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Berkeley Hardinge Thomas was born in Plymouth on 10 January 1865. He was baptised in Plymouth when he was nearly 6 months old on 7 July 1865. The baptism record tells us why he was born in Plymouth:




The 1871 Census found the family still living at 3 South Devon Place although at the time the head of the household was away from home. The return shows Berkeley’s mother was Irish and he had an elder sister Annie. Not surprisingly the remuneration of a Royal Navy Paymaster ran to a servant.

Berkeley, received his education at the United Services College, then situated at Westward Ho in Devon. Reciters of the “Absent Minded Beggar” will be aware the creator of the poem was educated at the United Services College and was born just under a year after Berkeley. Also, his full name was Joseph Rudyard Kipling. By chance the 1881 Census put them on the same page – the upper red star denotes Kipling and the lower red star Berkeley:



How matey they were is open to speculation as Berkeley would have been a school year in front of Kipling. This photo, extracted from “United Services College 1874-1911: A short account of Rudyard Kipling’s old school at Westward Ho!”, does raise the thought – is Berkeley one of the question marks?



Berkeley joined the Worcestershire Regiment in November 1887 and two years later was promoted to Lieutenant and Captain in December 1896. When the 2nd Worcesters arrived in South Africa in January 1900 they were organised into 5 companies, A to E, and Berkeley was in command of Company C. When the Boers attacked on 12th February 1900 Company A & E were outposted on the Worcester Hill kopjes (Pinnacle Hill, Burnt Hill & Signal Hill) with Company C nearby in support. Meanwhile Companies B & D were back in camp on Slingersfontein Farm and never became involved in the fighting. It is known that Berkeley was hit by a bullet which as it passed out of his body damaged his spine and caused paralysis. Somehow he was carried off the battle field still alive and transported to the Portland Hospital at Rondebosch, Cape Town – a journey of 500 miles! Hopefully the damage to his spine meant Berkeley felt no or little pain otherwise it would have been an excruciating journey for him.

The Portland Hospital, named after the main benefactor, the Earl of Portland, was the first private hospital to arrive in South Africa, admitting the first patients in January 1900, and set a very high standard. Incredibly it closed down in July 1900 by when it had moved to Bloemfontein. When the cold weather arrived and the enteric epidemic died down they ran out of patients. There were thoughts about moving on to the Transvaal but Lord Roberts declared no more hospitals were required in the Transvaal.

The Portland Hospital committee issued a report after they returned home and it makes fascinating reading (see the recent post by ZeZe www.angloboerwar.com/forum/women-in-the-...urses?start=90#98339 for a link to download it). Appendix S (nearly 40 pages) of the report is a list of the just over 1,000 patients they treated – the first page of the appendix includes Berkeley and another officer of the 2nd Worcesters wounded on the same day:



Five more 2nd Worcesters wounded on 12 February 1900 figure later in the appendix but Berkeley alone gets mentioned in the main body of the report as he was the only patient to die whilst the hospital was located at Rondebosch:

“During our stay at Rondebosch of just three months, we had altogether 477 patients. Of these but one wounded man died, namely an officer who had been shot through the chest and spine and was almost completely paralysed. All our other wounded did exceedingly well, and, though some of them had been badly hit, they were all fortunate enough to keep their arms and legs.”

As I said the Portland Hospital set a very high standard.

With the help of the staff of the Portland Hospital, Berkeley bravely fought on for 8 days before succumbing on 20 February 1900 aged 35. He never married, and both his parents never saw him promoted to Captain in 1896. It was left to his elder and spinster sister Annie to mourn him and act as executor of his will. His UK probate gave his address as Albura Barracks, Aldershot – I guess the army was his life.

He was buried in Maitland Cemetery along with four other members of the Worcestershire Regiment, one of whom (Bennett) served in the 2nd Worcesters and, like Berkeley, died of the wounds he received on 12 February 1900. None of the four were patients at the Portland Hospital.

Sadly the memorial (below) has Berkeley’s second initial incorrect.




Like all those other members of the 2nd Worcesters who were killed in action, died of their wounds or were invalided home without rejoining their unit, as a result of the Worcester Hill kopjes engagement, Berkeley’s QSA carried only a single clasp, Cape Colony. I believe they total 36 but my investigations are not yet complete. A fag packet calculation puts about five hundred 2nd Worcesters on the Worcester Hill kopjes on 12th February meaning at least 7% of them played no further part in the conflict, another fortnight of that and the 2nd Worcesters in South Africa would have been no more.

David,
Very much appreciate all of these connections to the Slingersfontein skirmish involving the 2nd Worcesters. I took a look at Appendix S and soon found the Worcester men who were listed Pitt, Buckle, Calfe and Green along with the three officers. I have the QSAs to Buckle and Calfe in my collection. They must have been good mates giving their own accounts of the battle and getting hit!
Poor old Green certainly made target practice for the Boers with gunshot wounds to hand, arm, leg and head! But they were all fortunate to come into the care of the Portland Hospital.
Well worth fellow forummers taking a look at the detail of injury/illness that was recorded. It certainly adds something more to what the other standard casualty lists report (Watt, Palmer, Hayward etc).

Steve - really just finishing something I started when I first joined the Forum (3 years ago) as Pritchard (KIA) & Carrington (KIA) are amongst my Smethwickians (although they only just qualify). Carrington was Dudley born and raised but at some stage lived in Birmingham and then Smethwick - thus he is on my database and on the Dudley & Birmingham Boer War Memorials.

Buckle, Callf (Calfe) & Pitt - their wounds were all classed as "severe" yet they must have been back in action by July 1900 as they all received the Wittebergen clasp. Green's wounds definitely involved more parts of his body but were not classed as severe, however, he only received the Cape Colony clasp inferring he never returned to action and was invalided home - he is one of my proposed 36 who took no further part in the war - sadly his paperwork is not findable so in his case I cannot 100% prove the point but the Medal Roll comments do say "To England" against his name.

I can't find any paperwork to do with Buckle and thus know nothing about him but it sounds as though you have found something out about him?

The other officer who was treated at the Portland Hospital is also worthy of a dedicated post - when he left the Portland he was transferred to the 2/Worcester MI Company, served in WW1 and was KIA during September 1914. He was also involved in another event in South Africa in 1904 - still getting my head round that but a post should surface over the weekend.

Regards, David.

PS Although I parade as Smethwick of Staffordshire, I actually have more affection for Worcestershire - weekend/holiday bicycle jaunts with my schoolmates always headed into Worcestershire (e.g Bewdley, Wyre Forest etc) rather than Staffordshire.

David,

This image is courtesy of Elmarie.

Best wishes
David

Picture courtesy of Elmarie (thank you Elmarie!)

Picture courtesy of Elmarie