TOPIC:

kaigs wrote: 5602 private John Rothwell was with the 2nd Kings Royal Rifles and died of wounds in Durban harbour aboard SS Simla ref. Durban death register. He is buried in the military cemetery in Wyatt road at the Old Fort where most graves have been levelled; John's included. His name appears on the following memorials; All Saints in Ladysmith/Vaalkranz/Durban Wyatt road/Bury Grammar School.
The War Office casualty list in the Times for 4/5/1900 his regiment as 2nd Lancaster.
Kind regards
Brian

Hello Brian

Thanks for clearing up the Died at Sea/buried on land anomaly.

However I don't understand the reference to 2KRRC and Vaal Kranz memorial. 2KRRC were in Ladysmith at the time of his death and the Vaal Kranz battle took place after Spion Kop - what memorial is this?

I would expect Rothwell to be on the large memorial on Spion Kop naming the Lancaster's casualties. I don't have my pictures to hand.

The Durban Death Register - is this a contemporary document?

Regards
Meurig

Quite correct Meurig his name does appear on the Lancaster's memorial on Spionkop and on the Lancaster Wall Plate in the All Saints Church Ladysmith.
The Durban Death register is the official register for all deaths in Durban and in that entry he is also down as Lancasters. Incidentally the entry shows him to have been gun shot in the head, neck and leg.
The War Office casualty list in the Times for 4th May 1900 also has Lancasters.
Where the heck I got 2KRR from I do not know because as you say they were boxed up in Ladysmith at the time and the same goes for Vallkrantz; here I do not have any photographs.
Regards
Brian

Thanks Brian - from his wounds he was obviously one of the many lying flat at the mercy of the Boers. Horrific, poor bloke.

Confusion over. I searched my database for all Rothwells and low and behold the one in the KRR was immediately below John so my eyes obviously wandered from one line to the next. At least I'm satisfied that I am not on the way out.
Regards
Brian

John Rothwell is commemorated on a family headstone in Duke Street Cemetery, Southport. I tried to attach a pic - but couldn't work out how to get the file size under the site's limits.... See my entry for him on the IWM site (WMR 92700) - visible later today.

David,

If you email the image to me at david.biggins [at] angloboerwar.com, I can upload it for you.