TOPIC:

SUB-TITLE: A SOLDIER WHO WAS WIDELY REPORTED IN JANUARY 1902 NEWSPAPERS AS SEVERLEY WOUNDED AT TRENAFONTEIN, A PLACE WHICH DOES NOT AND NEVER DID EXIST.

Although his father was born in Leicester and his mother in Tiverton (Devon), Walter definitely qualifies as a Smethwickian. Along with his five brothers he was born (12th October 1882) and raised in Smethwick, in his teens he joined the Smethwick Rifle Volunteers, he was a stalwart of the Smethwick Cricket Club both on and off the field and at the time of the 1921 Census he was still living and working in the town, now a married man with a child. Admittedly by the start of WW2 he had moved to neighbouring Birmingham and passed away in St Michael’s Hospital in Lichfield on 24th September 1964, three weeks short of his 72nd birthday.

The Dormans were a notable Smethwick family as their father was Smethwick’s Postmaster who held sway over Smethwick’s Main Post & Sorting Office in Rolfe Street, where the author once worked for a short while helping to deliver the Christmas post. The six brothers were all noted for their sporting achievements and the 1965 obituary for the eldest, William Dunsford (mother’s maiden name), says he played Water Polo for England. The Smethwick Swimming Baths was also in Rolfe Street and opposite the Post Office, again it is where the author learnt to swim.

Before one scoffs at Walters contribution to cricket one should realise that Sydney Barnes (1873-1967) was born in Smethwick and was taught to bowl off spin by the professional at Smethwick Cricket Club. All six Dorman brothers played for Smethwick, admittedly usually for the Second XI although First XI appearances were not that uncommon.

The Smethwick Rifle Volunteers were usually referred to in the newspapers of the day as the Smethwick Volunteers and were attached to the South Staffordshire Regiment giving them the alternative title of H Company, 1st Volunteer Battalion. At one of their December 1899 meetings the call went out for members to volunteer for service in South Africa and Walter was one of the 26 who raised their hands – at the time he was aged 17 years 2 months. He was not selected to go out with the first wave the following spring presumably on the grounds of age and he decided to take an alternative course.

On 2nd March 1901 he attested for service in the Imperial Yeomanry at Kidderminster which is in Worcestershire and just under 20 miles south west of Smethwick in Staffordshire, in doing so he admitted to his previous involvement with the Smethwick Rifle Volunteers. To be accepted he added two years to his age and declared he was 20 years and 4 months old. Physically he had no problems being accepted as he measured 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighed in at 10 stone 8 lbs and had a chest measurement of 34 inches which he could expand by an inch and a half.

He was assigned to the newly formed 102nd (Worcestershire) Company, IY who on arrival in South Africa allegedly helped form the second contingent 5th Battalion, IY. The other members of this battalion were apparently all Northumberland Companies, namely the 100th, 101st & 105th.

From his service records Walter embarked for South Africa on 30th March 1901. Shipping records held by the Forum make no mention of a ship leaving for South Africa on that day and as the 102nd Company Medal Roll fails to list any officers I cannot even search for the mention of an officer which has proved helpful in other cases. The newspapers of the day make no mention of the doings in South Africa of the 102nd Company IY until January 1902.

The reported casualty list for “Trenafontein” on 21st January 1902 was reported in many newspapers as:




The first issue is that the 102nd Company now seemed to be part of the 12th Battalion IY and serving alongside two companies of Paget’s Horse (51st & 73rd) & the Suffolk Company (43rd). I can find several mentions of the 12th Battalion IY in the newspapers but none specifically mention the 102nd Company.

The next issue, which has already been discovered by other Forum members, is where was/is Trenafontein and what exactly happened there! This issue was addressed by the newspapers of the day who openly asked where it was and why the engagement, which resulted in the “death of 7 and wounding of 25” (my count from the above is 28) was not mentioned in subsequent despatches or even Kitchener’s next report. None had the temerity to use the term cover-up but 122 years later it smells like it. There obviously was some severe fighting and the Imperial troops involved did not appear to come well out of it.

A couple of the papers spelt it “Trenanfontein”, Steve Watt in Memoriam refers to those who were killed in action as dying at “Treurfontein” and Walter’s service records seem to say “Trenatfontein” but I might have misread the handwriting. Googling all variants, only Treurfontein scores a hit and Wikipedia says it is now called Coligny and just over 20 miles SSE of Lichtenburg or about 120 miles due west of Johannesburg.

Returning to the newspapers of 1902 with “Treurfontein” produces a single hit in the West Sussex County Times and Standard of Saturday July 26th 1902!!! This is the relevant paragraph which in turn was taken from the Bulawayo Chronicle dated June 10th: “B.S.A.P. Return From The Front. On Sunday evening about 50 B.S.A.P., under Captain Drury, returned from the front. They formed the major portion of 150 who went down during the past eight months, of whom a number returned previously invalided, about 30 remain in hospital, and the balance were killed or died from enteric and other causes. On reaching camp on Sunday night the men were paraded and briefly addressed by their commanding office, Lieut-Col W Bodle, C.M.G. He said he was very pleased to see them back, and he was proud to have received such good accounts of their conduct at the front from various commanding officers under whom they served, General Lord Methuen, Colonel Von Donop, Colonel Kekewich and others had all borne testimony to and commended their soldier-like conduct and expressed appreciation of their behaviour in action. He was also glad to record that Lord Methuen had publicly thanked them on parade for their conduct at Treurfontein, and that, among men who had gone to the front, none had given a better account of themselves.” It sounds as though the B.S.A.P. had a grievance about the lack of recognition of whatever happened at Treurfontein presumably on 21st January 1902. So I feel we now have a location for Walter’s wounding but exactly what happened is still a mystery and will probably forever remain so.

Anyway, Walter was “severely” wounded on 21st January 1902 almost certainly at Treurfontein. I take “severely” as opposed to “dangerously” as meaning his injuries were not life-threatening but possibly life-changing. His service records give more detail on the nature of them and, depending on which part you read, he suffered a gun shot wound to the left shoulder or arm. If it was a flesh wound and a Mauser bullet that does not sound too bad but it did lead to him being invalided home and being discharged “medically unfit” at Shorncliffe a month after he arrived back in England on 3rd April 1902. The Smethwick Telephone of 12th April 1902 reported that Lance-Corporal Walter Dorman had returned from the war and added: “His many friends will be glad to learn that the injuries he received are not likely to be permanent.”

I am pleased to be able to write that the Smethwick Telephone of 19th July 1902 reported that Walter and his eldest brother William had both turned out for Smethwick Cricket Club Second XI against Walsall Second XI and Walter, with 21, outscored his brother by 4 runs. They had both played an important part in securing a draw after Walsall had put up a mammoth total. Earlier in the month Sydney Barnes had taken 6 wickets for 49 in the Australian first innings in the third Ashes Test Match – sadly, even so, England lost the match.

My tentative conclusion is that Walter had suffered a flesh wound by a Mauser bullet.

Walter was awarded the Queen’s South Africa Medal with five clasps – Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901 & South Africa 1902.

The 1911 Census found 28 year-old Walter still single and living at home (91 Coopers Lane, Smethwick) with his parents and four of his brothers – the eldest, William, had married and was living in nearby North Street. Walter’s occupation is given as “Clerk” and he is employed by a “metal manufacturer”. Walter gave “Clerk” as his occupation when he attested a decade earlier.

Olivia, Walter’s mother, died whilst still living Smethwick, in early April 1918. In late 1918 Walter married Florence May Venner. Although Florence hailed from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire the wedding took place in Devon. Was this some sort of homage to his mother who had been born in Devon?

The 1921 Census found Walter & Florence living at 158 Crocketts Lane, Smethwick with their 13 month old son, Philip Venner. As far as I can discover Philip was an only child. It also shows Florence was 10 years younger than Walter. Living with them was one of Walter’s younger brothers, Duncan. Whilst Duncan was working as a “Bank Clerk” for Lloyds Bank at their Oldbury Branch, Walter was working as an “Order Clerk” for “Muntzs Metal Co Ltd” located in the French Walls area of Smethwick. Assuming he was working at Muntz’s in 1901 & 1911 one wonders if he qualified for a long service medal like the one in the possession of Forum Member, Rory Reynolds.

In early April 1926 Walter’s father George Harry died, again he was still living in Smethwick. Parts of his obituary make interesting reading:-
“He was associated with Smethwick Old Church and was churchwarden during the vicariate of Canon Astbury.
“A staunch Conservative, he was able in his retirement to take an active part in the affairs of the Party and he served as a Secretary to the Smethwick Club.
“Not only was he a good musician, but he was something of a French scholar, and having studied at Mason’s College (Author’s note: Mason College was the forerunner of Birmingham University), he used to tour France, where he indulged his love of walking.
“Mr Dorman served in a unit of the Volunteer Force associated with the Post Office. That love of citizen soldiering was imbibed by his six sons, all of whom served in that capacity, while at points of national anxiety they took a sterner duty; Mr Walter Dorman served in the South African War and was wounded. Three other brothers served in the Great War. During 1914-18 Mr Dorman again accepted service, doing duty as a Special Constable at an important factory in Oldbury”.

Returning to Walter’s time in South Africa I have just realised he would have been accompanied by three familiar voices: the son of Canon Astbury, namely 22388 Corporal Arthur Astbury; a primary school class mate, namely 22392 Private Charles Collins; a fellow member of the Smethwick Volunteers, namely 31404 William Parker. For some reason Arthur & Charles sailed to South Africa a fortnight earlier than Walter & William. William elected to be discharged in South Africa and this happened on 1st July 1902. First home was Arthur, he was invalided home sick, and arrived back on English soil on 3rd February 1902, exactly two months before Walter. Charles did the full stint and arrived back on 8th September 1902 but with an unrealised affliction, bilharzia. As reported before this caught up with him during WW1 causing him to be invalided home. All three received an identical QSAM to Walter.

Interestingly all six brothers would have qualified on age grounds for conscription during WW1. Presumably, although the after effects of his South African injuries did not prevent Walter from returning to the cricket field they did prevent him being considered fit for a second dose of soldiering. William born 1878 & Reginald born 1886, were almost certainly occupying skilled technical jobs at Smethwick factories supporting the war effort and so may have been considered as being in reserved occupations. However, George Augustus born 1879, Duncan born 1889 & Sidney Pearce born 1892 all definitely served overseas. Lieutenant Duncan, Yorks & Lancs Regt, managed to attend his mother’s April 1918 funeral Duncan because he was convalescing in an Edinburgh hospital but Second Lieutenant George & Private Sidney were not able to make it.

By the time of the 1939 Register Walter and Florence had moved to Goosemoor Lane in the Wylde Green area of Birmingham. Later they retired initially to the rural village of Belbroughton, Worcestershire but by the time Walter died in 1964 they had moved back to suburbia in Sutton Coldfield.

Finally I have discovered a photograph of Walter but towards the end of his life. Obviously a photograph taken at a family wedding in which, for whatever reason, William Dunsford Dorman (wearing spectacles) occupies centre stage. Walter stands on his left as you look at it. Two to the right of William is Reginald Dorman. I have no idea who the rest are but there are six in the front row.




Author's note - edited on 21st September 2023 to remove incorrect references to the "Smethwick Militia" as pointed out by Forum Member Volunteer.

TREURFONTEIN CASUALTIES

Thank you Elmarie.

So the engagement was even more significant in the loss of life by Imperial Troops with 10 deaths resulting and the contribution of the Bechuanaland Rifles seems to have been totally overlooked. One of the papers commented on the large number of changes (10) between the original casualty list and the final one. The only casualty lists appeared identical to the one I have listed. one paper carried a simple update - slightly wounded H. R. Suss of the 43rd Company was actually H. R. Huss.

Your listing has R Alderson serving in the 51st Company, "mine" in the 73rd Company. His death was reported as follows in the Yorkshire Telegraph & Star:



I think this can be discounted regarding which Company he served in as the reported had read the same list that I did. Turning to Medal Rolls he appears on two - one undated and headed "51st Squadron Pagets Horse IY" which tells us he received the CC, OFS & Tr clasps on his posthumous QSAM; the second dated 31st October 1902 and headed "Pagets Horse 51st & 73rd Squadrons IY" and tells us he also received the two date claps on his QSAM and was "Killed in Action 21.1.02". So I suspect the 51st wins by a short head.

See also the graves at Treurfontein British Military Cemetery, Coligny District North West

www.graves-at-eggsa.org/main.php?g2_itemId=70538

Errrrrrr - I think I have to reverse my previous decision



Whilst the shadow from the fence does not help, one can clearly make out "3rd" followed by an abbreviation of Company - so that makes a last minute revival for Rowland serving in the 73rd Company IY.

It occurred to me that the attestation papers & service records of Imperial Yeomans, even if they died during the ABW, have usually survived and that is indeed the case for 31306 Rowland Alderson. However, they tell us nothing regarding the number of the Company he served in but they bring confusion to which Battalion he served in. Below I have attached 3 extracts from the documents.





My additional conclusion is that the organisation & numbering of IY Companies & Battalions was fluid & chaotic.

The last extract also shows that the fictitious name for where 10 Imperial soldiers died lived on as far as the bureaucrats of the British Army were concerned.

David
Another interesting story of a Smethwickian.
But perhaps not a surprise that I do want to take you up on this question of the recurring confusion of Militia with Volunteers. They are not interchangeable terms, a man was in one or the other.
I’m wondering what is your source for the statement “in his late teens he joined the Smethwick Militia”.
This section also surprised me.
“The Smethwick Militia were referred to in the newspapers of the day as the Smethwick Volunteers or Smethwick Rifle Volunteers and were attached to the South Staffordshire Regiment giving them the alternative title of H Company, 1st Volunteer Battalion. At their December 1899 meeting the call went out for members to volunteer for service in South Africa and Walter was one of the 26 who raised their hands”
I can’t recall any occasion when I have seen any contemporary Victorian newspaper report confusing or conflating Militia with Volunteers. Accuracy and reliability of reporting was far more important to Editors of that era than the garbage dished up today.
Regards
Pete (who also learned to swim in Rolfe Street baths (and Thimblemill), worked the Christmas Post out of Rolfe Street from 1963 to 1967, and played cricket at Smethwick Cricket Club c.1960 -1963)