TOPIC:

Thank you Shaun, I’m glad to know that you are enjoying the book.

Chapter 5 -Fighting around Colesberg and more specifically pages 40 & 41 deal with the 12TH of February’s events at Hobkirk’s Farm.

In answer to your questions:

1. I’m afraid that I haven’t seen a photograph of Frank Goodridge. I have just checked the museum website again. There is a Lance Corporal from WW1 who may be a relation.

2. One Colour Serjeant, three Serjeants and one private were killed.

Page 40 contains the diary entry of Serjeant William Blencowe of A Company, but it was half of B Company who were at Hobkirk’s Farm on that day.

I hadn’t found any other accounts and can only speculate but I should hope that any Serjeant worth his salt would get his men out first.

The Victorian Mounted Rifles were helping the Wiltshire’s to safety and lost Major Eddy.

3. The entry in Goodridge’s service record is not a mistake. He was promoted vice (In the place of) Serjeant Walkley who died two days later.

Therefore, Goodridge either couldn’t actually have been a Serjeant on the 12th or he was, and later replaced Walkley. Unfortunately I see that his service record doesn’t give an actual date of promotion, so we will never know. Also, there is always a discrepancy between casualty returns and digests. Whilst I tried to clarify everything sometimes you have to go with what is recorded.

My next book will be an accurate account and analysis of the Colesberg Operations and I hope to uncover further information.

I hope that helps.

Thank you once again for your interest in my book.

Best wishes

Ian

Hello Ian; thank you very much for your feedback.

That has definitely helped to answer my questions; I will let you know if I stumble across any more information.

Thank you.

Shaun,

I looked again at the image you posted of a section of Goodridge’s service record.

IT DOES give a date of promotion!

It can be read as “Promoted Serjeant vice Walkley killed in action 15.02.00” as if Walkley died on that day, but Walkley died on 14.02.00, so it means that he was promoted Serjeant on that day, but of course he was already a POW on 12.02.00 when he would have been, as the record clearly shows, a paid Lance Serjeant.

I think what happened here is that the service records would have been with the Regiment’s Depot in Devizes, Wiltshire. The 2nd Battalion’s Adjutant was with the Battalion in South Africa and he would have furnished both the casualty records and the Promotion report to the Depot.

Perhaps he didn’t realise that Goodridge had already been recorded as a POW?After all it may not have been he himself who compiled the Casualty record, maybe he simply “signed it off”.

Or, perhaps the Promotion report was completed before the Casualty Record?

Either way these dates don’t exactly fit and there has been an error. It may be that “Lance” was omitted from the Casualty record.

In war of course, the completion of paperwork can often occur days after an event.

I hope I have explained this adequately.

Hello Ian,

Thanks for the follow up post.

I have attached the full page of his record, from what I can tell he was promoted to Sjt shortly after being recalled to the colours.

On the medal rolls he is recorded as being a Sjt and the Times published him as being a Sjt when he was released from prison in Pretoria.

When he received his medal they impressed it with the rank of Corporal; I don’t think he would have been impressed.



He is mentioned on the top line of released POWs from Watervaal:







Incorrect rank:



So I agree with you that there was an error with the Vice Walkley entry.

Today I was informed that sales of my book have been so good that the Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum have had to once more restock to avoid selling out yet again.

Also, after floating the idea I hope to feature in next year’s programme of talks where I will discuss the Wiltshire Regiment’s involvement in the Boer War.

Watch this space!

Congratulations Ian! Great work.