TOPIC:

In Brampton's Old Church graveyard. Brampton is just under 10 miles ENE of Carlisle.





The inscription is transcribed below, other than the year of death of John Blain, senior.

Corporal Blain was subsequently buried at Germiston, an awful long way from home, I used to love Brampton as a child, with it's square and a superb bakery, Talkin Tarn just a short distance, very many happy holidays, certainly fond memories.

First time I'd been to Brampton, Frank, and it was a very nice-looking village, some interesting independent shops, but on a Saturday the square is clogged with parked cars. I went out to the Old Church, which is on the site of a Roman fort, and thought about walking up to Hadrian's Wall from there, but the road I would have had to walk along for part of the way was too busy, fast and dangerous for a pedestrian, so I dropped the idea. Next time I'll take the bus to Gilsland, the Wall is more accessible from there.

Well, it's certainly a beautiful part of the country, but, I would think a now discovered part too, it used to be so peaceful forty years ago.

Berenice
According to SAFF, "A" Division of the South African Constabulary had several casualties at Englebrecht's Drift on 24/25 May, 1901; three Killed, three Dangerously Wounded and died of wounds and three Wounded. In particular, "A756 Cpl. William Blain" was an interesting man. An on-line check about the location of Englebrecht's Drift threw up the following information about William Blain from "A Biographical Listing of all known Students, Graduates, etc. of Christ's College" ("Alumni Cantabrigienses").

The SAC appear to have served in the field in SA from early May, 1901 (at least according to "Absent Minded Beggars" by Will Bennett) and the action at Englebrecht's Drift may have been an early encounter with the enemy. I was not able to find any reference to that action in any of the usual sources - it may have been a clash of patrols or an ambush. The Times History Vol.IV page 137 only mentions that Drift in relation to Roberts' crossing of the Vaal some year earlier. From available sources it is difficult to ascertain if the action at the Drift took place on one day or spread over two.
A listing of the casualties at Englebrecht's Drift on 24/25 May 1901 is as follows:
A 769 Tpr. Allan, A.W., Dangerously wounded 25/5 and died 29/5
A756 Cpl. W.Blain, Dangerously wounded 25/5 and died 3/6
A699 Tpr. Brown, A. Severely wounded 24/5
A683 Tpr. Ferris, S. Died of wounds 24/5
A766 Tpr. Hancock, A. Severely wounded 24/5
A757 Tpr. Mason, H. Killed 25/5
A738 Tpr. Renfrew, A. Severely wounded 24/5
A695 Tpr. Robb, G. Killed 25/5
A719 Tpr. Selby, F.W. Killed 25/5.
Best regards
IL.

Thanks, IL; as you say, an interesting man.

Croft House Academy was a "renowned" day school for boys, and one of the grave memorials I came across in the same Brampton cemetery was that of a Colonel Thomas Ramshay Riddell, 1st V.B. Border Regiment, who lived at Croft House.



Blain doesn't appear to be named on Rossall School's ABW memorial. www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/42682