TOPIC:

John Radford Streeter

Sergeant, South African Light Horse – Anglo Boer War

- Queens South Africa Medal with clasps Cape Colony, Tugela Heights & Relief of Ladysmith to 299 Serjt. J. Streeter, S.A. Lt. Horse.






John Streeter had quite a father! And, before I go into detail about the son it would serve me well to explain about the father. John Radford Streeter (Senior) was, in 1871, the Manager of Messrs. Eley Brothers, a London-based manufacturer of sporting ammunition and gunpowder. Having found religion he set off for the wilds of Frere Town on the coast of Kenya in Africa as an Industrial Agent in 1877. Frere town was founded by the Church Missionary Society, a body by whom Streeter was employed, as a refuge for freed slaves.

In 1878 Streeter was the Lay Superintendent of the town wielding considerable power over the natives. All went swimmingly with his new found faith and occupation until, in 1881, a scandal of considerable proportions erupted over his alleged harsh treatment of residents (he was apparently known to flog the locals as well as subject them to various forms of torture). This led to his dismissal and subsequent return, in some measure of disgrace, to England where, after period, he married his second wife in 1891.

His son with the same moniker as his own, was born into the family on 19 July 1873 the issue of John Radford Streeter and his first wife, Harriet (born Harms) Streeter junior was baptised in the Parish Church of St. Thomas in Islington, London on November 2nd of that year and the family were resident at 2 Westbourne Road, Barnsbury. Shortly thereafter, as we have seen, the family took passage to the Dark Continent which must have been quite a “culture shock” to a young boy raised in the civilised environs of Victorian London.

The 1881 England census shows us that the family, so recently chastised, had returned to their homeland and a 7 year old John was a pupil at Highbury Grove Children’s Home in Finsbury, a school established by the Church Mission Society to provide a superior education to that otherwise available. The school was headed up by the redoubtable Mr Trenham Weatherhead, a Clergyman with the Church of England and the possessor of a name designed to place the fear of God into a young and impressionable school boy. A casual glance down the list of pupils shows that young Streeter would have been exposed to a myriad of cultures with many of the boys coming from Seirre Leone, the East and West Indies, Ceylon, New Zealand and other exotic locations.

At some point Mr Streeter senior must have decided to return to Africa. On this occasion, being persona non grata in Kenya, he headed south for the Transvaal and the fast developing Gold fields where he became a Gold Prospector. The records indicate that he settled in Johannesburg which was at that stage of the game, in 1888, little more than a shanty town where lives were expendable and morals loose. He soon got into a spot of bother with a Mr William Brown of Barberton around various leases in the Piggs Peak and Doornfontein Gold Mining Company with Mr Brown instituting action against him for the recovery of £1000 worth of shares in these companies that were to be sold to him by Streeter. The upshot of all of this was that, in a court case that lasted almost the entire year, the case was thrown out with costs to be borne by Brown. Streeter junior would have been a slip of a boy at age 15 and unaware of the matters of high finance going on around him.

The year 1891 saw Streeter senior’s second marriage take place in England from whence he never returned to live in South Africa. Streeter junior would have been a young man of 18 and, having stayed on in the country, he sought employment in the mining industry that his father had been involved in finding work at the Village Reef Gold Mine.

This is where we find him, as a Miner, with the dawn of the Anglo Boer War in October 1899. In fact mining or, more to the point, the mineral wealth of the Witwatersrand, was what caused most of the conflict in the first place. “Oom Paul” Kruger, the elderly and acerbic President of the Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek of which Johannesburg was the mining epicentre, had long denied the “uitlanders” (foreigners) any rights at all and revolt, stirred on by Milner, was in the air.

Most of the “uitlanders” had the presence of mind to flee the Rand when war broke out whereas others, the young and not so young men of the place, volunteered for service with one of the numerous Corps established in opposition to Kruger and his Orange Free State ally. Streeter was no exception and on 1 November 1899 at the age of 27 he enlisted with “A” Squadron of the South African Light Horse for service with no. 299 and the rank of Sergeant; giving his wife living at 4 Surbiton Hill in Surbiton, Surrey as next of kin.

So what have we here? Streeter was married? Indeed he had tied the knot we know not when with a girl called Nena Day in Cape Town. At the outbreak of war he had sent Nena to England where, according to the 1901 England census, she was safely ensconced in Eardley Road, Surbiton together with their 2 children; 3 year old Frances and John Streeter (2). That Streeter had “caught her young” was an understatement as she was only 21 in 1901 with the aforementioned two children, the first being born when she was 17 in Johannesburg on 15 September 1897 and the second, John Henry Radford Streeter being born on 1 January 1899.

As a member of the S.A.L.H., the outfit popularised by a certain Winston Churchill being a young subaltern among their number, Streeter would have seen plenty of action earning for himself the battle clasps of Tugela Heights and Relief of Ladysmith to go along with the Cape Colony bar to his Queens medal.

The South African Light Horse was one of the best colonial units to take to the field. IN all eight complete squadrons were raised by an early date in December with three squadrons of the regiment (Streeter’s among them) taken round to Natal where, with other mounted troops, they were employed under Lord Dundonald on the right flank at Colenso on 15th December 1899

In the orders issued by General Buller on 14th December it was stated, paragraph 7, "The Officer Commanding mounted brigade will move at 4 am with a force of 1000 men and one battery of No 1 Brigade Division in the direction of Hlangwane Hill; he will cover the right flank of the general movement, and will endeavour to take up a position on Hlangwane Hill, whence he will enfilade the kopje north of the iron bridge. The Officer Commanding mounted troops will also detail two forces of 300 men and 500 men to cover the right and left flanks respectively and protect the baggage".

Lord Dundonald and the mounted irregulars did attack Hlangwane and made good progress towards its capture. If the General had been able to send adequate infantry support the capture would have been almost certainly assured and the bloodshed of Spion Kop saved, but the entangle¬ment of the guns rendered such support impossible. In his despatch, General Buller said: "I cannot speak too highly of the manner in which the mounted Volunteers behaved". The SALH lost 4 men killed and 19 men wounded, while 2 officers and 11 men were returned as missing.

When the move to turn the Boer right on the Tugela was commenced, four squadrons of the regiment accompanied Lord Dundonald, marching on the 11th January via Springfield and Potgieter's, but a portion remained at Chieveley with General Barton to watch the Boer position at Colenso. In order to keep the enemy engaged there, frequent reconnaissances and demonstrations were made in which the detachment several times had sharp casualties

On the 11th Lord Dundonald seized the bridge at Springfield over the Little Tugela, and pushing on had, before dusk, secured heights on the right bank of the main river which commanded Potgieter's Drift. Some volunteers from the SALH on the 11th swam the Tugela, got into the ferry-boat, and brought it to the right bank. For five days the mounted troops did reconnoitring and outpost work. On the 16th they were ordered to march that night to Trichard's Drift. On the 17th they and Warren's troops crossed the river, and on the 18th Lord Dundonald was sent off to the left flank. The Composite Regiment, 1 squadron Imperial Light Horse, 1 company of Mounted Infantry, regulars, and 1 squadron Natal Carbineers, managed to cut off about 40 Boers near Acton Homes, and before dusk these surrendered after the SALH had come up in support.

On the 20th Lord Dundonald ordered the S.A.L.H. to seize Bastion Hill. Two squadrons of the regiment were dismounted and ascended the steep ascent, the two others supporting. The Boers fled from the crest, and it was taken with little loss, but the hill, like Spion Kop, was exposed to the enemy's fire, and Major Childe was killed by a shell fragment after the crest had been occupied, and 4 men were wounded. At nightfall 2 companies of the Queen's relieved the regiment. During the following days, until the evacuation of Spion Kop, the regiment held posts on the British line. Between the 19th and 27th the regiment had about 60 casualties.

During the Vaal Krantz combat, 5th to 8th February, the mounted troops were mainly on the flanks; but in the earlier part of the fighting which took place between 13th and 27th February, the mounted irregulars, including the SALH, which had been strengthened by further squadrons from the Cape Colony, the whole brigade being under Lord Dun¬donald, took a most important share of the work. The regular cavalry had now been put into a separate brigade under Colonel Burn-Murdoch, and were left in the Springfield neighbourhood to secure General Buller's left rear.

Between 9th and 11th February the army marched back to Chieveley, Lord Dundonald covering the left flank. On the 12th, with the South African Light Horse, the Composite Regiment, Thorneycroft's Mounted Infantry, and the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, he thoroughly reconnoitred and examined Hussar Hill with the view to its being used as a stepping-stone in an attack on the Boer left. The force was ordered to retire in the afternoon, and had a few casualties in the retirement. On the 14th General Buller decided to occupy Hussar Hill, and the regiment, being the advanced screen, successfully seized the Hill with but slight loss.

On the 15th and 16th the fighting was chiefly confined to the artillery. On the 17th the attack on Mount Cingolo was developed. Dundonald's Brigade struck away to the east, through very broken and wooded country, and ascending an almost precipitous face seized the summit, the 2nd Infantry Brigade assisting on their inner flank. The work of the SALH was specially commended by some of the correspondents present. The casualties were not serious considering the formidable nature of the task. On the 18th the 2nd Infantry Brigade attacked the summit of Monte Cristo, making a fine advance along the Nek between that mountain and Cingolo. Dundonald's men were again out on the right, and worried the enemy by a flanking fire at long ranges.

After Ladysmith was relieved, the Natal Field Force had a comparatively easy time until General Buller started on his next great movement with the object of clearing Natal.

Whether or not Streeter was still with them is unknown but, the fact that he didn’t qualify for and wasn’t awarded the Laing’s Nek clasp to his medal implies that he parted company with the S.A.L.H. after the Relief.

The war over in May 1902 Streeter and many of those who had fled the Transvaal deemed it safe to return. Sadly, in many cases, property that they had left behind and thought safe had been broken into and plundered, not by the retreating Boer forces but by the British troops who followed in their wake. Aggrieved residents were able to claim recompense from the Imperial Authorities and, depending on the validity of their claims, would receive compensation.

Streeter on his return found himself in this situation. Completing the Claim for Compensation forms on 8 September 1902 he provided his residential address as Village Main Reef Gold Mine, Married Quarters, House 11 A. He confirmed that he was married and had 3 children and that he had left the Transvaal on 8 October 1899 (days before the war started). He claimed 6 months military service (this ties in with what was stated above apropos his service before and after the Relief) and that he had been a Sergeant with “A” Squadron, South African Light Horse. He had returned to the Transvaal on 23 May 1902 to find his accommodations looted.

In answer to the question as to whether or not he had received any assistance from the Refugees Aid Department he responded, drily, “a cheap railway ticket”. In total Streeter was claiming an amount of £102 for furniture looted.

The Report on Investigation completed on 10 October 1902 stated that,

“Claimant has a wife and three children aged 5, 4 and 1 ½ years. He has been married six years and was resident on the Rand 3 years before the war. Military Service – Sergt. S.A.L.H. 7/11/99 – 20/4/1900. Was Captain of Village Main Reef Cricket Club for 2 years prior to the war.

Claim is for principal portion of the household effects and some sporting materials left in house, 10 A containing 4 rooms and kitchen. Claimant left his residence 8th October 1899 his wife and family having left before him. Furniture was left standing just as it had been in use except that oil cloth and carpets were rolled up. He locked up the house in the presence of his cousin Mr. ... who is now in Cape Town, taking his keys with him.
When he returned to the mine in May last his house was occupied by a Mrs Owens. None of his effects remained and he obtained keys of empty rooms and in certain of these discovered the articles mentioned in attached list. These are not claimed for.

Reference. Messrs. Dalton and Moskow whom claimant gave as references speak in the highest terms as to his personal character. The former although not a witness to the act of locking up furniture believes it was left just as claimant states. Returned to mine before claimant but did not inspect house.

A considerable amount of looting was done on the Village Main Reef property the mine being run on behalf of the late Boer Govt. The present compound Manager (Mr Palframan) informed me that the balance of the furniture remaining in the houses was allocated and stored in Battery Manager’s house and subsequently in the Recreation Room. When claimant returned however, everything had been claimed.

The investigation has resulted in satisfying me that the claim is a genuine one.”

A value of 80 pounds was placed on the items claimed and, on 15 July 1903 (the wheels of justice ground slowly) an amount of £53 was paid to Streeter; 2/3rds of what was claimed.
Life for the family slowly returned to normal and, on 2 July 1905 the couple were blessed with another addition to their family in the form of Phyllis Annie. By this time Streeter was a Shift Boss on the mine and doing very well for himself.

Unfortunately that most dreaded of Miner’s diseases was about to swoop down on Streeter. On 8 September 1910 at the age of thirty seven years and one month he succumbed to phthisis. He was the Mine Captain at the time and was survived by his wife and children, Frances Nena Pauline Streeter, John Henry Radford Streeter, Helena Mary Susannah Streeter, Sydney Ernest William Streeter and Phyllis Annie Agatha Streeter – all minors. To his grieving widow he left an estate of £753.

An Obituary appeared in the September 1910 issue of the S.A. Institute of Mining & Metallurgy journal to the effect that,

“Mr John Radford Streeter, the mine captain of the Village Main Reef G.M. Co. Ltd. died on the 9th of September of miner’s phthisis.

Mr Streeter was elected as a member of the Society in January 1909.”

Here was a man cut down in his prime. As a postscript to his story his wife and family moved to England where Nena remarried barely a year later, in 1911. His son John Henry made the ultimate sacrifice on the Western Front as a commissioned Officer in the trenches. His father never lived to see it.

That really is a superb medal and examples named to founder members of this particular unit are now getting quite scarce these days, it really does not matter if a fellow had two clasps or all eight on both medals.
You quite rightly mention WC, he served with distinction at Acton Homes, Potgieter's Drift, the Kop, the Tugela and was present at Ladysmith on the 28th of February 1900, although, his brother was mentioned, I always feel they were both denied the decorations they deserved, doubtless, if only Jack had not had his brother, things may well have been rather different for him at least.
I assume you must have checked WO126/130-138, I was interested because of the date of the 1st of November 1899 that you mention, is that the actual date shown?
If so, that is interesting because the regiment was raised at Capetown actually on the 8th of November 1899.
I take it there is no discharge sheet for him as you don't mention a particular date?
It really is a super medal to both a good recipient and a very fine regiment, the name of which lived on after the war.

Rory wrote:
Most of the “uitlanders” had the presence of mind to flee the Rand when war broke out whereas others, the young and not so young men of the place, volunteered for service with one of the numerous Corps established in opposition to Kruger and his Orange Free State ally. Streeter was no exception and on 1 November 1899 at the age of 27 he enlisted with “A” Squadron of the South African Light Horse for service with no. 299 and the rank of Sergeant; giving his wife living at 4 Surbiton Hill in Surbiton, Surrey as next of kin.


As a member of the S.A.L.H., the outfit popularised by a certain Winston Churchill being a young subaltern among their number, Streeter would have seen plenty of action earning for himself the battle clasps of Tugela Heights and Relief of Ladysmith to go along with the Cape Colony bar to his Queens medal.

The South African Light Horse was one of the best colonial units to take to the field. IN all eight complete squadrons were raised by an early date in December with three squadrons of the regiment (Streeter’s among them) taken round to Natal where, with other mounted troops, they were employed under Lord Dundonald on the right flank at Colenso on 15th December 1899

Hi Frank

The date is as it appears on his Attestation Form a copy of which I have at the office and which I'll scan and upload to this post tomorrow.

Thank you for your words of appreciation. I agree with you about WC - quite the lad he was and he should have been decorated for his dash and vigour if nothing else.

I have the QSA/Bambatha to Major Buntine of the Natal Medical Corps who was supposed to have been recommended for the VC (Ladysmith) but it was felt by Gen. White that he had placed his life at unnecessary risk by going out and tending to the wounded under fire. He was almost court martialled for his bravery instead!

His story will appear here one of these days.

Regards

Rory

You were quite right Frank - it is the 10th November and not the 1st....

Herewith the relevant part of the Attestation page.



Regards

Rory

And the page from his Compensation Claim forms which is always handy as it confirms, beyond doubt, that we are dealing with the same person throughout, something which always "worries" a researcher.



Regards

Rory

Very nice indeed, yes, positive evidence is always useful, I like it very much indeed, just such a good simple medal.