TOPIC:

The accused was identified in court as having been a former lieutenant in the Norfolk Regiment. Did he serve with the Norfolks in South Africa as Herbert Dundas, and if not, can he be identified from his having been asked to resign from the regiment?


...."At Marylebone, on Monday, Herbert Dundas (26), described as a captain in the South African Light Horse, residing at Farnham, Surrey, was charged on remand with being a suspected person found in a room at the Langham Hotel, Portland-place, W., presumably for an unlawful purpose. A further charge was now preferred against the prisoner in the name of John Charles Collins, alias Captain Dundas, of obtaining by false pretences a silk hat, value £1 5s., from Jeremiah Woodrow and Co., hatters, of Piccadilly. - Michael Judge, manager of the Avondale Hotel, said the prisoner had stayed at the hotel about a fortnight in the name of Captain J. C. Collins, and on the day he left he presented in payment of his account a cheque for £50, which, on being paid into the bank, was found to have been stopped by the drawer. - Captain Alexander T. Todd, Norfolk Regiment, identified the prisoner as a man who had served with him as a lieutenant in South Africa. He (the prisoner) was asked to send in his resignation from the regiment because of "something in connection with cheques." The name he had assumed was the name of a captain who then belonged to the regiment, but was now a captain in Baden-Powell's Police. - Sergeant Gough informed the magistrate that another case would be gone into, in which the prisoner had represented himself as Captain Fielding, of the 7th Hussars, and obtained £50 by means of a forged cheque on Parr's Bank. - Mr. Plowden ordered a further remand."
Derby Evening Telegraph, Wednesday 14th January 1903


There was a J. C. Collins in the South African Constabulary.

I think, just for the sake of variety, it would be interesting to actually know the name of the accused, the description in the opening line of the report made me smile, the South African Light Horse had been disbanded the year before and whilst another regiment of the same name was extant at the time, it's subalterns did not reside in Farnham.

It looks as though the authorities thought he was Herbert Dundas, as they charged him under that name, but he seems to have scattered the names of Army officers around like confetti. As Captain Todd was able to identify him, and a different name wasn't offered, does that imply that Todd knew him as Herbert Dundas?

There was a Herbert Cunninghame Dundas, who was born in 1875, at Elham, Kent, and seems to have died in the same year, so who was Herbert Dundas really?

At his next court appearance he was described as residing in both Farnham, Surrey, and Lillie Road, West Brompton, and was next sent to trial, but I can't find a report of that.

Alexander F. Todd has his own wiki entry (with splendid photograph). He joined the 4 (Militia) Bn, Norfolks September 1902, from Lt Roberts Horse. Todd toured SA in 1896 with the British Lions rugby team. He died in France 1915.

Rob.

Cheers, Rob. So Todd likely knew this man from Roberts' Horse. I've had a quick look through their nominal roll, checking on officers.

How about Captain Paymaster A. C. Hull - Struck off, 22.1.1900 to "special duty"? He seems to have also served in the Kaffrarian Rifles."

Todd likely knew this man from Roberts' Horse - yes
AC Hull - certainly possible.