TOPIC:

Afterthought: Could Spn IV and Spn V stand for blockhouse positions near Steenpan (just under Vereeniging on Neville's map.

Everhard,

Certainly a possibility, though the records of the 1st Battalion seem to indicate that they were moving east along the Durban line. On 9 September their HQ was at Greylingstad (when they were guarding the line from Waterval to Vlakfontein). From there they moved to Waterval Bridge on 30 November (now guarding the line as far as Vlaklaagte), and thence to Standerton on 13 December. There is no mention of them manning the Port Elizabeth line.

I have been unable to find Eden Kop on either Jeppe's or the Imperial Map, but I imagine it must be to the east of Vlaklaagte. A member of the K.R.R.C. describes it as being 6 miles to the west of Standerton.


September 9th. The Head Quarters of the Battalion moved to Greylingstad. The Battalion occupied the line from Waterval to Vlakfontein (thirty and a quarter miles).

October 2nd. ''A'' Company, under Captain F. G. Talbot, occupied a Post, ten miles to the North, called Van Kolders Kop.

October 14th. The Battalion took over the line as far as Vlaklaagte Station.

October 23rd. The Battalion took over the posts to Eden Kop inclusive, and handed over Vlaklaagte, making the total length of line occupied forty miles, as well as Van Kolders Kop. The Head Quarters of the Battalion moved to Waterval Bridge.

December 13th. The Head Quarters of the Battalion moved to Standerton (Beacon Hill), being relieved by Somerset Light Infantry.





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? Spn = Superintendent ? Is it a message from a man in charge of blockhouse set IV to the man in charge of the neighbouring set V of blockhouses?

Your note writer's full name was Fred Louis Tillett who I am pretty sure, but could not prove in a court of law, was born near Norwich on 7 May 1880 and back home became a postman in 1904 and retired as a postman. He married in 1907, had a couple of children and died in 1949.

Here he is visiting a fisherman friend in June 1921:



More definitely he had previously been wounded on 5 February 1900 at Val Krantz - below an extract from a long list of the wounded of 1st Battalion Rifle Brigade which appeared in the London Echo 14 February 1900.



Also definitely served in the Great War in the highland Light infantry, Regimental Number 53434:

When 33 year old, Taunton born Thomas Edwin Mousley attested in January 1900 for service in the Staffordshire Imperial Yeomanry he claimed to be single, lack any previous military experience and to be a farmer. The latter despite his father being a civil engineer/contractor.

In South Africa in December 1900 Thomas was commissioned as a Lieutenant into Bethune’s MI. The BMI medal rolls show he qualified for a KSA medal but he must have arrived back in England during 1902 because in January 1903 he was married in St Albans Cathedral by no less than the Dean of St. Albans.

The wedding report, in the Liverpool Weekly Courier, tells us Thomas was “late Bethune’s Mounted Infantry” and his bride (Amy) was a widow living in Hertfordshire, who was also the grand-daughter of a now deceased Liverpool MP. Amy had a 15 year old daughter (Gladys) who acted as bridesmaid “attired in a cream costume, with a large oyster-coloured beaver hat trimmed with cream satin, and a big military overcoat to match”. I will spare you the description of Amy’s unconventional attire.

The 1911 Census shows that Thomas & Amy, now living in Alton in Hampshire, had produced two children of their own but were still providing a home for Gladys. Thomas was supporting his family by working as a “Farm Manager”.

In October 1911 Thomas, Amy, Gladys and the two young Mouseley’s embarked on the SS Prince Edward in Bristol bound for Montreal.

The 1920 USA Census found them living in Beaver Dam, Hanover County, State of Virginia. Thomas’s occupation (left hand column for “Trade” & right hand column for “Industry”) was given as:



To me this reads as “British Ammunition” & “Inspector for England”. Does anybody have an alternative? All the others on the same page of the Census are farmers except for the owner of the local store and another who worked on the railroad. Amy died in 1924 and by 1930 the widowed Thomas seems to have reverted to farming with occupation “herdsman”. Can any North American forum members shed any light on Thomas’s 1920 occupation? - my googling just brings up stuff about the American Civil War or two present day gun stores in Beaver Dam.

Thanks for reading.

Morning David,

'Ammunition inspector' looks most likely. I quickly reject an ammunition injector. 'For England' looks most likely although it makes less sense. I thought the last word might be a company name but that would make no sense in the Industry column. Perhaps the Industry column was blank and the intention was to communicate that he was 'from England'?

Sorry to be of no help at all.

Best wishes
David

I think "importer" would make a lot more sense, though it doesn't immediately look like that. Not sure a "British ammunition inspector for England" would be living and operating in the US.