TOPIC:

Did prison guards in Boer POW camps appear on QSA medal roll? Maybe prisoners were not allowed knives?

Rob,

Given that most POW carvings were made with pocket-knives, it seems that, in most camps at least, they were not classed as prohibited items.

This waistcoat bandolier came with the knife, together with the note, which was inside one of the breast pockets. All these items were consigned to auction by the Penrose family, and were presumably brought home by the same man, though not necessarily taken from the same Boer.

The fact that the Irish branch of the Penrose family were devout Quakers adds another layer to the mystery, as no immediate relations would have been combatants – though they could have been in South Africa as medics / ambulance men. The Cornish Penroses, on the other hand, were Methodists.



Photograph courtesy of Bishop & Miller Auctioneers






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Neville - about 3 months ago you posted a list of Boers taken prisoner at the Battle of Belmont, amongst their number was an Ockert Johannes Schalwijk who ended up as PoW 6171 on St Helena.

One of my Smethwickians served in the 4th Gloucesters whose contribution to the ABW was to guard PoW's on St Helena - an Ogden's advert indicates they were based at Deadwood Camp.

Just gone to the top of the 4th Gloucester's nominal medal roll but unfortunately none of the officers were called Penrose.

A couple of years ago I copied all the Shipping Records found on this site, into a Word document. Have just searched it for "Penrose" and come up with four Penroses - Lt J D Penrose, Cpt E S Penrose, Lt R F G Penrose & Nursing Sister A L Penrose.

So not much help I am afraid.

I also took a stab at creating an Ancestry tree. Going off the suggestion that the knife came from some kind of uncle to A. P. D. Penrose, I focused on that side of the family and the males that would have definitely passed down the surname. In the uncles list we have Robert William Penrose (1859-1916) and Henry Walter Penrose (1870-1920). Further out in the ranks of the cousins we have Wilfred Penrose (1876-1970), Walter Penrose (1878-1957), and Herbert William Penrose (1882-1966). All bar the last could have probably, if extraordinarily, obtained a majority by 1900, but I as with the other respondents could find no evidence of relevant military service. Looking through The London Gazette for the period immediately prior to the war, I also found no obvious candidate for an officer of this name receiving any promotion. The only Major Penrose recorded in the 'papers is Major C. Penrose, an engineer out in China!

? Salvation Army ?

Pete

Neville - you wrote "The Cornish Penroses, on the other hand, were Methodists." At the time of the ABW most of the non-conformist Churches were pacifist and thus anti the war. The Methodist Church was split at the time with the two main factions being Wesleyan Methodists & Primitive Methodists. The Prims were vociferously anti the war, issued anti war leaflets and actively campaigned against it. Primitive Methodism was strong in Cornwall at the time.