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364 page book, supplied as a PDF document on CD-ROM.
PREFACE.
LAST autumn when our troops were returning from South Africa and were receiving the welcome they had so nobly earned, it occurred to me that the names of those officers who had lost their lives in the war should not be allowed to fade into oblivion, and that there should be some more fitting memorial of them than the bare mention of their names in the official casualty list.
The present volume represents an attempt at such a memorial. It contains what I trust is an accurate list of all those officers - Naval, Military, and Colonial - who were killed or died of wounds or disease in the recent South African War, together with such information regarding their careers and services as I have been able to collect. The difficulty of obtaining information, especially in the case of Colonial officers has been very great, and in some instances I have only been able to trace the notification of their deaths without any further particulars. Should therefore any omissions or errors be noticed, I shall be very grateful to any of my readers who will communicate with me.
I wish here to express my gratitude to all those who have written approving and thanking me for having undertaken this work. I shall indeed feel repaid for my efforts if in any way I have assisted in honouring the memory of such men as: - Roberts, Coulson, Younger, Egerton, Digby Jones, Lloyd, Cathcart; Chichester and Tabor dying where they stood to carry out their orders; Sutherland scorning to surrender; Holt attending the wounded under heavy fire; Weldon dashing forward to help his stricken servant; Kimber to save his wounded sergeant; the Marquis of Winchester with his reckless courage, and hosts of others who have died heroic deaths.
The title of this book seemed to me to be appropriate because in recent years at military and naval funerals it has become the custom to sound the bugle call the "Last Post" over the grave, and only a few weeks ago when the memorial to the Royal Marines in St. James' Park was being unveiled by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, this call was played with band accompaniment. The "Last Post" has sounded over the graves of those who sleep on the South African veldt and kopje, and this book, written in their memory, is only an echo of that bugle call; an epitaph to their bravery and heroism.
I am indebted to my father, Colonel Dooner, late A.A.G. Thames District, for the advice and assistance he has given me in compiling these records: and I have to thank Sir A. Conan Doyle and his publishers, Messrs. Smith, Elder & Co., for their kindness in allowing me to quote from "The Great Boer War," also the Editor of The Times for a similar permission regarding "The History of the War."
In a short appendix I have added a few names of Nursing Sisters who have died in South Africa, and who have done so much for the sick and wounded. Field- Marshal Earl Roberts wrote concerning the Nursing Staff, "It was largely due to their unremitting devotion and skill that the wounded in many cases made marvellous recoveries," and Major-General Baden-Powell stated "The work done by the lady nurses was beyond all praise." Surely then, those who have given their lives in the discharge of such a duty should have their names recorded in a book of this kind.
I have also in the appendix added a list of war correspondents of newspapers who have fallen in South Africa as far as they can be traced.
MILDRED G. DOONER.
SOUTHGATE, ROCHESTER,
August, 1903.
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS:
Aide-de-Camp abbreviated A.D.C.
Assistant Adjutant-General A.A.G.
City Imperial Volunteers C.I.V.
Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General D.A.A.G.
Distinguished Service Order D.S.O.
Imperial Light Horse I.L.H
Imperial Yeomanry I.Y.
London Gazette L.G.
Mounted Infantry M.I.
Orange River Colony R.C.
Passed Staff College p.s.c.
Royal Military Academy R.M.A.
Royal Military College R.M.C.
Abadie. - Lieut. Harry Bertram Abadie, 11th Hussars, died of enteric at Norval's Pont on Feb. 25th, 1901. He was the son of Major-Gen. H. R. Abadie, C.B., Lieut.-Governor of Jersey, was born in June, 1872, educated at Winchester, and entered the 11th Hussars, in Oct., 1892, being promoted lieut. Sept., 1894. He served with the Chitral Relief Force under Sir Robert Low in 1895, receiving the medal with clasp. Lieut. Abadie afterwards served in the North-West Frontier Campaign of 1897-98 under the late Sir William Lockhart as Assistant Transport Officer, 2nd Brigade, Tirah Expeditionary Force; being mentioned in despatches, L.G., April 5th, 1898, and received the medal with two clasps. He was appointed A.D.C. to Lieut.-Gen. Sir Archibald Hunter in March, 1900, and was mentioned in despatches, L.G., Feb. 8th, 1901, as being "deserving of much praise" during the siege of Ladysmith, when he performed the duties of Staff Officer for Water Supplies. He was again mentioned in despatches, L.G., Sept. 5th, 1901, and was granted the D.S.O., and medal with five clasps.
Abraham. - Lieut.Thomas Oxenham Pollard Abraham, South African Constabulary, was killed at Syferfontein Farm, about nine miles north of Vaal Station on Feb. 8th, 1902. He was born in 1876, and first served in the Cape Mounted Rifles in which he rose to the rank of sergeant. In May, 1900, on the nomination of the Governor of Cape Colony, Lieut. Abraham was granted a commission as 2nd Lieut. in the King's Liverpool Regt., but this was afterwards cancelled at his own request. He then joined the South African Constabulary. He had served from the commencement of the war.
Adams. - Lieut. William Frederick Adams, Imperial Light Horse, was killed in action at Wagon Hill, near Ladysmith, on Jan. 6th, 1900. In this great struggle the Imperial Light Horse rendered gallant service; ten officers being killed or wounded, and the regiment came out of action commanded by a junior captain.
Adams-Wylie. - Lieut.Charles Henry Benjamin Adams-Wylie, Indian Medical Service, died of enteric at Bloemfontein on June 2nd, 1900. He was born Feb. 6th, 1871, and entered the Army Jan. 28th, 1899. He is understood to have been sent to South Africa in consequence of the good work he had done at Bombay during the plague there in 1899. Out of his private income he offered three days' provisions to each person who came forward to be inoculated. Over 8,000 accepted this charity. Lieut. Adams-Wylie sailed from India Jan., 1900, in medical charge of a party conducting remounts. There were many hundreds of natives under his charge, and it is stated that there was not one single death amongst them owing to his care and attention. He volunteered for sanitary work at Bloemfontein and it is supposed contracted fever in carrying out his duties.
Agnew. - Lieut.Herman Maitland Agnew, I.Y., was killed in action at Tweefontein in De Wet's attack on Christmas morning, 1901. He was the fourth son of T. F. A. Agnew, Esq., Bank of England, Liverpool, was twenty-five years of age, and educated at St. Edward's School, Oxford, where he rowed in the school four. Lieut. Agnew joined as a trooper early in 1900, and served throughout the war. He had been wounded, and for his services was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, being appointed lieut. in March, 1901. He is buried at Tweefontein and his name is inscribed on an obelisk which has been erected there in memory of all who fell in this action.
Airlie. - Lieut.-Col.David Stanley William Ogilvy, tenth Earl of Airlie, and Lord Ogilvy of Airlie, of Alyth, and Lintrathen, in the Peerage of Scotland, was killed in action at Diamond Hill, June 11th, 1900. He was the eldest son of the ninth Earl by Henrietta Blanche, second daughter of the second Lord Stanley, of Alderley, born Jan. 20th, 1856, and educated at Eton (Dr. Warre's). He entered the First Royals June, 1874, being promoted lieut. in the l0th Hussars May, 1876, capt. Feb., 1884, brevet-major 1885, and major Aug., 1892. He was transferred to the 2nd Dragoon Guards in Jan., 1897, and was selected to command the 12th Lancers in Dec., 1897. Lord Airlie served with the l0th Hussars in the Afghan War 1878-79, and was present at the attack of Ali Musjid and in the engagement at Futtehabad, receiving the medal with clasp. He took part in the Soudan Expedition in 1884, as adjutant of the 10th Hussars, and was present at the engagement at Tamai, and was granted the medal with clasp, Khedive's star, and the Fourth Class of the Medjidie. He served in the Nile Expedition of 1884-85 as brigade-major under Sir Herbert Stewart, was present at the action of Abu Klea (slightly wounded) also at the engagements at Abu Klea Wells on Feb. 16th and 17th, 1885, and in the reconnaissance to Metammeh (slightly wounded) being twice mentioned in despatches. For these services he received the brevet of major and two clasps to his medal. Lord Airlie was specially mentioned in despatches for gallantry at Modder River and Magersfontein by Lieut.-Gen. Lord Methuen, who reported that Lord Airlie "did excellent work with two dismounted squadrons when good service was much needed." By Lord Arlie's action a threatened flank attack of the enemy was held back. In the beginning of May, 1900, he took an active part in the fighting around Brandford, where he was wounded, again assuming command of his regiment in a fortnight, after having been nursed at Bloemfontein by Lady Airlie. He was three times mentioned in despatches, L.G., Feb. 8th, 1901, F.M. Earl Roberts expressing his regret at the loss of the "gallant Earl of Airlie" who fell at the head of his regiment. Lord Airlie was hon. colonel of the 3rd (Dundee Highland) V. Batt. of the Black Watch. He succeeded to the title in 1881, and was a Scottish Representative Peer. Lord Airlie married in 1886 Lady Mabel Frances Elizabeth Gore, eldest daughter of the Earl of Arran and sister of Viscountess Cranbourne and Lady Esther Smith; and left three sons and three daughters. The heir, David Lyulph Gore Wolseley. Lord Ogilvy was born in 1893.
Alderson. - Capt. James Beaumont Standly Alderson, 1st Batt. Royal Irish Regt., died of wounds received July 7th, 1900, in action at Bethlehem. He was born in July, 1869, educated at Highgate School, and ... |