of the battle, or even a breakdown by unit. There is no mention at all of any gallantry decorations or Mentions in Despatches for the officers and soldiers who fought on Spion Kop.  This book is intensely disappointing.

Saved from death by a prayer book - but who?

I recently purchased this postcard because it shows a book and prayer book carried in the "left breast pocket of a Corporal of the R.S.G.....which was the means of saving his life when shot at Greonfontein [sic], Bowkers Spruit, on Dec. 30th, 1901."

Who was this soldier?

In the action at Goenfontein 5 men of the 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) were killed and 13 wounded. No other units suffered casualties, it is possible only the 2nd Dragoons were involved.

Amongst the wounded were a Corporal and a Saddler Corporal. Cpl 4726 WG Griffiths, his service papers survive and record he was wounded in the abdomen. Service papers have not been found for Saddler Cpl 3922 R Scott. However, using the newspaper archive on FindmyPast, a casualty list indicating where each man was wounded was found in the Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer (4th January 1902).

The newspaper confirms the book and prayer book beloinged to Saddler Corporal Scott, he was wounded in the chest:

I have no record of Saddler Corporal Scott's medal on the market.

For all the men wounded I have added the location of their wound in The Register.

"...while asleep in the trenches."

Reading through newspapers I found a short story picked off the news wires by many newspapers in Britain filed by the Pretoria correspondent of The Standard in early November 1900:

""Last week a party of fifty Boers surprised the volunteer company of the Berkshire Regiment while asleep in the trenches. The first intimation of the presence of the enemy was when the Boers woke them up and demanded their arms which were surrendered." The officers have been placed under arrest, pending a court martial."

This was a unique event in the war, and very shameful for the British Army. Looking into the casualty rolls the names of these men are not recorded. Fortunately, the Army kept a record of every surrender that occurred as each was inspected to ensure officers and men made every effort to resist the enemy. These records are published as South African Surrenders, War Office 1905, a copy is available at the National Archives under WO108-372. The soldiers involved were letter writers and a number were published in the weeks following the incident.

The incident occurred on October 28, 1900 at Holfontein Siding in the Orange Free State. Such was the scale of the surrender and the circumstances it merited a special account. Holfontein Siding is 30 km south-west of Kroonstad on the line to Bloemfontein.

The volunteer service company commanded by Cpt AF Ewen entrained at Kroonstad with orders to go to Holfontein. On arriving there they were informed by the Commandant, Cpt RE Watt, 1st bn Oxfordshire Light Infantry, to proceed to Holfontein Siding 4 miles further and dig in. They departed and on arrival his men began digging trenches. The ground was very hard and progress was slow. Patrols were sent out and sentries posted. In the evening a big storm erupted which did not end until the early hours of the 28th. At 4am a patrol was sent out which shortly returned the news that "British Mounted Infantry" were approaching the camp. A number soldiers swore the mounted men were dressed exactly like British MI and rode in formation, the mounted force approached from the east with the dawn light at their back and the soldiers admitted the light was not good. The patrol was captured and the Boer continued to the camp splitting into smaller groups, when they were about 100 yds they shouted "Hands Up". A number of soldiers maintain that Genl Christian de Wet captured them personally at the point of his mauser pistol. Cpt Ewen could see there were just a handful of his men in the entrenchments and only two had rifles in hand, everyone else was asleep or sheltering trying to get warm, rifles piled in neat stacks. Faced with an estimated 300-400 Boers (soldiers give a figure as high as 800) Ewen had no choice but to surrender. The volunteers were rounded up and marched off to be stripped.

The Boers had stopped a goods train outside the station and were busy looting it. The volunteers lost about a dozen sets of binoculars and a dozen rifles smashed. Very soon, an armoured train could be heard steaming fromthe south and opened fire on the Boers driving them away. Shortly afterwards General TC Porter rode up with his staff, the 3rd Cavalry Brigade were in the neighbourhood.

The volunteers were sent were conducted to Bloemfontein arriving there on November 2 and kept as prisoners overnight. (Windsor & Eton Express 15-12-1900, Oxford Journal 01-12-1900)

Ewen was bought before a court-martial on November 20 at Bloemfontein charged with; "that he shamefully delivered up a post to the enemy" and "he was taken prisoner by want of due precaution". The court asked why the men were not stood to at daybreak, Ewen replied he did not think it was necessary. The court found Ewen guilty of the second charge but not the first, the sentence was a severe reprimand and forfeiture of any campaign medal. Lord Roberts approved the court's decision. When the War Office reviewed the case it confirmed the sentence and added that Ewen forfeits his war gratuity. The medal roll shows Ewen was awarded a QSA medal, whether it was recovered is not known. Ewen's brief account of the affair was published in the Berkshire Chronicle (08-12-1900).

The names are not probably recorded in the casualty rolls because they were only prisoners for a short period. The medal roll clearly shows the volunteer service company headed by Cpt Ewen's name. There are 135 names on the roll. Analysing the roll to exclude those who either died or were invalided prior to 28th October and Lt WP Alleyne who served as a Railway Staff Officer, Bloemfontein, leaves 119 names. Reading contemporary newspaper reports and accounts put the number of men at Holfontein at a maximum of 90. Frustratingly, South African Surrenders does not give a number but only states "The company", Pte 6793 HG Swain states there were 88 men (Oxford Journal 01-12-1900), The Reading Mercury (01-12-1900) states between 80 and 90 from the letters written by soldiers who were there, the letter from an unknown soldier states they numbered 50, but 50 is half a company, and perhaps the writer was simply reinforcing the fact they were heavily outnumbered.


Ewen's military career was not unduly upset, he continued to serve in the volunteers and then the Territorial Force before he resigned in 1911. He re-joined for WW1 serving at home as a Major (temporary).

How Research has advanced - as revealed by one medal

I recently purchased a QSA medal single clasp for "Relief of Ladysmith" to Trooper 1786 FD Hester Natal Police. The dealer supplied verification from the medal roll confirming the single clasp. A nice medal with an unusual single clasp.

Job done?

Of course not. Research is never absolutely, completely done.

Using The Register I looked the recipient up - before purchase of course and discovered that the man was entitled to two further clasps, but more excitingly he served in three other, rather special, units and was captured in a very nasty ambush late in 1902.

When the medal arrived I was surprised and amused to see the medal roll verification came from myself in 2008 that I did for a different dealer. Back in 2008 the medal rolls were not on Ancestry, I was using my own micro-film copy; old fashioned page by page research. The details on the medal led me to page roll 261 page 130 for the Natal Police which confirmed the single clasp and the remark "discharged 26-01-1901". I could not find Hester on an Extra Clasp roll for the Natal Police. To all intents and purposes Trooper Hester's role in the war had ended. Clasp confirmed, research completed.

The Register is a fantastic resource making the most of modern technology - namely the database. Whereas Ancestry's medal roll index is simply a list of names from the rolls, The Register connects all the references to a single recipient in one place. Looking up Trooper 1786 FD Hester Natal Police shows you the gold dust hidden in the rolls and information from casualty rolls and other sources that turns a "nice medal" into a sensational QSA.

Following discharge from the Natal Police in 1901 Hester served as Sgt 6 Utrecht-Vryheid Mounted Police and in Loxton's Horse. In 1902 he enlisted for the Special Squadron, Steinaecker's Horse. All three units were composed of hard men who were intensely disliked by the Boers. Loxton's Horse was a shadowy "loot corps" formed in secret by Lord Kitchener to wage economic warfare on the Boers. Very little is known about Loxton's Horse, only two men appear on the medal rolls under that unit name. I have constructed a history and nominal roll.

Serving with Steinaecker's, on April 16, 1902, Hester was part of a large patrol sent to raid a Boer laager. The laager was empty but Boers were spotted near by, giving chase the patrol followed the Boers into a narrow defile where others Boers poured a heavy fire into them. Six men were killed, 16 wounded and 31 captured. Hester was posted as "missing, rejoined", he may have been captured and released or simply escaped the carnage and made his own back to base.

A terrific story, enough to grace any medal. But, research on his full name, Francis Danby Hester, reveals a Sergeant 4908 Francis Danby Hester 3rd SA Infantry, 1st SA Brigade - missing presumed killed between the 15th-20th July 1916 at Delville Wood on the Somme, France.

Delville Wood is the iconic battle for South African forces in WW1 - huge casualties were suffered as they hung to a chunk of earth defying German efforts to capture the ground. When relieved on July 20 the 1st SA Brigade mustered just 750 out 3153 men - a 76% casualty rate.

Never stop researching.

British Cavalry: Clasp Rarity

A recent advert on eBay for a QSA to the 6th Dragoon Guards screamed:

RARE CLASP JOHANNESBURG AND 2 BATTLE BARS

Is this true?

Here is a table of clasps awarded to the British cavalry:

Defence of Kimberley	3	0.004%
Defence of Mafeking	11	0.014%
Wepener	11	0.014%
Relief of Mafeking	46	0.059%
Rhodesia	52	0.067%
Modder River	499	0.643%
Belmont	506	0.652%
Talana	536	0.690%
Elandslaagte	604	0.778%
Natal	978	1.260%
Tugela Heights	1629	2.098%
Laings Nek	1702	2.192%
Relief of Ladysmith	1734	2.233%
Wittebergen	1940	2.499%
Defence of Ladysmith	2066	2.661%
Dreifontein	2249	2.897%
Paardeberg	3045	3.922%
Relief of Kimberley	3087	3.976%
Diamond Hill	3565	4.592%
Belfast	3851	4.960%
Johannesburg	4418	5.691%
Transvaal	13212	17.017%
Cape Colony	14468	18.635%
Orange Free State	17426	22.445%
Total Clasps	77638

The most common battle clasp is............."Johannesburg"! The other two clasps on the medal being sold are "Paardeberg" and "Relief of Kimberley" - both scarcer than "Johannesburg", but to which the recipient is not entitled.

The counts for "Cape Colony", "Orange Free State" and "Transvaal" do not include all the men from the cavalry attached to Remount Depots. Not all these men are included in the main roll for their regiments, you could a few hundred for each of these clasps.

From the table overall I excluded a handful of men - usually officers, attached to the cavalry or Staff from British volunteer cavalry units such as the Queen's Own Worcestershire Yeomanry and The Loyal Suffolk Hussars.

A Bogus Claim for the Elandslaagte Clasp?

Amongst the Royal Horse Artillery rolls in WO100/139 is a page for the Riding Establishment, Royal Artillery (page 257) with just 10 names. One line stands out:

Driver 7115 H Langley with clasps Transvaal, Elandslaagte, Laing's Nek

Elandslaagte is one the scarcest clasps for the second pitched battle of the war that took place on October 21st, 1899. Langley's combination is interesting, Elandslaagte is most often combined with Defence of Ladysmith or Relief of Ladysmith and not just with Laing's Nek. Langley is not listed in Biggins' Elandslaagte roll (Token Publishing 2004). Is this a "new" Elandslaagte clasp?

Looking for validation Langley is on the roll for the 86th Battery Royal Field Artillery - a unit not present at Elandslaagte. His clasps on this roll are Cape Colony,  Transvaal and Laing's Nek, clasps consistent for this battery. Fortunately service papers exist (WO364 WW1 Series) - but not complete, unfortunately his clasp entitlement is not mentioned nor the dates he served in South Africa. However, his papers reveal much that may indicate why the Elandslaagte clasp appears on the Riding Establishment roll.

Henry enlisted in The Buffs (East Kent Rgt) in 1891 as Henry Huggins. In 1894 he transferred to the Royal Artillery, possibly in India. In 1898 he was transferred to the 86th Battery and then in August 1900 moved to the Riding Establishment after being invalided from South Africa. Henry's conduct was consistently bad, his offences included; "absent from 6:30 a.m. roll call", "improperly dressed in Wellington Street", insubordination, "being in bed after reveille", "found asleep on his post" and others.

The Riding Establishment did not serve in South Africa, and the roll was prepared to enable those veterans to claim their medals. Langley may well have told the clerk preparing the roll he was entitled to the Elandslaagte clasp.

What clasps was Langley issued with: The roll for the 86th Battery states his medal was issued from the Riding Establishment roll, with the Elandslaagte clasp?

British cavalry and the Relief of Kimberley

The relief of Kimberley was a cavalry operation. After the success of Paardeberg, Lord Roberts unleashed his cavalry commanded by General JDP French on a dash to relieve Kimberley.

French took nine regiments and a squadron of the 6th Dragoons - over 3,000 men. A further 17 cavalry regiments were represented by 22 officers and 51 men.

Regiment	RoK	Officers	ORs
3rd Hussars	10	2	8
11th Hussars	4	1	3
15th Hussars	5	2	3
17th Lancers	5	3	2
18th Hussars	8	0	8
19th Hussars	1	0	1
1st Dragoon Guards	3	0	3
1st Dragoons	2	1	1
20th Hussars	2	2	0
21st Lancers	7	2	5
2nd Dragoon Guards	2	0	2
3rd Dragoon Guards	3	2	1
4th Dragoon Guards	2	2	0
5th Lancers	4	0	4
7th Dragoon Guards	1	1	0
7th Hussars	10	4	6
8th Hussars	4	0	4
	73	22	51

Three members of the Imperial Yeomanry were also present, one officer and two men who were servants to General French.

British Cavalry and the Relief of Mafeking

No British cavalry regiments were present for the relief of Mafeking - it was a "colonial" affair - Rhodesians, Canadians and south Africans. The formal British mainland representation was just a company of infantry drawn from Barton's Fusilier Brigade - Royal Fusiliers, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, Scots Fusiliers and Royal Irish Fusiliers.

Nonetheless 19 British cavalry regiments were represented at the relief of Mafeking, 11 officers and 48 men.

Regiment	RoM	Officers	ORs
10th Hussars	2	0	2
11th Hussars	10	1	9
13th Hussars	2	1	1
18th Hussars	1	0	1
19th Hussars	2	0	2
1st Dragoons	1	1	0
1st Dragoon Guards	3	2	1
2nd Dragoon Guards	1	1	0
3rd Dragoon Guards	4	0	4
4th Hussars	1	1	0
5th Dragoon Guards	3	0	3
5th Lancers	2	0	2
6th Dragoon Guards	1	1	0
7th Dragoon Guards	1	0	1
7th Hussars	4	2	2
8th Hussars	3	0	3
Imperial Yeomanry	2	1	1
Royal Horse Guards (The Blues)	5	0	5
	48	11	37

British Cavalry and the Relief of Ladysmith

Out of the 18-20,000 men under General Sir Redvers Buller's command in the campaign to relieve Ladysmith there were only two and a half regiments of regular British cavalry; 13th Hussars, 14th Hussars and the 1st Dragoons. Additionally there were very small drafts (less than 30 men each) from the cavalry regiments trapped in Ladysmith; 5th Lancers, 5th Dragoon Guards, 18th Hussars and 19th Hussars.

Yet a total of 16 other regular cavalry regiments were represented in the campaign, all very small detachments numbering from 1 up to 8. Their participation was rewarded with two possible clasps; Relief of Ladysmith and Tugela Heights. The Tugela Heights clasp is less common, men could have been sick or found other duties as the campaign wore on.

Regiment	RoL	Officers	ORs		TH	Officers	ORs
10th Hussars	4	1	3		4	1	3
11th Hussars	2	1	1		2	1	1
12th Lancers	4	1	3		4	1	3
16th Lancers	4	2	2		4	2	2
1st Dragoon Guards	8	4	4		7	3	4
1st Life Guards	8	2	6		2	1	1
21st Lancers	3	2	1		3	2	1
2nd Dragoons	3	0	3		2	0	2
2nd Life Guards	7	1	6		4	1	3
3rd Dragoon Guards	1	1	0		1	1	0
4th Hussars	2	2	0		2	2	0
6th Dragoon Guards	1	1	0		1	1	0
7th Dragoon Guards	7	3	4		4	2	2
7th Hussars	4	2	2		3	2	1
8th Hussars	2	1	1		3	1	2
Royal Horse Guards (The Blues)	8	2	6		5	2	3
	68	26	42		51	23	28

Most of the officers would have been on Buller's Staff, the other ranks would have been signallers, servants or attached to colonial units. See this blog for a detailed analysis of the 1st Life Guards detachment.

Additionally two volunteer cavalry units were represented. Colonel Baron Gerard along with two privates from the Lancashire Hussars served on Buller's Staff and Lt FW Jarvis of the Loyal Suffolk Hussars was attached to the 13th Hussars.

Sheltered by the Zulus

A post today on the excellent Facebook group The Anglo-Boer War (The South African War) - 1899 - 1902 revealed a really interesting story:

After the battle of Nicholson's Neck, two men from the Mountain Battery were apparently found by local zulus and sent to Chief Khumalo at Driefontein. They were cared for and hidden there from the Boers until March 1900 when they were taken back into Ladysmith, after it was relieved. Does anyone have any further information on this fascinating story?

From:  The Natal Campaign. "A sacrifice betrayed" by Hugh Rethman. August 2017 page 160.

The battle of Nicholson's Nek was fought on October 30th, 1899 outside Ladysmith and just before the town was besieged. The unit is 10th Mountain Battery Royal Garrison Artillery. Ladysmith was relieved on February 28th, 1900.

Can the casualty rolls help identify these two men would have spent five months living with Zulus and being kept away from the Boers. No, the casualty rolls on their own are not sufficient, but with the extra casualty and medal roll information in The Register we can identify two likely candidates from the 10th Mountain Battery Royal Garrison Artillery:

Gunner 3684 W Bradley
Gunner 13714 W Adams

Both men are recorded as "missing - released" at Nicholson's Nek. Crucially they are not listed amongst the prisoners released by British forces in June-September 1900 from POW in the Transvaal. Their names could have been missed off or maybe they got back to Ladysmith after the battle, but in The Times for April 21st, 1900, Gunner Bradley is reported "alive and well in Ladysmith":

No similar mention for Gnr Adams has been traced.

Using the medal rolls, a crucial resource in determining what happened to casualties, neither man earned the Defence of Ladysmith clasp. So, if they weren't in Ladysmith why weren't they in a POW camp in the Transvaal?

Back to the medal rolls, Adams earned the clasp for Laings' Nek, the qualifying period being June 2nd-9th, 1900. The first POWs were not released until June 6th. It is highly unlikely for Adams to have been released on the 6th and sent back to his unit in the front line before the 9th. Most prisoners were not fit for service. As POWs they lived on short rations, in tin huts with limited medical care. Bradley earned the single clasp Natal, he did not earn a clasp for the Transvaal like many of his comrades who were POWs did. Adams did earn the Transvaal and Orange Free State clasps, but his presence at Laing's Nek proves beyond doubt he was not a POW in the Transvaal.

So, where these men guests of the Zulu for five months?

Service papers exist for both men but agonisingly they make no mention of such an episode. More work is required, but it is certain they were not POWs in the Transvaal and Bradley was certainly not with the Army until he turned up in Ladysmith in April 1900.

Image reproduced from The Times Digital Archive.

Thomas Bracken, a soldier in the midst of history

Thomas Bracken was born in Kilcock, County Kildare, Ireland, and was baptised in May 1878. In November 1896 he enlisted for the militia, 3rd bn Dublin Fusiliers, at Naas, he was an 18 year old labourer. Eighteen days later he joined the regular Army at Naas, enlisting for the Dublin Fusiliers number 5931.

In 1898 he was sent to South Africa to join the 2nd battalion at Pietermaritzburg, Natal. In September 1899 the Dublins were part of a small force, under the command of Major-General Sir W Penn-Symons, sent to Dundee in northern Natal to counter any Boer invasion. At the first pitched battle of the war on 20th October, 1899 at Talana the Dublins were in the van storming the hill. The battle was not a great success for the British, the infantry were subject to heavy artillery and rifle fire as they advanced and stormed the hill. Additionally they were enfiladed, casualties were high. With true British infantry grit bayonets were fixed and the hill carried. As the Boers fled northwards the 18th Hussars and Mounted Infantry set off in pursuit splitting into two, a portion of the regiment became stranded on a farm and forced to surrender. Despite winning the battlefield the British were forced to retreat to Ladysmith to avoid being caught by the invading Boers.

Thomas is not listed in the published casualty rolls (Natal Field Force and Palmer’s) but is shown in the regimental history as missing since 20th October, 1899 at Talana. Quite how he came to be captured is not clear, the wounded were left behind with medical personnel. Was Thomas wounded and left behind (there is no evidence), was he captured on the battlefield? This seems most likely, which means he would have part of the Mounted Infantry captured at Talana. Very few of the MI captured at Talana are recorded in the official casualty rolls, yet I have found many in The Times lists of released POWS. Bracken is shown in The Times as being released 6th June 1900 at Waterval. His clasp entitlement on the QSA of Orange Free State, Transvaal and Talana is typical of a POW. Those Dublins who survived Talana would be eligible for the Relief of Ladysmith and Tugela Heights clasps. A handful of the 2nd bn remained in Ladysmith during the siege. Following his release in June 1900, Thomas rejoined the 2nd bn. In January 1902 he was transferred to the 1st battalion in South Africa. The 2nd bn headed for Aden, Thomas was probably transferred as he was eligible for transfer to the Reserves after six years Colour service and would be heading towards the UK.

In November 1902 the 1st battalion left South Africa for Malta. Thomas was stationed here for eight years. In 1903 Thomas transferred to the Military Foot Police, number 762 and was immediately advanced to Lance-Corporal. He married a Maltese lady, Evelyn Sultana, in May 1905 at Sliema Parish Church. Thomas, with his wife and two sons, arrived in Southampton in November 1910, a third son was born at Aldershot in October 1911. They moved to Dublin in 1913, Thomas passed his second class Certificate of Education at Portobello Barracks and shortly after was promoted to Corporal.

The outbreak of WWI did not impact Thomas like many other soldiers, he did not serve overseas and remaining in Dublin. Thomas was awarded his LSGC in April 1915, appointed acting-Sergeant with pay in November. A fourth child, a daughter, was born in January 1916 in Dublin. At this time Bracken had transferred to the Military Foot Police based at Ship Street Barracks, Dublin.

On April 22, 1916 he was sent to Military Detention Barracks to collect a prisoner, one Sir Roger Casement. Casement was a former British diplomat, who during the Anglo-Boer War was British Consul in Lourenco Marques - a hot bed of spies and intrigue. Casement was at the heart of British efforts to disrupt supplies to the Boer Republics and gain information. After the war he had turned to Irish Nationalism and was involved in supplying arms to the nationalists. During WW1 he tried to get the Germans to support an armed uprising, in April 1916 a German submarine put him ashore, but he was soon captured and taken to Dublin. Bracken's job was to escort Casement to London which he did via Holyhead. Arriving at Euston Station on the 23rd Bracken handed his prisoner over to the Metropolitan Police. Casement was tried in June, convicted of treason and sentenced to death, Bracken giving evidence. Casement was hanged on August 3, 1916 at Pentonville prison. There is a splendid picture of Bracken and his fellow police colleagues called to give evidence: https://irishconstabulary.com/sir-roger-casement-t1387.html#.WKo6FYVOK70.

Bracken probably returned to Dublin straightaway. On April 24th the Easter Rising broke out in Dublin, Bracken's usual station at Ship Street Barracks was in the middle of the fighting. The insurrection ended five days later after much bloody fighting. Many captured rebels were held at Ship Street Barracks.

Advancement to Sergeant came in 1918, Thomas was discharged in 1920 after 24 years’ service his address was 19 D Block, Iveagh Buildings, Patrick Street, Dublin. He was awarded a pension with an extra sum for 30% disablement due to myalgia. What happens to Thomas after the war is not clear, in 1919 his wife, who could not sign her name, applied to be repatriated to Malta. This appears to have been unsuccessful. One son has been traced, Thomas George Bracken, who died in 1997 in Roanoke, Virginia after a long career with the US Army. His obituary states he grew up in Dublin and joined the US Army in England in 1941.

At some stage after 1949 Thomas (senior) was awarded a Meritorious Service Medal. Amongst his service papers is a letter from the War Office dated 1920 referring to an application made for an MSM with annuity for Thomas, the letter states that his “name has been placed on the register..the list is a long one..only the few strongest claims can be eventually rewarded”. It took at least 29 years for the award to be made.

Bracken's medals are interesting, they all come in “modern” boxes of issue with handwritten labels except for the MSM which is typed and stamped. The QSA and KSA have swivel suspenders and are impressed in small capitals of the post WW1 era. They are not marked as replacements. The LSGC is not one would expect to be issued in 1915 but one from 1930 onwards – crowned bust and coronation robes, with the fixed bar “Regular Army”. The MSM dates from 1949, coinage profile “FID DEF. All medals are in mint condition. There are, unfortunately, no remarks on the QSA and KSA rolls or in his service papers regarding the issue of any of these medals.

Thanks to members of the British Medal Forum for their help. Bracken's picture is taken from an image on The Royal Irish Constabulary Forum.

The Stebbing Brothers - a military family

I came across this article while researching another man, published in the Birmingham Daily Gazette, November 19th, 1915.

What caught my eye was the five words "nineteen clasps for South Africa" - who were the Stebbings?

"Mr E. R. Stebbing of Rugby" was Edwin Robert (1847-1933) a soldier, in the 1891 census he listed as Bandmaster 1st Royal Warwickshire Regiment. The census lists five sons, three of whom served in the Anglo-Boer War:

Edwin Armstrong - born Poona, East Indies 1878. Served Devonshire Rgt. DCM, QSA (5) KSA (2)

Benjamin Charles - born Aden 1879/1881. Served Devonshire Rgt 1894-1906. QSA (6)

William Samuel - born Twickenham, Mssx 1878/1879. Served Devonshire Rgt 1892-1912 (transferred to Rifle Brigade, 1912-1913) QSA (5) KSA (2)

Papers exist for Benjamin and William which confirm the family connection. No papers exist for Edwin. These boys provide the tally of medals and clasps (20 actually), except the Long Service & Good Conduct which could belong to the father or Edwin, no papers exist for either.

All three boys served together in the 2nd battalion Devonshire Rgt in the Relief of Ladysmith campaign earning the clasps: Orange Free State, Transvaal, Tugela Heights, Relief of Ladysmith and Laing's Nek. Benjamin was invalided in 1901 earning the "South Africa 1901" clasp - perhaps this clasp was not counted by the newspaper.

Edwin was awarded the DCM for the action on Tugela Heights February 23rd, 1900.

British Empire Casualties of the Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902 exhibit, OMRS 2017 Gold Medal winner

At the 2017 OMRS Convention I presented an exhibit:

"British Empire Casualties of the Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902" 

                                         

I was fortunate to be awarded a Gold Medal in the Research Class and also the "Henry Pownall Trophy for the Best First Time Exhibit.

The contents of the exhibit are in the following three pdfs:

1. The Main Display
2. Additional Notes & Sources
3. Blog Articles on casualties

Royal East Kent Mounted Rifles and the South African Light Horse.

One feature of the Second Anglo-Boer War was the fervor among civilians (men and women) to volunteer for the forces of the British Empire. Many civilian units are well known that were raised in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka and Canada . Volunteers from the UK arrived in 1900 with the Imperial Yeomanry, but a small number were determined to join the fray before then.

Calls in the UK in 1899 to raise a civilian volunteer force were rejected by the War Office. One of those calling for this force was Sir George Canning, Lord Harris, a man with interests in South African mining businesses. Lord Harris was also Honorary Colonel of the Royal East Kent Mounted Rifles, rebuffed by the War Office he encouraged his own men to go to South Africa and join one of the many units being raised there. Eleven men came forward and traveled in November 1899 to enlist in the Imperial Light Horse. They, or Lord Harris, paid their passage and they took out their own kit. Lord Harris was a noted cricket player and this group were soon nicknamed "Harris' Eleven", their departure did not go unnoticed by the newspapers:

"It is impossible to estimate the far-reaching effects of the patriotism of the dozen (sic) men of the East Kent Yeomanry.." [The Globe 21-12-1899]

When they arrived in Cape Town they learned that the ILH had been besieged in Ladysmith, so they decided to join the South African Light Horse being raised in Cape Town.

The 11 men are:

822	Sergeant-Major	Charles Tilleard	Mudford
823	Trooper	A	Monckton
824	Sergeant	HH	Clarke
825	Trooper	AD	Butcher
826	Trooper	A	Goodhew
827	Trooper	George Percy	Tice
828	Lance-Sergeant	H	Foster
829	Trooper	Ernest Albert	Sole
830	Trooper	Thomas Owen	Robinson
831	Trooper	Thomas Morgan	Deveson
832	Trooper	Thomas Banbury	Palmer

They served through the Relief of Ladysmith campaign and the clearance of Natal. It did not take long for them to draw praise from their Army commander, Maj-Gen Sir Redvers Buller, VC, himself a noted leader of irregular cavalry: 

"Among the best irregulars I have here are a party of the East Kent Yeomanry Cavalry" [The Globe 21-12-1899] 

Buller was an advocate of raising a large force of irregular cavalry and was undoubtedly using these 11 men as an example to further his agenda. One newspaper report labels these men as "pioneers of the Imperial Yeomanry". [London Evening Standard 27-07-1901]

This group suffered just one casualty, Ernest Sole died of enteric fever at Standerton on July 21st, 1900. He is remembered with a memorial in St Mary's Church, Stodmarsh, Kent and the Kent units memorial in Dane John Park, Canterbury, Kent. 

Sgt-Major Mudford was MID and awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (London Gazette 08-02, 27-09-1901). Sgt HH Clarke was MID (London Gazette 08-02-1901).

Of the remaining 10 they all returned home in 1900 apart from GP Tice who was commissioned into Robert's Horse and later served with the Prince of Wales Light Horse, South African Mounted Irregular Forces and finally 9th bn Imperial Yeomanry. Tice remained in South Africa taking part in the 1906 Natal Rebellion (L-Cpl Transvaal Mounted Rifles). He fought in World War I as a Major in the Lancashire Fusiliers. 

The 10 received their medals from King Edward VII on July 26th, 1901 in a large parade. The weather was foul, rain delaying the start. When the men received their medals, they were without clasps, these were issued later. I have recorded six of the eleven QSAs: Clarke, Butcher, Deveson, Mudford, Robinson and Tice. The medals to Clarke, Butcher and Deveson are named to the "RL: E. KENT M.R.".

Tice's QSA, because he was commissioned, is named to the SAMIF, not the unit he first served as when he was an other rank.

Main image is from The Transvaal in War and Peace, N Edwards, H Virtue & Co, 1900 page 201. The picture was taken before they left for South Africa. Sgt-Major Carlisle did not go to South Africa.

Further reading: Kent and County of London Yeomanry Association (Sharpshooters)

Tribute Medals - Norton

Tribute Medals are a particular feature of the Second Anglo-Boer War, not being a common item for previous or subsequent wars. They are well documented in MG "Bill" Hibbard's excellent Boer War Tribute Medals (Constantia Classics, Sandton, 1982), and Canadian Welcome Home Medals 1899-1945 (George A Brown, Douglas Ferguson Historical Research Foundation, BC 1991). Tribute medals for the Second Anglo-Boer are uncommon at best and some are simply unique. The medals are often made from gold or silver and were expensive in their day. Not surprisingly, they are highly collected today.

More common examples include Birmingham (left) and the Montgomeryshire Imperial Yeomanry (right).

The medal I want show today is one rated by Bill Hibbard as R3 (two to four known) and second only to R4 "only example known" - the tribute medal issued by Norton (or Norton Malton) in North Yorkshire.

This medal was issued named which makes it great for research. The decision to issue a tribute medal was made at a town meeting on 16th October 1903. Local resident Colonel Sir James Legard and his wife of Welham Hall had placed a window in St Peter's Church in memory "of those who fell in war and those who returned in peace". Their son, Captain AD Legard, 1st bn King's Royal Rifle Corps, was one who returned safely. Additionally a dinner was to be held for the veterans when the window was unveiled on 12th November 1903. At the meeting Col Legard said that 43 men from the village served in the war representing 13% of the population. Memorials were also erected for five men who died and 40 who survived (it is not known the reason for the discrepancy between Col Legard's 43 men and the 40 named on the memorial). When these memorials were erected is not known, but must coincide with the award of the tribute medal. There is a further memorial to 2nd Lt FH Raikes 2nd bn KRRC who was killed 6th January, 1900 at Wagon Hill defending Ladysmith. Cpt Legard was at the siege of Ladysmith.

The medal is silver, 36mm in diameter and made by JR Gaunt & Sons, Birmingham. The medal contain hallmarks for 1903. Hibbard indicates 2-4 were issued - on what basis is not known. Judging from the memorial to the survivors there must be 40 medals, which on Hibbard's scale rates as common - survival of the medals today is another matter. Hibbard only identifies one recipient: Trooper 12309 CP Benson (Yorkshire) Imperial Yeomanry. From my searches only two are known to exist.

The medal illustrated was given to Gunner 51107 H Kilvington 82nd btty Royal Field Artillery. Herbert Kilvington was born in "Malton" in 1868, he enlisted into the RFA at "New Malton" in 1885. Herbert served in Burma (IGS medal and clasp Burma 1889-92). In South Africa he served from January 1900 to August 1902. In 1901 he transferred from the 82nd btty to LL section pom-poms. For his service he was awarded the QSA with clasps for Cape Colony Orange Free State, Transvaal and Laing's Nek and the KSA with two date clasps. After the war he worked at the North-Eastern Railway dockyard as a labourer. In 1896 he married Elizabeth, they had no children on the 1911 census. In 1914 on the outbreak of World War 1 he re-enlisted for the Military Police but only served 27 days. Herbert died in Hull in 1942, aged 74.

Ward, William - Army Form B2077 Discharge Parchment

This is a parchment certificate issued to each soldier on discharge from the Army or on transfer to the Reserves. The parchment was a form of identity and could be used to show employers proof identity, character and why they had not been civilian employ. These are not common at all.

This certificate was issued to William Ward who had served with the 8th Hussars and was discharged at Leeds on 8th October 1896 to the Reserves. While on the Reserves Ward was liable for call up for the period remaining of his 12 year enlistment.

Ward's service papers exist on FindmyPast. They show he was born in Banbury, Oxfordshire and enlisted age 18 in 1889, he was a servant.

He was recalled for active service in the Anglo-Boer War on 28th December, 1899. He served twice in South Africa, probably being invalided due to illness. He earned the QSA with clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State and King's South Africa with two date clasps. He was finally discharged in August 1902.

Boer POW Handicraft: medal box

Handicrafts made by Boer prisoners of war are well known and well collected. Less well known examples are boxes made for the medals of British soldiers guarding the Boer POWs.

The example shown here was made in Trinchinopoly (now Tiruchirappalli),  Tamil Nadu, southern India. This was the location of the largest POW camp in India (and Pakistan). The box was made for Pte 4307 JH Stocks, 1st bn Lincolnshire Rgt. The 1st bn had fought in the 1898 Sudan campaign at The Atbara and Khartoum. After the successful conclusion of the campaign the battalion was sent to India, when the Boer POWs arrived they became the camp guards. The 1st bn did not fight in South Africa but became intimately involved in one of the most unusual aspects of the war; guarding POWS in areas on the British Empire remote from the scene of fighting.



Inside the box are Stocks' two Sudan Campaign medals.

The box maker's name is 'J Viviers'. The only ‘J Viviers’ I have traced at Trichinopoly is a JPW Viviers who was wounded and POW at Dewetsdorp (December 15th, 1900), he died of his wounds in India on April 2nd, 1902. A similar box to a Pte 4349 W Breeze Lincolnshire Rgt was sold at auction in the UK in November 2011.

John Stocks was discharged from the Army in 1903 when he returned to the UK. He married in 1904 and settled in Hemsworth, Yorkshire where he became a postman. There is splendid picture of John (Jack) with his wife, Myra, and young niece on an Ancestry family tree.

John re-enlisted in September 1914 into the Lincolnshire Rgt. He served with the 6th bn at Gallipoli, Somme in July 1916 (but not the first day), Flers-Courcelette and Thiepval. John was transferred to the 8th bn and took part in the battle of Arras 9-12 April 1917. He was presumed dead on April 20th. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial and the Dewsbury Memorial in Yorkshire.