TOPIC:

According to Sir James Gildea in 1911, yes!

Justin

In Steve Watt's excellent article on the Welsh Hospital in the SAMHS Journal, the photographs are wrongly captioned. This is Dr Davies.

From The Graphic:

And from the Western Mail 6 November 1900:

Berenice,

And here's another memorial, not listed by Gildea, which makes it six to Dr Davies if you include the Preston Infirmary grant.

Justin

As regards a memorial plaque, I'm fairly certain that there isn't one in Lancaster Infirmary now; there are two individual plaques to WW1 casualties. But there is a memorial plaque to Dr Davies in Halton church, the village his father had a residence in, so maybe it was moved there some time in the past.

His father, Alderman H. Davies, received a letter from him on Saturday, 16th June, 1900, as follows -
"Welsh Hospital, Springfontein, O.F.S.,
Saturday, May 26th, 1900.

Dear Father,

As you will see from the above address we have shifted our quarters about 85 miles south. We accomplished the distance in six hours, travelling by the only express train of the day. The Welsh Hospital is on the fair way to being established, and we ought to be in a position to receive patients by the end of next week. We have had some rare good exercise to-day, putting up hospital marquees, that is putting up tents big enough to hold 8 to 10 patients in beds. They are very large and cumbersome things to handle, especially to those who are quite unused to such work. Springfontein is quite an important city. There are about 20 houses and a church, a railway station, and large corrugated iron ordnance stores. A garrison of between 300 and 400 men of the 3rd Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry (Militia) considerably increases the population. There seems to be a very small number of white natives, plenty of natives, and I think everyone, with the exception of the clergyman, is in Government employ. We must be nearly 5,000 feet above the sea level, and are surrounded by kopjes which must in some instances rise to 1,000 feet higher. It is awfully cold here, and we have not seen the sun for more than five minutes for thirty hours, that is since our arrival. Although working hard all day I have been compelled to wear a flannel shirt, pyjama jacket, and woollen sweater under my tunic, and now as I write with my great coat on in addition, I am still somewhat chilly. At night one requires at least five thick blankets to keep you warm. It freezes here almost every night. The one chief advantage about the cold is that it kills off flies which were a perfect pest at Bloemfontein. This place is notoriously cold in the Free State, and they say that when the war is over, and the country is settled, it will become a kind of Davos for the summer residences of invalids.

It is quite a relief to get away from the typhoid-stricken town of Bloemfontein, and every one of us feels better for the change. We have been compelled to leave two of our dressers behind in hospital with dysentery. One of them was awfully bad, and at one time it looked very much as though we were going to lose him. As it is he will have to be sent down to Capetown as soon as he is well enough. All this typhoid appears to have originated through the Boers throwing their dead men and horses into the Modder River, and our men drinking the water. Paardeberg made it worse and worse, and now we are in the thick of it. The P.M.O. at Bloemfontein passed 10,000 sick through his hands in three weeks. There is a disease at Bloemfontein consisting of diarrhoea and sickness, lasting about 48 hours, and then passing off. This special disease received the special name of "the Modders," from its origin, and it attacks 99 per cent of people who enter the town, no matter how careful they are about drink and food. I, fortunately, have been one of the other 1 per cent, and hitherto have escaped scot free.

There were great doings at Bloemfontein on Thursday last (Queen's birthday). In the morning there was a review just behind our hospital. About 10,000 troops, consisting of infantry, mounted infantry, cavalry, Imperial Yeomanry, artillery, with 12-pounders, Maxims, and five-inch Howitzers marched past, all in khaki. It was the most impressive sight I ever beheld, and am not likely to forget it, and shall never see it again. At Kaffir River, a small station on the line down here, the officer in charge of the troops guarding the bridge told us that he celebrated the occasion by a review and march past. The garrison put their eyes right and saluted the Union Jack in great style. The intense feeling of loyalty and amusing part of the occasion only becomes apparent when I tell you that the whole garrison consisted of one lieutenant and eight men. The whole affair could not have lasted more than about ten seconds. In Bloemfontein in the afternoon there were military sports, and the staff of No.8 Hospital had their photographs taken, and entertained the nurses to tea. There was, of course, no salute of 21 guns, as such a move would probably have misled troops in the neighbourhood. Talking of birthdays, I hope you won't forget to drink my health next Thursday. If you want to make me a birthday present you might send me out a few cigarettes if this war is not over by the time this reaches you.

We have ceased to take any interest in the war now, as we don't get any news which is reliable. We have heard absolutely nothing for days, almost barren of news for quite a fortnight, with the exception of the relief of Mafeking. I have heard some fine tales about the battles from men who have been in it, and the more I hear the more I am convinced that every man in the army is a hero. It is getting awfully cold, so if I don't turn in I shall never get warm, so please excuse more till next mail.

Yours affectionately,
Herbert."
(From the Preston Guardian of Saturday, 23rd June, 1900)