TOPIC:

A look at what soldiers in South Africa did in their free time.

An unnamed nurse, writing from Maritzburg, said "The Legislative Assembly rooms have also been fitted up for the wounded volunteers and carabineers. When I visited them few of the soldiers were in bed. Some were up and able to play bagatelle, billiards, &c. I suppose they were fighting their battles over again, but at a much less expense of life and limb."
Jackson's Oxford Journal, Saturday 23rd December 1899

Sergeant Isaac Warwick, writing from Frere Camp - "Gambling and swearing are something fearful. I am glad to say that there is very little beer; none until three days ago, and they cannot get more than a pint a man."
The Teesdale Mercury, 10th January 1900

J. E. Ord, attached to the Cape Mounted Artillery - "Men are only allowed to wash every four days. They are marched down to the water, and wash clothes as well. I took half of our fellows down this morning. This was the first bath I had had for a fortnight. Washed my clothes as well."
The West Australian, 18th January 1900

"To-day being New Year's Day we had some excellent sports, including a cross country race of about two miles, won by a Gordon ; 120yds flat, won by a Western Australian man ; and a half-mile, carried off by a Tasmanian ; a mile race bare back and a wrestling match on mule back in teams of six, both of which were amusing ; putting the weight (won also by a Gordon), running high jump and running long jump. They took up the whole of the day, and. in fact, the sports programme was not finished, and, owing to the Victorian Mounted Rifles being ordered out on patrol duty, the tug-of-war did not come off. There were also to have been some officers' races which likewise had to be abandoned." - from one of the Zeehan Contingent at Enslin Camp.
Zeehan and Dundas Herald [Tasmania], 7th February 1900

Corporal Tom Riley, Scots Guards - "We fill time in all right. Football and cricket matches, tug of war, and boxing. The Scots Guard team won a splendid cup with their tug of war team, and they are well in running for the winner of the boxing. Tell Tom Mills that Fisher (Army champion) sent a lancer to hospital on a stretcher with one of his under cuts."
The Haslingden Guardian, Saturday 10th March 1900

Trooper A. R. Muir - "For the leisure hours there are a great number of games provided in the smoke room, and what has been appreciated most is the large bookcase, full of interesting books for use of the Yeomanry on board the "Afric." The books will be landed at Capetown for use in the Imperial Yeomanry hospital. We have had two very good smoking concerts."
Mid-Cumberland and North Westmorland Herald, 31st March 1900

An anonymous Gordon Highlander aboard the S.S. Guelph on a voyage to South Africa - "We had splendid sports last Saturday, and the programme embraced tug-of-war, military tournament, cock-fighting, potato race.
...."The tug-of-war draws were—First round: - Gordons v. Yorks, Leicesters v. York and Lancasters, Lincolns v. Gloucesters, West Ridings a bye. Second round—Gordons v. West Ridings, Leicesters v. Lincolns. Final—Gordons v. Leicesters. The result was a popular win for the Gordons, who had not a single pull against them. Talk about the Police Sports at Torry. Why, the cheers there were nothing to those raised when we won. Our team was :—Privates Davidson, Kildrummy; Bennet, Insch; Rennie, Kemnay; Mar, Ellon; Angus, Aberdeen; Finnie, New Deer; Law, Aberdeen; Gibb, Aberdeen. Captain—Sergt. A. Porter, Aberdeen.
...."Cock fight result—1 Private G. W. Middleton, F Company, Aberdeen; 2 York and Lancaster; 3 Lincoln. Military tournament—1 Lincoln ; 2 Gordon (Private Mann, Culter) ; 3 Leicester. In the potato race our chaps failed to take a place, but still two firsts and one second in four events is good.
...."Next day I was sent for by the officers, who said they would form a team of officers of the various companies and ship's officers which would easily beat us. "All right, gentlemen," I replied, "we're ready to meet you." The result was that the Gordons won two pulls out of the three. I won't say what our prizes were, but we are quite ready to have a pull at any time for the same prize.
Aberdeen Journal, 4th April 1900

"On Thursday and Friday afternoons sports were held, and as the entries were limited to a very few from each company every spare minute all the week has been devoted to preliminary trials to decide who were to be the representatives. The several events were—tug-of-war, best man at arms, boxing (over 10 st. 7 lbs. and under 10 st. 7 lbs.), cock fighting, mounted wrestling, potato race, and obstacle race. All the events were very keenly contested. The 20th Company (Fife) secured first for mounted wrestling (J. G. Scott and Sim), second for light-weight boxing (Martin), and second for the tug-of-war, being beaten in the final pull by the East Kent men. Martin was rather unfortunate in the boxing, as he should have won easily in the final if he had not slightly sprained his wrist in the semi-final. The loss of the tug- of-war was the keenest disappointment, but our men were out-weighted though they pulled gamely." - by a non-commissioned officer of the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry on board the S.S. Cymric, en route to Cape Town.
The Dundee Courier, 9th April 1900

"I have been a teetotaler this last four months, but I will make up for it when there is any to be had. We could not get any tobacco to smoke. That was the worst of it. We had to smoke tea leaves, and green leaves off the bushes," by Private J. Riley, King's Royal Rifle Corps."
The Gloucester Citizen, 10th April 1900

T. G. Drage, Lincolnshire Regiment - "We have to wash our own shirts and socks every Monday morning and we bathe every morning. I have had no beer since we left England. We can't get it here. They won't allow us to go into public houses; it is not safe for they might put something in the drink to make us bad. We had a football match here the other day in which Pickwell and I played."
The Stamford Mercury, 4th May 1900

A Suffolk Regiment Volunteer from Ely - "Tuesday, February 27.—In the second heat of the tug of war the Suffolks claimed a victory over the Welsh Fusiliers by two pulls to none. The final heats of cock fighting and pillow fighting were brought off. In the the cock fighting, two men sit down on deck facing each other, with a pole under their knees. Their hands are placed in front of their knees and under the pole, this being held fast. The joke is to push each other over with the feet, the one who does this first wins. In pillow fighting two opponents are astride a round pole, which is as horizontal as the ship’s motion will allow. It is some distance above the level of the deck, on which mattresses are placed. The fighters face each other and try to knock each other over with blows from a pillow. They are not allowed to touch the pole with the hands, or a foul is claimed. Suddenly one gets a nice little tap, which causes him to overbalance himself. He swings round and tips under the pole, with both legs in the air. The one who keeps his seat the longest is declared victor. . . . If you were to see me now you would hardly recognise me. We have to keep our hair cut short, and as there does not seem to be a good barber on board, we get it cut with hand machines. I have been done, and am as near bald as possible. When I looked in a mirror I was disgusted. I look bald all over the head. I cannot use curlers any more!"
....Wednesday, February 28th.—"In the morning we had physical drill on the hurricane deck, with bare feet and trousers and shirt sleeves turned up. The final of the tug-of-war came off, Suffolks v. Lancashires, the “Suffs" winning."
Cambridge Independent Press, 11th May 1900

Private John Mitchell, writing from Frankfort - "One night we had a concert on the field round a big fire. We had a piano borrowed from out of the village and mounted on one of the transport wagons. There was some splendid singing and recitals by the C.I.V.'s, etc."
The Clitheroe Times, 10th August 1900

"After one of the battles in South Africa our soldiers had races with horses taken from the Boers. They also raced and backed favourite scorpions." - from an article by Rev. E. J. Hardy, Chaplain to H.M. Forces.
South Australian Register, 22nd September 1900

"Christmas Day was begun by us by a big church parade, at which we had Christmas hymns. In the afternoon, we had a gymkhana, at which the Bushmen got a big share of the prizes. Wrestling on mule back was the most amusing event. Then at night we had an open-air concert. Now we are preparing a big programme of sports for New Year's Day, and there is to be a band concert on New Year's Eve." - at Pienaar's Camp, by the Rev. James Green, Chaplain to the Bushmen.
The Sydney Mail, 9th February 1901

"From sunrise to after dark the men play football, cricket, tip and run, and then scuttle off to out-post duty. There never was a cheerier battalion, and the men have been with me from the beginning for better or for worse." - Lord Methuen commenting on the 1st Northumberland Fusiliers
Sunderland Daily Echo, 12th September 1901

In Pretoria with Thomas Barlow, a reservist in the 2nd Coldstream Guard - "As soon as I got a chance I went across to a store close by and sneaked about six loaves and some sugar, but nobody saw me or else I should have got something to be going on with. Several of us sat on the line eating bread and sugar as long as it lasted, and then a young gentleman came up to me and asked me if I would like a drop of whiskey. He had a quart bottle in his pocket. Of course I said, 'No, thank you. I never take whisky,' but you bet I didn't leave much all the same. I don't think I ever had anything that went down better than that whisky did, and it just put the devil in me again. I didn't like having to leave any but I daren't take the bottle or I would have got court-martialled."
Haslingden Guardian, Friday 29th November 1901

"The other officers travelled with cricket bats, etc., golf and polo sticks . . ." - from a letter sent to the Press concerning a British column in the Transvaal.
The Geelong Advertiser, 30th December 1901

And finally, sex. Despite using several different search words and terms, unsurprisingly I've been unable to find any letters home that mention the subject in the press. Yet in 1901 there were 200 brothels in Cape Town, and prostitution was also common in Kimberley and Johannesburg.
penguin.bookslive.co.za/blog/2015/11/20/...women-and-good-hope/

Trooper Robert Harcus, of the New Zealand Mounted Rifles, may have returned from South Africa with syphilis.
rootsroutes.com/private-james-harcus-a-tale-of-everyday-heroism

From "a correspondent" - "Lourenço Marques is the "Boss Canteen City" of the world. There are many more than 300 canteens in the Municipal area. Licences are granted to all and sundry, whilst brothels kept by the scum of Continental women from Johannesburg flourish in the main business streets everywhere."
The Standard, 29th December 1899

I couldn't find health returns for the war years in South Africa, but here's one for India -
The year 1897 is the one dealt with in the belated health returns of the British Army in India, lately published. The report is not pleasant reading. The rate of admission to hospital was 1.557 per thousand, as compared with with 1.387 in the previous year, and the death-rate rose from 14.84 to 22.93. Of course, the operations on the North-West Frontier were responsible for most of the large increase, but half of this sickness resulted from venereal disease and ague, while enteric fever, the bane of the young soldier, carried off the largest number of victims.
The Hampshire Telegraph, 9th December 1899

Trooper Ben SUTHERLAND, 3rd Victorian (Bushmen's) Contingent -

"One of the South African papers had written very roughly of Australians, calling them the scum of the earth. The Bushmen were stationed at the town [Worcester] in which the paper was published just before leaving South Africa. They had been ordered home, so were off duty. They mustered pretty strong and caught the editor of the paper and gave him a good hiding. They then took possession of the office and smashed the machinery and capsized the type, making quite a wreck of the office"

Broadford Courier, 5th July 1901

In doing the Lynn Diary he often mentioned he spent time at "The Soldier's Home", I wonder if it was the same as the N.A.A.F.I. or Aggie Weston's Homes......

Mike

QSAMIKE wrote: In doing the Lynn Diary he often mentioned he spent time at "The Soldier's Home", I wonder if it was the same as the N.A.A.F.I. or Aggie Weston's Homes......

Mike

I think you're right, Mike. Somewhere quiet to sit and read a book or magazine, or write a letter home.

Private Sheldon (of an unnamed regiment), of New Mills, North Derbyshire, wrote home to his wife from Estcourt, and in the course of his letter, said: "The troops are playing football and peggy every night and morning." [The Mossley and Saddleworth Reporter, 3.2.1900]
Peggy was a similar game to knur and spell, and was played in the north of England.
www.tradgames.org.uk/games/knur-spell.htm

Berenice,

Two men with the name Sheldon were amongst the 18 recipients of the New Mills tribute medal.

1st Bn. King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment –
4451 Private William SHELDON

4th Bn. Cheshire Regiment –
4487 Private Samuel SHELDON (died, Springfontein, 10/03/1901 - medal presented to his father)



SEE: New Mills Tribute Medal

Neville

I suspect your man is William Sheldon, as Samuel's medal was presented to his father, with no mention of a wife. Also, William was at Spion Kop, which would tie in with a letter from Estcourt.


Glossop-dale Chronicle, 18th January 1901

RETURNED RESERVIST IN TROUBLE.

William Sheldon, who recently returned from South Africa, and was engaged in the Spion Kop fight, was summoned for using indecent language in Meal Street on the 16th Dec.
P.C. Turner proved the case.
From the letter sent to the Bench, defendant stated that he had recently returned from the front, and on the day in question he got too much drink, and could not remember what he said or did.
The Clerk: I suppose you have got pretty well treated since you came back.
Defendant: Yes, sir.
The Magistrates dismissed defendant with a warning.


Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 26th August 1901

SAD DEATH AT NEW MILLS.

Mrs Sheldon (46), wife of Mr J. Sheldon, draper, Spring Bank, New Mills, died on Saturday somewhat suddenly. The case is a particularly sad one. Quite recently she received a letter from her son, who was on active service in South Africa. After reading the letter she opened the paper, to find his name in the list of casualties, and from the shock she never recovered.



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