Whilst researching personnel attached to the Wiltshire Regiment, I was struck by how many came from other Regiments. This situation clearly must have been the same for many other Regiments, but here are the statistics for the Wiltshire's.
By 1899, the Wiltshire Regiment had become one of the smaller line regiments of the British Army and the 2nd Battalion was particularly below normal strength. Their numbers had dwindled somewhat over the previous two years as a result of the natural discharge of men who had completed their time serving with the colours, falling recruitment numbers and because many officers and men had volunteered to join the 1st Battalion serving abroad, favouring the excitement of foreign service over what could for a soldier be mundane home service duties, hence the reason why the Regiment was held back at Aldershot until its strength was increased enough for it to be sent to the war in South Africa. In fact, in 1899, the strength of the Regiment’s 1st Battalion farexceeded that of the 2nd, which was not uncommon for line regiments, as the men who enlisted understandably wished to escape their civilian lives and see the world of the British Empire.
The bolstering of numbers was accomplished by recalling three hundred and seventy-six of the Regiment’s Reservists, which was almost the exact number available, and by some officers taking up openings with the Regiment once it was publicised that it would be going to South Africa, as there was a certain amount of transferring of officers eager to further their careers at this time, with much competition for places in regiments named for service in the war, as was the case with Twenty-six year old 2nd Lieutenant Claude Champion de Crespigny, who joined from the 1st Battalion King’s Royal Rifle Corps. He served with the Mounted Infantry. He was twice wounded in action, twice recommended for the Victoria Cross, though he never received this award, but ended the war as a Captain having been awarded a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). 2nd Lieutenant R. F. Guy joined from the 9th Battalion King’s Royal Rifle Corps. Twenty-three-year-old 2nd Lieutenant Cyril D’arcy Vivian Cary-Barnard joined from Lumsden’s Horse (Indian Mounted Infantry Corps) (Promoted from Trooper) and 2nd Lieutenant Clave A. Harding joined from the Natal Police (Promotion). The Natal Police was a para-military force Formed in 1874 as the first line of defence in Natal.
Each regiment went to South Africa with its own small group of Royal Army Medical Corps and perhaps an attached Engineer. Regarding the Royal Army Medical Corps, the Regiment left England with forty-one year old Surgeon-Major Thomas Broderick Albert Tuckey who had been assigned as the Regiment’s Principle Medical Officer and a handful of medical personnel. Later in the war he was joined by and later replaced by forty-one-year-old Surgeon-Captain Frederick Smith who was in turn later joined by twenty-six-year-old Surgeon Lieutenant Robert Lionel Popham. As the war dragged on there were a number of Civil surgeons who volunteered to serve in South Africa and Civil Surgeon T.A. Roberts joined the Regiment.
Regarding the Royal Engineers, twenty-eight-year-old Lieutenant John Harvey Prior had joined From the Plymouth Division, Royal Engineers, Submarine Miners (Militia) Regiment.
Throughout the war, the Wiltshire Regiment was joined in South Africa by four Officers (One Served with the Mounted Infantry), one Corporal, one Lance Corporal and one hundred and sixty-three Private soldiers from the 3rd (Militia) Battalion, plus various drafts from the Militia Battalions of other regiments. In total, twelve men from the 3rd Liverpool Regiment, one hundred and nine From the 5th Liverpool, thirty-one from the 5th Rifle Brigade, ninety-nine from the 3rd East Surrey Regiment, one Captain and eighteen men from the 3rd Border Regiment, fourteen men from the 4th Border Regiment, one Captain from the 5th Manchester Regiment and one regular Armourer-Sergeant from the Army Ordnance Corps joined the Regiment. It was his task to take control of all small arms maintenance and the ordering, storage and allocation of all ammunition.
