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Well at last I have the vital ingredient for my novel on the Boer War – this from the Leeds & Yorkshire Mercury, 10 December 1901. Similar notices appeared in papers across the country, probably because Sir Hugh Gilzean was a newspaper magnate.



Philip John Reid is one of “my” 207 Smethwickians as the Reid family for a time prior to the Boer War occupied Warley Hall, renamed Warley Abbey by Sir Hugh, in what is now Warley Woods in Smethwick and where I spent some of my misspent youth.

Philip enlisted as Private 307 in the 5th (Warwickshire) Company, 2nd Battalion, Imperial Yeomanry on 2nd January 1900 and embarked for South Africa at the end of the month. The next news we have of Philip is that he was “severely” wounded at Kheis Drift on 28th May 1900. Whilst recovering Philip wrote the following letter home which was reproduced in the Birmingham Daily Post of Friday 13th July 1900 with the heading “WARWICKSHIRE YEOMEN AT KHEIS DRIFT, LETTER FROM MR P. J. REID”

Writing to a London friend, Mr. Philip J. Reid, formerly of Warley Abbey, who has recently been serving with the Warwickshire Company of the Imperial Yeomanry in South Africa, gives the following account of his experiences since he had the misfortune to be wounded at Kheis, British Bechuanaland. The letter is dated Kheis Drift, June 11. “Our company had an exciting time at the Drift. It was my first time under fire and it was a pity to be knocked out so soon. Of course I was very lucky. The wounds were made by Mauser bullets, for one thing; and for another I was hit when only about a yard from cover. Other fellows got hit by explosive bullets, which made fearful holes, and, besides that had to be left lying out in the shallow water near the bank, or on the shingle of the beach. We were hit at a range of 150-200 yards, and a Mauser bullet at this range is merciful. It makes a small hole, and goes clean through what it strikes without any fuss. We are in a temporary Field Hospital, and begin a fortnight’s journey to Prieska tomorrow in wagons. Since my leg – thigh bone – was set I have been on a bed, and I am to have this placed on a wagon. It was our luck to have in the Warwickshire Company a fully qualified doctor, who comes of a sporting family, and came out to the front just for the fun of the thing. I shall never forget Dr Unwin’s (of Dunchurch, Rugby) kindness. He was in risk of being killed all the time, as the bullets were coming dangerously near, and the Boers had got into practice, firing at the Red Cross. It would have been, I think, the bitterest sorrow of my life if he had been hit. I shall be on my back for nine or ten weeks, but have now taken the turn, and if the wagon journey does not upset us we should all be on the mend soon.”

Meanwhile, back home (Henrietta) Grace Tillott completed her training as a nurse at Guy’s Hospital in London on 2 February 1900 and then volunteered for service in South Africa where she was assigned to the Imperial Yeomanry Hospital located at Deelfontein. Now Deelfontein is just over 100 miles from Prieska but, unless my knowledge of the geography of South Africa is at fault, Prieska would have been a stopping off point on the journey to Deelfontein. So I think we can presume that the morning after Philip arrived at the Imperial Yeomanry Hospital he opened his eyes to see a ministering angel approaching him, their eyes met and ………….. consult any Mills & Boon novel to complete the sentence.

We know, from his service records, Philip returned to Blighty on 19th December 1900 with a “permanent limp”. The above newspaper clipping tells us that (Henrietta) Grace arrived back during the summer of 1900 after which she and Philip must have renewed their acquaintanceship.

The record of their marriage is fascinating (well to me at least):



First look at the bottom signature of the witnesses – H Lincoln Tangye. H Lincoln Tangye was the son of one of the famous engineering Tangye brothers who many residents of Smethwick, including some still alive, owed their well-being to by employment at Tangyes Cornwall Works in Smethwick. Lincoln Tangye actually purchased Warley Abbey from Sir Hugh.

Next look at where Grace was living, Dollis Hill House which was the then home of her future parents-in-law. During the summer of 1900 her future parents-in-law had rented Dollis Hill House to Mark Twain when he fled to England in search of solitude to write another book. During the 1990’s Dollis Hill House suffered major fires and lay semi-derelict. In 2008 the Dollis Hill House Trust campaigned for its restoration to create a community, arts and heritage centre and the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded them matched funding of £1.2 million. Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, promised to sort out any shortfall. Unfortunately, for Dollis Hill House, Ken fell from power and his successor, Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, withdrew the promise. Dollis Hill House was demolished in 2012.

Returning to the plot, the marriage record shows that Philip followed in his father’s footsteps and by the time of the 1911 census he was News Editor of the Middlesbrough Daily Gazette, founded by his father. The census return shows he and Grace had a 3 year old son called Nevil and they could afford a live-in domestic servant.

Come WW1 Dollis Hill House became a military hospital and Philip again attested, on 7th September 1914. At the medical he owned up to the wound and limp and was deemed fit for service as Private 23094 of the “Hussars of the Line”. He reported to their depot in Bristol the next day. On 19th December 1914 he was promoted to Lance-corporal but on 27th October 1915 he was discharged to the Army Reserve as a Private under King’s Regulation 392 (XVa) “Free under Article 1131 Pay Warrant”. Quite what that means I am unsure, but his character was assessed as “Very Good” and he appeared to spend the whole of his 1 year and 51 days service at Bristol.

Perusing the papers during the coming years Philip & Grace seem to have been very active in good works and for many years Philip was Honorary Secretary of the Middlesbrough Guild of Hope. He was also fond of writing letters to other papers with his favourite subjects being tariff reform and equality of opportunity.

Philip passed away in 1932 aged 64. The 1939 Register shows Grace living alone in Barnstable, Devon and she passed away in 1946 aged 75. The 1939 Register also shows their son Nevil had married and become a father. His occupation was given as “Serving Army Officer”.

As the above Newspaper clipping states both Philip and Grace received medals for their service during the Boer War of 1899-1902. In fact, they were identical medals – the Queen’s South Africa Medal with a single clasp – “Cape Colony”. Below, thanks to the Wellcome Collection, we could be seeing Grace receiving her medal from Queen Alexandra in the garden of Devonshire House, Piccadilly, London on 11th April 1902.