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A sketch of the memorial plaque which was placed in St Mary's Church, Wenvoe, between Cardiff and Barry. The image appeared in the Barry Dock News, 9th May 1902, and I'm posting this as an incentive for me to travel down to Cardiff.



A most affecting farewell service was held at Wenvoe Parish Church last Sunday evening, in connection with the forthcoming departure of Messrs C. L. Nell and H. Nell, the two sons of Mr Walter Nell, J.P., The Grange, as volunteers for the front.

Barry Dock News, Friday 19th January 1900


At a meeting of representative townspeople of Barry held on Wednesday evening last, Dr E. Treharne, J.P., presiding, it was unanimously decided to entertain the eight local gentlemen who have volunteered for active service in South Africa with the Glamorganshire Imperial Yeomanry at a public dinner to be held on Tuesday evening next at the Wenvoe Arms Hotel, Cadoxton, when Mr. J. H. Jose, J.P., chairman of the Barry District Council, is expected to preside. The tickets will be limited to sixty, so that early application should be made for the same to the secretary, Mr Kinsey Rees, London and Provincial Bank, Cadoxton. The volunteers to be entertained are Troopers R. E. Watkins, G. T. Williams, E. and C. Nell (2), A. H. Howell, S. Rooney, G. H. Ovenden, and H. G. Smedley.

Barry Dock News, Friday 2nd February 1900





Intense excitement prevailed at Barry on Wednesday last when the rumour gained currency that a grave disaster had encompassed the Glamorgan Imperial Yeomanry at the Front in South Africa, but at a late hour the same night a reassuring messagewas received to the effect that the War Office had received no intelligence on the matter.

It was previously known that Major Wyndham-Quin, M.P., who is second in command of the 1st Battalion of Imperial Yeomanry, had been invalided at Cape Town, where he is progressing favourably from an attack of influenza.

The message which left Cape Town on Wednesday was to the effect that a squadron of Yeomanry, in following up the Boers from Britstown, had been entrapped and badly cut up, only 26 returning to answer the roll call. Up to the present, however, there has been no confirmation of the rumour, and there is every reason to hope that the intelligence has at least been greatly exaggerated.

On the 20th instant, Trooper Cyril W. Nell, aged 21, son of Mr. Walter W. Nell, J.P., The Grange, Wenvoe, who, with his brother, Sergeant H. W. Nell, went out with the Glamorgan Yeomanry, was killed at Wingburg. The news has been received with great regret in the Barry district, and universal sympathy is felt for the parents and family of the gallant young soldier.

Barry Dock News, Friday 28th December 1900

Trooper Fred Munn, of the Glamorgan Yeomanry, writing from Winburg, in the Transvaal, on December 12 last, referring to the death of Mr Cyril Nell, of Wynvoe, says :- "The Glamorgans were again acting as the advance guard, and ten of us were on the extreme left, under Lieutenant Edwards and Sergeant Thomas, when all at once the Boers, who were lying in an ambush to the number of 50 or 60, fired a volley into us at about 150 yards, killing Cyril Nell and wounding Sergeant Thomas in the head. Nell was shot through the breast, the bullet coming out at his back, and in falling from his horse he broke his neck.....He was buried the same evening, all the Yeomanry, with the brigade and the general himself, being present. Next morning a wooden cross was placed above his grave.

In another part of the letter, Trooper Munn says that a day or two before he wrote there had been so many of the members of the troop killed, wounded, or absent through sickness, that out of the strength of 115 only 25 were able to turn out on parade fit for duty.

Barry Dock News, Friday 18th January 1901


Amongst the first of those who volunteered to join the Glamorgan Squadron 4th Company 1st Imperial Yeomanry, formed by Lieutenant-colonel (then Major) Wyndham-Quin, M.P., to proceed to South Africa for active service two years ago, was Mr Cyril Llewellyn Nell, son of Mr W. W. Nell, J.P., The Grange, Wenvoe, and during the comparatively short period in which Trooper Nell served with his company at the front, he proved himself to be an exceedingly popular and promising young soldier. Before the close of the year, however, Trooper Nell, unfortunately met his death, being shot by the enemy. It was on the 20th of December, 1900, the Glamorgans were acting as advance guard near Winburg. Ten of the men, under Lieutenant Edward and Sergeant Thomas, were on the extreme left, when the Boers, who were lying in ambush to the number of 50 or 60, suddenly fired a volley into the little party at about 150 yards, killing Trooper Nell and wounding Sergeant Thomas in the head. The brave young trooper was shot in the breast, the bullet coming ut at his back, and in falling from his horse he broke his neck. He was buried the same evening, all the Yeomanry stationed at Winburg, with the brigade and general in command, being present, and on the following morning, at the request of Colonel Quin, who was in command of the company, a small cross was placed at the head of the grave to indicate the spot where the gallant young trooper had been interred. When the original company of Glamorgans returned home last year, it was determined to erect a brass tablet at Wenvoe Church in memory of Trooper Nell and as a token of the respect in which he was held by his friends and comrades-in-arms. The tablet, a sketch of which, through the courtesy of the publishers of the Western Mail, accompanies this paragraph, has been erected at Wenvoe Parish Church, but, owing to the continued serious illness of Mr. W. W. Nell, Trooper Nell's father, the intended ceremony connected with the formal unveiling of the same will not take place.

Barry Dock News, 9th May 1902

Hi
The incident is also briefly described by Moffett in "With the Eighth Division" p149.
He noted that Nell was killed on the farm Kareebosch, owner surname Nel
Henk

One of the Nell brothers, possibly the other one who'd served in South Africa, moved there in late 1902 to take up a post, so there may be Nells in SA now who are related to Cyril.

Thank you for posting; I collect all medals to Nel(l).

Do you perhaps have his medal/s?

Not I.

Oddly (or not), the surname Nell is far, far more common in South Africa than Wales. In 2014 there were reportedly10,250 people in SA with that surname, and only four in Wales, so Cyril Nell and his brother's descendants, who may have their medals, may not be living in Wales.
forebears.io/surnames/nell

The surname Nel/Nell does not exist in Europe.

The progenitor of this surname was Guillaume Neel a French Hugenote who came to South Africa in 1688. He later changed his surname to Nel and all Nel(l)s are related to him.

I am almost 100% certain that you will find that the couple of Nel(l)s in Wales have a connection to SA or they changed their surnames.

You will probably also see that Cyril Llewellen's surname may be referred to as Nel or Nell.