Souvenir Saturday: Siege and Relief of Ladysmith Commemorative group

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF SIEGE AND RELIEF OF LADYSMITH
29 February - 4 March 1950
List of some of the veterans attending the celebrations, with place of residence and regiment where given - many of these people are undoubtedly included in the group photograph taken on this occasion. Is your ancestor among them?
Click on the pic to zoom.

NC Natal Carbineers (or RNC Royal Natal Carbineers)
SALH South African Light Horse
RE Royal Engineers
VCR Volunteer Composite Regt
ILH Imperial Light Horse
NNV Natal Naval Volunteers
BMR Border Mounted Rifles
NMR Natal Mounted Rifles
DLI Durban Light Infantry
KRRC King's Royal Rifle Corps
R I L Royal Irish Lancers

SA Druitt Milton Hankey Cape Province RE
Alex Lyle Capt NC 432 Bulwer St PMBurg
WA Poulton (?) Maritzburg 5 R I Lancers
James E Greig Ladysmith NC
C Page Wood Umkomaas SALH
ER Baldock Bulawayo
R Tomlinson Pietermaritzburg NC
WH Smith Ladysmith Town Guard
AT Rowsell Ladysmith attached to RE Corps
KM Champion Sister Durban*
M Rowland Sister Durban*
K Boyd Nurse Cape Province*
Thos Hackland Richmond NC and VCR
GR Reynolds Port Nolloth Namaqualand
TA Lewis Richmond NC and VCR
WT Hamp Durban
ES MacGillivray Pretoria
WJ Crouch NC Colenso
Dan Yeadon Kings Own (R L) Regt Durban
FS Hornby Donnybrook NC
CR Carter Parkhurst JHBurg NC
EE Houshold 49 Loop St PMB NC
B Buntting Babanango Natal NC
M Taylor Sunrise PO Highbury NC
WE Antel NC
CW Lewis 48A Vause Rd Durban NP
AL Cooper Salisbury S Rhodesia ILH
CR Turner Durban NNV
Geo Craw McArthur Dannhauser BMR and VCR
Thos Gee Camperdown VCR
HG Finch NMR
FM Sivil Scottburgh NNV (with HMS Powerful)
A Joyner Matatiele East Griqualand NC
CF Thomson BMR PMB
C Francis PMB NC
JH Harwin Johannesburg
AA Mason Capt RIL
HE Smith NMR
CE Freeman BMR
JA Greer BMR
AW Starr NMR
J Foster BMR
AB Jones NMR
HGB Finch NMR
C Gottschalk BMR
HD Archibald BMR
LGray BMR
AH Shuttleworth BMR
BW Martin BMR and NC
JD Watson BMR
WH London BMR Umkomaas
AP Jefferson Currie Rd Durban
JG Shaw Howick NC
AS Clouston St Winifreds South Coast NC
TE Stubbings Royal Scots Fusiliers Ladysmith
GW Stevens Brakpan 2nd Dorset Regt
F(?) Brooks Voortrekker Rd 3rd Batt Rifle Brigade
R Rogers NMR
EC Chittenden PMBurg BMR
CL Tomlinson Bellair DLI
Lucky Lockwood Capt Felixton RFA
JW Tunmer Nicolson Rd Durban NMR
H Evelyn Haddon Kenilworth CP RNC
GD Kettle Durban RDLS
W Haworth Zululand NRR
Hbt T Mitchell Dundee NC
CG Kemp Tpr NC Dundee
O Hesom Trpr NC Dundee
? McMaster Ladysmith SAAF and RLI
R Grant PMB
F (?) A Gifford Ladysmith NC
JB Nicholson Underberg NC and VCR
HN Shaw Ladysmith NC
AB Alexander Durban NMR
C (?) Dunning Rondebosch Cape NNV
FE Follwell St Winifreds S Coast NC
F Yeadon Durban 45A Aliwal St
H Scott Richmond Natal
Mrs K Boyd Onrust Rivier
Mrs CF Cook Durban
? Hawkslee Chelsea Pensioner Royal Hospital Chelsea 1st KRRC Bugles
John Murray Durban NC Med Staff
AA Mason RNC
W Wright NC PMB

(Source: Ladysmith Siege Museum Collection)

Souvenir Saturday: letter from Ladysmith 1900

One of the best sources of information about an ancestor is original correspondence written by him, or, failing that, by his contemporaries. Sometimes more is gleaned from the people who knew him than from the ancestor's own letters, in which he may have been reticent about the details later to be of special interest to his descendants.

Fortunately for the Smith family, a number of letters written during the siege of Ladysmith by William Dixon Smith, Lieut Quartermaster of the Border Mounted Rifles, survived and were preserved. Among them was one of which Smith was not the author. This was written by Captain W Arnott of the BMR to his wife Betsy and took the form of a long essay to which he continued to add pages for the duration of the siege, as there was no way of sending any mail out of the beleaguered town.  

From Arnott's letter, we learn more about William Dixon Smith's final few days before he died at Intombi hospital camp on 13 January 1900.

Poor Smith of Umzinto died of fever last week. His was a very peculiar case. He felt poorly for a few days and was quite indignant when the Dr sent him to hospital. They kept him there for a fortnight and as [he] got neither better nor worse they sent him out to the Neutral camp at Ntombi spruit thinking that the change of air might improve him. It wasn't to be, poor fellow.

In fact, it's likely that the change of air, far  from doing William any good, may have worsened his condition as by that stage enteric and dysentery were rife at Intombi and men were dying like flies.

Ironically, William's own last communication with his family, who were awaiting  news anxiously in Umzinto, was a telegram sent by heliograph, intending to reassure his wife with the optimistic message 'All Well'.


For a group photo of the BMR officers, including Smith and Arnott, see
molegenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/05/souvenir-saturday-natal-border-mounted.html

and of William Dixon Smith in his BMR uniform
molegenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/01/souvenir-saturday-william-dixon-smith.html


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Intombi Cemetery Memorials, Ladysmith: Anglo-Boer War 1899 19

STRAUSS, O - Trooper, Border Mounted Rifles
d. 17th December 1899 (of dysentery)

TAYLOR, JG - Trooper, Imperial Light Horse
d. 20 Dec 1899
(Plaque on ILH Wall of Remembrance)

TUPMAN, Kenneth Lyon - Captain, The King's Regt.
d. during the Siege of Ladysmith Feb 4th 1900, aged 30 years
'Blessed are the pure in heart'

TUPMAN, KL - Capt. The King's Regt.
d. 4 Feb 1900 during the Siege of Ladysmith aged 30 years
This stone has been erected by his brother officers
in affectionate remembrance

Photographs: Dixon-Smith

For more on Intombi enter that term in this blog's search facility

Intombi Cemetery Memorials, Ladysmith: Anglo-Boer War 1899 17

RAW, SW - Trooper, Natal Carbineers
d. Intombi Jan 11th 1900 aged 23
'Not gone from memory, not gone from love, but gone to his father's home above'

1st & 2nd Battn. King's Royal Rifles
Obelisk in memory of N.C.O's and Riflemen who died of wounds or disease during the Siege of Ladysmith between 2nd November 1899 and 28th February 1900; this stone is erected as a token of affection and regard by their Comrades

Arm. Sgt, Cr. Sgt and Sergeants:

DELANEY, D
BOXALL, H
POCOCK, H
TURNER, W
LUCAS, C

Corporals:
HOPE, T
WHITE, H
STACEY, W
JACKSON, J
LITTLEBOY, C
YOUNG, W
PRIESTLEY, J

Lance Corporals:
AYRES, F
HARTE, T
HODSON, T
CHOUFFOTT, A
SCOTT, T
PEPPER, F
MASKELL, W
SOWDEN, T

Riflemen:
SPARSHOTT, H
ETHERINGTON, J
THOMAS, E
BUTLER, J
HULSE, W
BAXTER, C
SMITH, C
GOOCH, H
KIMPSON C
FENTON, R
CARNEY, J
SAUNDERS, E
SMITH, E
SMITH, T
SPENCER, A
THOMPSON, J
WALLIS, A
WHITEHEAD, J
WREAKS, W
BEEMAN, J
HERBERT, G
TAYLOR, C
BROGDEN, J
NEVILLE, H
BENNETT, R
AHERN, M
LONG, W
SILVEY, J
TAYLOR, E
MATTHEWSON, A
MUNN, A
CUNNINGHAM, W
ANDERSON, W
CONNOLLY, J
BARTON, FT
LEATHERBARROW, H
HALL, T
DOBBINS, A
BROWN, C
DONEGAN, T
NASON, W
KITCHING, T
ALLSOPP, H
O'HEARN, M
KNEE, W
CLARKE, F
WESTGATE, A
IGGLEDON, S

The Queen's South Africa Medal

(QSA) would have been awarded to all the

men mentioned in these memorials at Intombi.

Photographs: Dixon-Smith

For more on Intombi enter that tern in this blog's search facility

Intombi Cemetery Memorials, Ladysmith: Anglo-Boer War 1899 15

PEARCE, FW - Trooper, Imperial Light Horse
d. 1 Feb 1900
(Plaque on ILH Wall of Remembrance)

PEARSON, Reginald W - Lieut. 2nd Batt Rifle Brigade
d. 22 Feb 1900 aged 23 years
'Rest in peace, Beloved, Until the day break, and the shadows flee away'

PLATT, Cecil Sherman - 2nd Lieut. 5th Dragoon Guards
of Barnby Manor, Nottinghamshire
d. at Ladysmith on January 8th 1900 serving with his regiment during the Siege of Ladysmith, aged 22 years

Photographs: Dixon-Smith

For more on Intombi enter that term in this blog's search facility

Intombi Cemetery Memorials, Ladysmith: Anglo-Boer War 1899 9

HOLTE, EM - Trooper, Border Mounted Rifles
d. 10th February 1900 (of enteric fever)

HOLYLAND, R - Farrier Quartermaster Corporal, Royal Horse Guards
d. of fever at N'Domba's [sic] Camp
15th Jan 1900, aged 34 years

HORNSBY, E - Private, 1st Devon Regt
Died of wound 18th Feb 1900
(age illegible on MI)

Photographs: Dixon-Smith

For more on Intombi enter that term in this blog's search facility.

Intombi Cemetery Memorials Ladysmith: Anglo-Boer War 7

FOSTER, Frederick G - XI Prince Albert's Own Hussars
d. at Intombi 8th February 1900 aged 27

GORDON HIGHLANDERS Memorial

to men of the Regt. who died of disease at Intombi between 8 Jan and 16 Mar 1900

2nd Battalion:
TAGGART J, Colour Sgt.
BRIND, P, Lance Sgt.
MCKAY, J, Lance Corpl.
MATHIESON, N, Lance Corpl.
DOWNIE, G, Drummer
BRYANT, J, Pte.
FAULDS, T, Pte.
MCRAE, W, Pte.
MATHIESON, R, Pte.
PORTEOUS, T, Pte.
ROSS, J, Pte.
SUTER, H, Pte.
1st Bedford Regt. Attached [to Gordon Highlanders]
HOWES, J
TWELVETREE, H

Placed by the Regiment

GORTON, Henry Corbett 'Dickie' - Imperial Light Horse
wounded Ladysmith 6th Jan 1900
d. Intombi Spruit 10th Jan 1900
'One of the best and bravest'
Erected by the staff of the Castle and Natal Breweries

Photographs: Dixon-Smith

For more information on Intombi enter that term in the search facility of this blog.

Intombi Cemetery Memorials: Anglo-Boer War 6

DAVIES, John Estcourt Hungerford - Natal Carbineers
d. 21st Jan 1900
This stone is erected by his loving wife and children
In Affectionate Memory
'Will Ye Not Come Back again'

DIXON SMITH, William - Lieut. Quartermaster, Border Mounted Rifles
d. 13th Jan 1900 (of enteric fever)
(Cross is missing; see ANDERSON, A O
for similar cross bearing inscription
'Border Mounted Rifles' with regimental motto 'Rough But Ready' plus boot and spur insignia)

DUKE, Frederick
third son of Thomas and Harriet Duke of Steyning, Sussex, England
who after serving with the Natal Carbineers in the Boer War
died of enteric fever at Ndombi [sic] during the Siege of Ladysmith, on 20 Feb 1900 aged 31 years

Photographs: Dixon-Smith

For further information and background on Intombi enter that term in the search facility on this blog.

Intombi Cemetery Memorials, Ladysmith: Anglo-Boer War 4

CAMPBELL, J - Trooper, Imperial Light Horse
d. 23 Jan 1900
(Plaque on ILH Wall of Remembrance)

CARTER, JCE - Trooper, Imperial Light Horse
d. 22 Jan 1900, from wounds received at Wagon Hill
(Plaque on ILH Wall of Remembrance)

COHEN, JB - Natal Carbineers
d. 6 March 1900 (of dysentery)
(Jewish, buried adjacent to cemetery precincts)

Photographs: Dixon-Smith

Note: for further background information on Intombi Hospital Camp during the Siege of Ladysmith enter 'Intombi' in the search facility on this blog.