In Remembrance: Swires/Gadsden

Maud Alice SWIRES b 18 April 1890, married Sydney Bartle GADSDEN 3 November 1909 at St. Peter's, Pietermaritzburg, Natal.

Maud GADSDEN nee SWIRES with her only son

William Bell GADSDEN,

great grandchild of Captain William BELL

[See post on this blog: 'Remembering a Mariner']

Remembering a Mariner

Today marks the 141st anniversary of the death of Captain William Bell, Port Captain of Durban, on 10 April, 1869.

Bell was born in the parish of Bowness-on-Solway, Cumberland in 1807 and not, as stated in a number of published works, in Dumfries, Scotland. At the time of his birth his parents, Thomas and Elizabeth Bell, were living in the village of Glasson, one of the tiny hamlets scattered along the edge of the Solway Firth. Their son was baptised in the church of St Michael’s, Bowness; in the churchyard is a large memorial stone to members of the Bell family who lived in this area for generations.

By the 1830s, Bell was at the Cape, commanding the 100 ton schooner Conch, a regular trader along the south-eastern coast of South Africa. He married at Port Elizabeth in June 1838 Mary Anne Caithness. At least thirteen children were born to this couple, twelve surviving to adulthood.

In 1842 the Conch and her commander played a role in the conflict at Port Natal, landing troop reinforcements to raise the siege of the British garrison. This moment was immortalized in a painting by the artist Thomas Baines (seen top right on this page).

Bell was Port Captain at Natal during the 1850s, and was present for the arrival of settler ships of that era, including the ill-fated Minerva which was wrecked at the foot of the Bluff. His signature appears on original passenger lists of the 1850s and 1860s. As a member of the Harbour Board, Bell was closely involved in the on-going development of Durban harbour and the efforts to surmount the difficulties posed by the Bar at the entrance to the Bay, particularly during the time of the pioneering Harbour Engineer, Milne.

During his twenty years in office, Bell was part of all enquiries made into shipwrecks in or near the Port, voicing his opinions with his usual unflinching clarity. He also undertook expeditions along the north-eastern coast, to find and chart other navigable harbours.

An obelisk in his memory stands in West Street Cemetery, Durban.

Tracing British Military Ancestors

Before you start you need to know the ancestor’s name. That may seem blindingly obvious but it’s surprising how many enquiries begin: ‘I’m not sure of his name … but he fought in the Boer War’ (or other conflict).

Preferably you also need to know his regiment. Rank and date of discharge would be helpful.

British Army records for any soldier discharged before 1913 may offer the following information: age, place of birth, age on enlistment, length and location of service, character report and details of appearance, trade or occupation and reason for discharge.

To find this information you’ll need recourse to Service Records held at The National Archives, UK, either visiting TNA yourself or delegating to an experienced military researcher (often the wisest, speediest course). Search TNA’s online catalogue for a start.

The Soldiers Discharge papers for the period 1882-1900 and 1900-1913 are among the Soldiers Documents (attestation and discharge) held at TNA in WO 97. Note that these records do not include men who died while serving. The Soldiers Documents are arranged by date of discharge.

For 1882-1900 and 1900-1913 all Soldiers Discharge papers are filed alphabetically by name.


If your military ancestor was an Officer in the British Army, his career could be traced using the Army Lists. Service records of officers are mainly in WO 76.

If he was in the Imperial Yeomanry, attestation and discharge papers are in WO 128, filed by service number (if you don’t know the number, look at the registers in WO 129). In WO 128 is a roll of officers and NCO’s in the Imperial Yeomanry. WO 129 includes casualty books and a roll of officers in the Imperial Yeomanry who received the Queen’s South Africa Medal.

The Imperial Yeomanry was a force raised in 1899 for service in the Anglo-Boer War. This decision was taken after the battle of Colenso, 15 December 1899, when it became clear that reinforcements were required in South Africa. Among early recruits were thousands who had no previous military experience and received minimal training. The IY was a corps of mounted men, who had to be good riders and marksmen, between the ages of 20 and 35.

At the same time as the formation of the IY, a series of Volunteer Service Companies began to be established. 66 of these Volunteer Service Companies, nearly 8 000 men, would eventually serve in South Africa.

These shouldn’t be confused with the City of London Imperial Volunteers which was a separate regiment.

All except three of the Regular regiments and corps of the British Army of 1899 served in the Anglo-Boer War. There have been confusing changes since that date, many of the regiments having been amalgamated or disbanded, or given new titles.

Regimental museums may be a good source of information. An essential reference work for such addresses is the Family and Local History Handbook published annually in UK. http://www.genealogical.co.uk/

Official regimental histories can also be helpful.

Retrieving the guns: Ladysmith

Did your Anglo-Boer War ancestor get a medal?

There were two campaign medals issued for soldiers of the British Empire who served during the Anglo-Boer War. They were awarded as follows:

The Queen’s South Africa Medal (QSA): to men who served in the campaign between October 1899 and 22 January 1901 (i.e. date of Queen Victoria’s death). Up to nine bars (or clasps)*, for the Army, could be worn on the medal ribbon and eight bars for the Navy.

The King’s South Africa Medal (KSA): to men who served during or after January 1902. Up to two bars for South Africa 1901 and South Africa 1902 could be worn on the ribbon. The KSA was never issued without the QSA.

Major Darrell Hall in his Handbook of the Anglo-Boer War mentions:

‘Note that clasps were not awarded for defeats. There are clasps, e.g., for Belmont and Modder River, but not for Magersfontein. There are no clasps for Colenso and Spioenkop (or Spion Kop as spelt by the British) but there is one for Tugela Heights. The KSA has no clasps marking actual engagements, but simply South Africa 1901 or South Africa 1902.’  These two clasps were issued for both the KSA and the QSA, as was the clasp Relief of Ladysmith.

The Medal Rolls at TNA, Kew, listing recipients, are held in WO 100/120-130, WO 100/356, WO 100/357. These rolls could be helpful in a search for an ancestor whose unit is not known.

Other awards including the Victoria Cross (for all ranks), the Distinguished Service Order (officers only) the Distinguished Conduct Medal (for other ranks), Long Service and Good Conduct Medal etc are also held at TNA Kew.

It wasn’t until August 1902 that King Edward VII approved the principle of awarding the Victoria Cross posthumously. Prior to that date it was awarded only to soldiers who survived their acts of gallantry.

The Military Cross (for officers) and Military Medal (for other ranks) did not come into being until World War I. At the time of the Anglo-Boer War recognition for gallantry could be awarded in the form of Mentions in Despatches.

Awards to men of the Royal Navy during the Anglo-Boer War are in ADM 171/52-54 at TNA.

There are some published medal rolls available: see further details at South African Military History Museum www.militarymuseum.co.za/

*Clasps for QSA include:

Belfast

Belmont

Cape Colony

Diamond Hill
Driefontein
Elandslaagte
Johannesburg
Defence of Kimberley
Relief of Kimberley
Defence of Ladysmith
Laing's Nek
Defence of Mafeking
Relief of Mafeking
Modder River
Natal
Orange Free State
Paardeberg
Rhodesia
Talana
Transvaal
Tugela Heights
Wepener
Wittebergen

Using NAAIRS to find Anglo-Boer War Ancestors

The South African National Archives and Record Service online index (NAAIRS) at
www.national.archives.gov.za/ can help when tracing Anglo-Boer ancestors.

The Gravestones database (GEN) on NAAIRS offers memorial inscriptions collected by the Genealogical Society of South Africa (GSSA), some of which refer to casualties of the Anglo-Boer War. A Cemetery Recording Project run by GSSA now offers a series of index CDs (obtainable from the Society) – recently helping me to find an Australian trooper buried in a small graveyard in the Orange Free State.

A search of NAAIRS may reveal an ancestor’s deceased estate file with Death Notice included. Sometimes there are two Death Notices in such files of the Anglo-Boer War era: one filled in briefly at the place of death, by the Adjutant or Medical Officer perhaps, and another notice completed more fully later.

Correspondence in archival files could give information about the next-of-kin: widows or mothers claiming the deceased’s pay or the five pound war gratuity, a seemingly scant return for the supreme sacrifice. A memo mentions a youthful soldier’s only piece of movable property – his horse, ‘killed for food during the Ladysmith siege’.
If your ancestor's regiment is known, it's worth searching NAAIRS for likely references to its name. The combined used of British and South African records, published sources as well as online information, can help in the search for a gentleman in khaki who was, as Kipling said, 'out on active service, wiping something off a slate.'

THE ABSENT-MINDED BEGGAR

by Rudyard Kipling

When you've shouted " Rule Britannia," when you've sung " God save the Queen,"

When you've finished killing Kruger with your mouth,

Will you kindly drop a shilling in my little tambourine

For a gentleman in khaki ordered South?

He's an absent-minded beggar, and his weaknesses are great -

But we and Paul must take him as we find him -

He is out on active service, wiping something off a slate

And he's left a lot of little things behind him!

Duke's son - cook's son - son of a hundred kings

(Fifty thousand horse and foot going to Table Bay!)

Each of 'em doing his country's work

(and who's to look after their things?) …

http://samilitaryhistory.org/  SA Military History Society: various articles by specialists in military history.

www.ladysmithhistory.com/ offers: a history of the KwaZulu Natal town of Ladysmith, the two famous stories of the town, the Siege of Ladysmith and the Relief of Ladysmith; a database of the residents of Ladysmith from its earliest days to around 1900; a database of all known British military personnel who died during the whole of the Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902.


www.angloboerwar.com/ This website was started in 2004 with the objective of making available information on the Anglo Boer War 1899 - 1900.  The site is free to use and has grown over the years so that it currently consists of over 2,300 articles, over 11,000 images and more than 12,500 pages in searchable PDF format.

Your ancestor in the South African Constabulary

In 1900 the South African Constabulary (SAC) was established, somewhat optimistically, in an attempt to keep peace in the areas of the Transvaal, Orange River Colony (Orange Free State) and Swaziland.
Master-minded, under orders from Roberts, by Baden-Powell, fresh from his successful leadership of the garrison during the Siege of Mafeking, the SAC was a military body disguised as a police force. It was recruited from British men in the Cape and Natal, as well as from further afield: Britain, Australia, New Zealand, India and Ceylon.

In addition, about 1500 Canadians were dispatched to swell the ranks of the SAC. Because these men were not recruited or paid by the Canadian government, their records are held mainly in South Africa. 57 Canadians died and six won decorations while serving in the ranks of the SAC. The 2nd Royal Canadian Regiment was the first to disembark in South Africa in November 1899 and from then on various other regiments continued to arrive in waves until June 1902. Among them was the unusual unit known as Strathcona’s Horse, the ‘Canadian cowboys’.

www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/boer/strathconahorse_e.shtml

Baden-Powell

For the South African Constabulary, Baden-Powell came up with a comfortable khaki uniform topped by a broad-brimmed American hat known as the Boss of the Plains pattern. This was usually abbreviated to B.P. and Baden-Powell remarked that this ‘brought about the mistaken notion that they (the hats) had something to do with me.’ Later, when he established the scouting movement, the uniform closely echoed that of the SAC, including the now-famous hat.

Records of Conduct and Service
Many members of the Constabulary made South Africa their permanent home. Records of Conduct and Service of the SAC held in the National Archives of South Africa provide comprehensive information. A typical record sheet gives a detailed physical description of the man, his date and place of birth, marital status, calling (occupation), religion, and name and address of his next-of-kin, as well as a list of promotions or transfers. His Defaulter’s Sheet may reveal the odd blot on his career. Should the reference to an ancestor’s SAC Record of Conduct and Service emerge on NAAIRS, the contents would take any family historian’s knowledge several leaps forward.  www.national.archives.gov.za/


More on the SAC at the following links:
www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/boer/southafricaconstabulary_e.shtml

www.angloboerwar.com/units/sac.htm

www.angloboerwar.com/forces/army_canada.htm

www.angloboerwar.com/units/lsh.htm

Baden-Powell in the Boss of the Plains hat with scouting uniform

Ancestors in Police Units, South Africa

In the second half of the 19th c a number of semi-military police forces were formed. They arose out of the need to maintain law and order over large areas and difficult terrain in South Africa.

One of these forces was the Natal Mounted Police, first raised after the 1874 Rebellion, as well as seeing action in the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. This corps continued to serve through the Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902 (at the Siege of Ladysmith) and the 1906 Rebellion until finally being incorporated into the South African Mounted Riflemen in 1913.

They numbered about 300 at the beginning of the Anglo-Boer War. Many of its members were recruited in England in the early years of the unit and it’s interesting that some of these men are individually-named on Natal passenger lists, coming out on board ships such as the Kinfauns Castle and Roslin Castle in the 1880s. These lists appear in the European Immigration Department registers (EI) held at Pietermaritzburg Archives Repository.

In 1894 the unit was amalgamated with other groups to form the Natal Police – it was known by this name (NP) until 1913.

If an ancestor was in the NMP/NP, the chances of finding out more about him are good. The history of the corps is told in Holt’s The Mounted Police of Natal; 16 volumes of original records of the unit are preserved at Pietermaritzburg Archives Repository. They contain nominal rolls, enlistment registers from 1874-1913, records of service covering that period and a roll of individuals granted Long Service and Good Conduct Medals.

Further detail at www.ladysmithhistory.com/a-to-z/british-regiments/natal-police/

Similarly well-documented, the Cape Mounted Police (CMP) came into existence in 1882. Enrolment records are held in Cape Archives Repository.

Not to be confused with the above were the Cape Mounted Riflemen, a distinct semi-military entity, which began its life as the Frontier Armed and Mounted Police (FAMP) ca 1855, with the change in title dating from 1878. Their history is recounted by Basil Williams in his Record of the Cape Mounted Riflemen.

NAAIRS at www.national.archives.gov.za/ offers a large number of references concerning each of the units mentioned in this post.

Anglo-Boer War: photos and casualties

To identify a regiment or find out more from a photo of an Anglo-Boer War ancestor, several avenues need to be followed: family memory or letters and other personal papers and surviving items such as medals, combined with archival sources as well as the close scrutiny of the photograph itself – with magnifying glass if necessary – revealing detail of badges or other insignia as well as who took the picture, when and where. Don’t ignore anything that might be written (or printed) on the back of the photograph, or on the card mount.
When rephotographing the photo, include the entire picture, not just the part showing the subject.

Even if all these are studied there may remain unanswered questions. You may need to call in a specialist in military research – never send your original photograph, but a good copy. 

If you’re uncertain who the photographed ancestor is, remember that he might not be an ancestor at all, but a friend in the same regiment. This also applies to group photographs: they might not include your ancestor.

Casualties

Ironically, it’s often easier to discover more about an ancestor who did not survive the war. There was enormous loss of life during the Anglo-Boer War, affecting both Boers and British, as well as the African population who were caught up in the conflict. Over
20 000 British died and nearly 23 000 were wounded. Disease accounted for more deaths than casualties during action. Enteric fever and dysentery killed about 18 000 – perhaps a conservative estimate.

























Names of Anglo-Boer War casualties taken from the South African Defence Force Roll of Honour can be accessed at www.justdone.co.za/ROH

A roll of Natal Field Force casualties of the first part of the war (20 October 1899-26 October 1900) is searchable at http://surreygenealogist.com/sgdatabase.htm

Recommended Reading

Steve Watt: In Memoriam (University of Natal Press Pietermaritzburg 2000) provides a Roll of Honour of Imperial Forces in the Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902, 25 000 soldiers, women and civilians, who laid down their lives for the British Cause whether they were from Britian, South Africa, Rhodesia, Australia, Canada, or New Zealand. The book offers alphabetical lists by name, regimental number, regiment, type of casualty, place, date of death, where buried and whether the name is listed on a monument or in a graveyard, with location. Particulars of age and religion of the deceased, where available, are given.

John Stirling: The Colonials in South Africa 1899-1902 (Blackwood, Edinburgh 1907). A mine of information; some individual names such as those mentioned in dispatches, are included as well as details of each unit’s operations during the war.

Darrell Hall: The Hall Handbook of the Anglo-Boer War (University of Natal Press 1999) gives a useful list of British Regiments and the dates of their period of service in South Africa, with the battles or field operations at which they were present. Hall also gives a list of the Colonial Forces with SA arrival and departure dates, and a list of SA units with details such as when and where these were raised and disbanded. Men who were awarded the Victoria Cross during the Anglo-Boer War are listed alphabetically, as are names of graveyards where Imperial Soldiers were buried. There are brief biographies of some of the major personalities associated with the war.

Border Mounted Rifles, Ladysmith, December 1899

Finding Anglo-Boer War Ancestors online

Some useful Anglo-Boer War links:

www.britishmedals.net/kevin/wo126.html Ongoing project to index attestation papers of colonial soldiers from WO 126 TNA. So far the regiments available are:
Ashburners Light Horse
Bechuanaland Rifles
Bethune's Mounted Infantry
Border Horse
Border Scouts
Brabant's Horse
Bushmanland Borderers
Canadian Scouts
Town Guards (A-Da, De-Gro done to date)

http://surreygenealogist.com/sgdatabase.htm search various rolls including Natal Field Force Casualties

www.national.archives.gov.za/ South African National Archives and Record Service, incorporating NAAIRS index

www.militarymuseum.co.za/ South African National Military History Museum; recommended article ‘Researching ancestors who were Servicemen’; details of published medal rolls.

www.angloboerwar.com/units/natal_volunteers.htm Natal Volunteers, Police and Guides

www.perthdps.com/military/index.html  Australians serving in South Africa 1899-1902 listed alphabetically by state and contingent

www.naa.gov.au/fsheets/fs67/html Australian participation in the Anglo-Boer War, sources for service records, medal rolls, attestation papers, enrolment forms, returned soldiers' records

www.awm.gov.au/database/boer.asp Australian War Memorial site with Boer War Nominal Roll. Database searchable by name, unit and keyword

       Ladysmith: Defence of Caesar's Camp   Artist: R Caton-Woodville

Identifying Uniforms in Photographs

Any family historian who has looked despairingly at a photograph waiting for it to convey information will know that badges and other insignia are not always clear in Anglo-Boer War photographs, limiting our ability to identify the ancestor’s regiment.

In the accompanying cabinet print, though, the collar badge provides an excellent clue: it shows an elephant with howdah, a badge adopted when the 33rd and 76th regiments merged to form the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment (originally the elephant appeared without the howdah, so that is another clue for earlier dating purposes). The same design was used on the regimental buttons, though in this photograph the buttons are slightly out of focus.

Now that the badge has been identified, further research shows more about the possible field operations in which this young soldier could have been involved. He was evidently of an Imperial (not a Colonial) regiment and is seen here in his 'Number One' Dress - blue, not khaki. It seems likely that he was among the thousands recalled from service elsewhere in the Empire to be sent to South Africa as reinforcements. The 1st West Riding Regiment (Duke of Wellington's) served in South Africa from January 1900 to the end of the war 1902. They were present at operations at Klip Kraal, Paardeberg (18-27 Feb 1900, where the Boers were defeated) and at Renosterkop. After the reorganisation of the British Forces in May/June 1900, the 1st West Riding Regt. formed part of the Sixth Division under GOC Lieut-General T Kelly-Kenny.

For more on the 1st West Riding Regiment (Duke of Wellington's) see www.dwr.org.uk/dwr.php?id=108

The name and location of the photographic studio – stated on the mount below the photo - can be helpful in establishing where and when the picture was taken. In this instance, the photographer was W Clark who had a studio in Longmarket Street, Pietermaritzburg in the 1890s and early 1900s.

So-called vignette photographs were trendy during this period: the subject, usually head and shoulders only, faded out artistically towards the edges of the photo. It’s an attractive effect, but generally disastrous for identification of details, and military portraits unfortunately did not escape this fashion. See example showing the same soldier as above, but in vignette: www.flickr.com/photos/17890883@N04/2891321343/

Photo Link

A useful selection of photographs showing typical uniforms of the Anglo-Boer War era can be found at www.soldiersofthequeen.com/page5-SouthAfrica.html

Note particularly the group of British infantrymen in a varied assortment of headgear: cap, slouch hat (some more slouched than others), glengarry (triangular cap perched precariously at an angle on the head). There is a hint of discernible ‘uniform’ worn by only a couple of these men. The photograph was taken by Coyne, in Pietermaritzburg, probably ca 1900.

Also note the photograph of a Canadian Trooper of the South African Constabulary, with the distinctive high-crowned Canadian hat; more about that in a future post.