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Trooper,

In answer to your question, each Volunteer Active Service Company was made up of men from the various Volunteer Battalions of the Regiment. For instance, in the case you mention, the V.A.S.C. of the South Staffordshire Regiment was composed of men from the 1st (Handsworth), 2nd (Walsall) and 3rd (Wolverhampton) V.B.'s. The 1st V.A.S.C. was therefore simply the first Service Company of the regiment to be sent to the front, and once there was generally attached to whichever line battalion was in South Africa (in your case, the 1st Bn. S. Staffs Regt). At the beginning of the ABW, before it was known that 2nd and 3rd V.A.S.C.'s would be required, the original company would simply have been referred to as The Volunteer Active Service Company (Volunteer Service Company / Active Service Company / Service Company).

Neville

Thank you Nevile, what l have found that there were 26 Smethwick men, 1 Sargent Taylor George 3392, 5 lance Cpl's, Whitton 3794 Burrell 3581 Kendrick 3787 Boyles 4534 Dorman 4064 and 21 men, privates serial numbers from 3382 - 4994 of The 1st Vol Batt S S Regiment, was this the first to go?
The companie i'm looking for is with Captain Denton H. S. Officer commanding, 1st Voluntary Service Company, South Staffs Regiment, [117 Total Officers,NCO's, Pte's]l have the QSA medal names and numbers off the Roll of Medal awards which did not include 1st South Staffs, finding Attestation papers hard to find, l have a number of momorial plaques images, and adding up, the total of men was more than 117. Smethwick, Handsworth, West Bromwich, Sutton Coldfield, Walsall, Wednesbury all under the banner of 1st Volenteer Battalion South Staffs.

Was there a first draft prior to Captain Denton's draft, Voluntry Service Company May 1900-1901, to me it seems that there was more than one draft of Volunteers S.Staffs Reg, the Smethwick men their serial numbers are from 3382-4994, Captain Dentons men 6814- 7056, with the expection of Colour Sargant Brown G 3504.

Trooper,

I think you need input from Smethwick. As his username suggests, he knows everything there is to know about Smethwick and the Anglo-Boer War.

I have sent him a private message alerting him to this thread, so hopefully he will be able to help.

Neville

Neville I am not sure I know everything about Smethwick and the Anglo-Boer War but I will accept I know more than the average person.

It has taken me quite a time to get my head around Volunteer Companies, Volunteer Battalions and Volunteer Service Companies but here goes:

At the start of the Second Boer War there were 29 Volunteer Companies attached to the South Staffordshire Regiment. One can split them into three groups: the first group attached to the 1st Volunteer Battalion, the second to the 2nd Volunteer Battalion and the third to the 3rd Volunteer Battalion.

Looking at the three groups in more detail:

9 Companies were attached to the 1st VB South Staffs Rgt - 2 from Handsworth, 1 from Brierly Hill, 1 from Wordsley, 2 from West Bromwich, 1 from Sutton Coldfield, 1 from Patshull & 1 from the centre of the universe i.e. Smethwick

8 Companies were attached to the 2nd VB South Staffs Rgt – 4 from Walsall, 1 from Bloxwich, 1 from Hednesford & 2 from Wednesbury.

12 Companies were attached to the 3rd VB South Staffs Rgt – 6 from Wolverhampton, 1 from Willenhall, 1 from Tipton, 1 from Sedgley, 1 from Bilston, 1 from Darlaston & 1 from Tettenhall.

You could say they were the “Boys from the Black Stuff” except I would not class Handsworth, Sutton Coldfield, Smethwick, Patshull, Wolverhampton & Tettenhall as part of the Black Country.

In each group you had an A Company, B Company etc etc. So rather confusingly the Sutton Coldfield Volunteers were known as the “F” company, as were the Hednesford Volunteers and the Sedgely Volunteers.

Some reporters name the groups after the A Company in each group so you had the Handsworth, Walsall & Wolverhampton Groups. As each Volunteer Company seemed to be their own masters I do not use this classification but there is some evidence that the A company in each group was considered the senior company.

Come December 1899 it was decided the South Staffs Rgt would raise a Volunteer (Active) Service Company to fight in South Africa and this company would be attached to the 1st V.B. of the South Staffs. Consequently each of the 29 Volunteer Companies were called to a meeting where they received a patriotic speech and were told the country was at peril and then, having been filled with patriotic fervour, they were asked to volunteer for service in South Africa. I suspect there was just one meeting for towns which had multiple Companies but Smethwick had their own. I do not know how many volunteered in total but I do know 26 Smethwick Volunteers put their hands up. Now 29 times 26 equals 754 which is rather too many for a Company. So a selection process occurred and 5 of the 26 from Smethwick were chosen – the numbers from other Companies varied from 1 to 6. The 5 chosen from Smethwick seem unremarkable to me but the fact they were all single men might have had a bearing.

This newly formed Volunteer Service Company, comprising 4 officers and about 115 NCO's & men, left England on 10th March 1900 after having agreed by attestation to serving a year in South Africa plus up to another year if the conflict was not resolved. Come the end of the year those that were still functioning soldiers were, to put it impolitely, “knackered”. Along with all other volunteers, the authorities sensibly decided not to fully invoke the second year of service and they set foot on the soil of England on 20th May 1901, just over 14 months after they left. During their stay they definitely received 18 reinforcements but to make the numbers on the Medal Roll balance I suspect a second set of reinforcements went out (I have yet to prove this).

However, there were still plenty of Volunteers back home champing at the bit and it was decided to replace first Volunteer Service Company with a second. The second left England on 16th March 1901 and hence overlapped with the first by a few weeks. In turn they were replaced by a third Volunteer Service Company who left England on 15th March 1902.

Tabulating this melange:

1st VSC attached to 1st VB S Staffs Rgt left England 10/03/1900 and returned 20/05/1901
2nd VSC attached to 1st VB S Staffs Rgt left England 16/03/1901 and returned 10/05/1902
3rd VSC attached to 1st VB S Staffs Rgt left England 15/03/1902 and returned 04/07/1902

So the 2nd and 3rd overlapped as well and sending out the 3rd was really a waste of time. Each of these VSC’s have their own Medal Rolls.

Of the 26 Smethwick Volunteers, 5 went out with the 1st VSC and 1 went out as a reinforcement; in the meantime 5 seemed to lose patience with 4 joining the Imperial Yeomanry and the other the South African Constabulary; 7 went out with the 2nd VSC; 7 went out with the 3rd VSC. Astute and numerical readers will note there is one unaccounted for – as far as I can tell he never went to South Africa and I think he may have been replaced by another Smethwick Volunteer who went out with the 3rd VSC (this is still under investigation).

I hope this clarifies rather than confuses matters and please if anybody feels I have made errors in this assessment let me know.


Trooper you wrote: "Was there a first draft prior to Captain Denton's draft, Voluntry Service Company May 1900-1901, to me it seems that there was more than one draft of Volunteers S.Staffs Reg, the Smethwick men their serial numbers are from 3382-4994, Captain Dentons men 6814- 7056, with the expection of Colour Sargant Brown G 3504." I hope the above answers some of this. Regarding Smethwick men regimental numbers, you have obviously found a picture of the Smethwick Boer War Memorial - the numbers and ranks given on this memorial refer to their service in the Smethwick Volunteers. They were issued with new numbers when they joined the VSC which lie within the 6814 to 7056 range you quote. There are exceptions to every rule and Colour Sergeant G Brown is the exception - he was not a volunteer but a regular S Staffs soldier transferred into the VSC to give it a bit of experience and he retained his regular soldier regimental number.

You have helped me a lot and taught me something, l can only hope all sinks in, the change in numbers is something that l knew about.
I found out That there was a drill hall in wednesbury built in 1893 for the 2nd Volunteers and it still stands, but as another company, found on line, very near the citron dealer. You deserve a pint, l send one by pony express, hope he does not push the horse to fast! Regards Philip

Of the 26 Volunteers that had offered to go, l have found 6 that went from Smethwick, on the Roll Index Entitlement. Darlston 17 men, only four went, two of them where Sargents but came down to Pte. I will name all 117 by rank and number and area,got now 65, well, we do have the roll index, but putting a full christian name and place of duty, seems better, well it does to me; still trying to find my GGF as to which area, he was drafted? as to why, l do not know, but l do know of were he attested Handsworth, date and number, place of birth, its down to Wolverhampton as l was told, but he lived in West Bromwich. i only wish that my cloud had not lost all my info.