TOPIC:

Dear Forummers,
Several accounts describe a soldier (or two soldiers, in one account) of the 2nd Bttn Devonshire Regt killed by a long range rifle bullet on the upper Tugela on 17 January 1900. I know that sometimes the date in the casualty list may lag a day or more, but in my spreadsheet of casualties kindly given to me by Meurig, I can't find a match.
Has anyone a suggestion?
many thanks!
Rob

Hi Rob,

I've just checked the whole casualty roll and I can't see any likely candidates either. In fact, I was struck by how few casualties there are for the Devons. Where does the information come from?

Regards

Ian

Here are 4 accounts, there are probably more. I assume it was a rumour.

John Black Atkins, The Relief Of Ladysmith p 218 ‘…one man in the Devons lay dead from a long-range stray shot’

Winston S. Churchill, London to Ladysmith Via Pretoria p. 279 ‘Half a dozen Boers fired a few shots at long range, and one unfortunate soldier in the Devons was killed’

Ernest Blake Knox, Buller's campaign with the Natal field force of 1900 p. 18 ‘Mauser shots — from the opposite bank of the river ; one man of the Devons was shot dead by a stray bullet at some 2,000 yards.’

Charles J. O’Mahony, A Peep over the Barleycorn. In the firing line with the P.W.O., 2nd West Yorkshire Regiment, through the relief of Ladysmith, p.187 ‘After the cavalry had precipitously retreated, the four cheeky Boers turned on the men carrying planks towards the river for the construction of the bridge, killing one of the Devons.’

Interesting accounts. It may have been a rumour. Bit of a puzzle though.

Rob,

There do seem to be some missing casualties from the official records regarding the Devons.

Here's one for example from 24 October 1899:

THE RECORD OF A REGIMENT OF THE LINE
BEING A REGIMENTAL HISTORY OF THE 1ST BATTALION DEVONSHIRE REGIMENT DURING THE BOER WAR 1899-1902 BY COLONEL M. JACSON



The casualties of the battalion during the day were:—

1 private killed.1
25 privates wounded, none dangerously.

Footnote 1:
This private, the first man of the Regiment killed in the war, was Private Winsor. He was shot dead through the heart by a stray bullet.

This action was known as the action of Reitfontein.

Windsor does not appear in the casualty returns.

Maybe, the accounts you quoted are correct.

Ian