TOPIC:

Hello Rory,

It could be. I will check that Ref I posted earlier when next in the Archives.

Cheers

Yep. Surely so.

Wait for his story!

I suspect that as he was single and had no children that the finalization of his Estate took some time and that these papers are those dated 1928.

Thanks Rory.

My thanks to Adrian, Dave and Rory for their kind assistance.

William Edwin Brooks

Pair – SAGS medal bar: 1878 (Qr. Mr. W.E. Brooks, Diamond Field Horse); QSA medal two bars: Cape Colony, South Africa 1901 (Capt. W.E. Brooks, Orpen’s Horse)

William Edwin Brooks was born in West London on 17 December1846. He was the son of Charles John Brooks (born c1806) and his wife Ester (born c1805). He was baptised in Saint Andrew’s Church in Holborn on 3 January 1847.

The history of St Andrew’s Church goes back more than a thousand years. The church survived the Great Fire of London in 1666 but due to it’s poor condition Sir Christopher Wren never the less rebuilt the church from the foundation levels up making Saint Andrew’s the largest parish church designed by the renowned architect. Interestingly, the Victorian politician, Benjamin Disraeli, was a member of the parish while Charles Dickens wrote about his character Bill Sykes gazing up at the tower in his novel Oliver Twist.

While William was living in London, he was one of the multitude of individuals who were enumerated during the Censuses of 1851, 1861 and 1871 and these provide limited details about him and his family. Charles, his father, is recorded as being a widow in 1871, his mother Esther having died a few years earlier in 1866. William was seemingly the youngest in the family, his siblings including two elder sisters named Phobe Esther and Eliza Ann who were followed by two elder brothers named Charles and George. The family lived at 42 Fetter Lane. His father was described as a “beer seller” and later “beer retailer” and seemingly moved with his family to occupy the well-known historic Pub at 42 Fetter Lane in St Dunstan in West sometime between 1844 and 1846 (these dates being determined from London Post Office Directories) and the family were still in occupation 20 years later in 1871. William’s occupation was described in 1871 as a “Merchants Clerk”. This Pub which was seemingly later called the “Blue Lion” ceased to operate in about 1910 and the premises have since been demolished.

It is not known where William received his schooling. His elder brother Charles is noted as being an Architect and therefore one might assume that William also received a reasonable education. It is evident that sometime, probably fairly soon after 1871, that he was one of the many young men who went out to the Cape Colony travelling up to seek his fortune in the Diamond Fields in Griqualand West.

In describing the background to the various military formations in Kimberley and the surrounding areas of Griqualand West Dr H.H. Curzon records that the Diamond Fields Horse replaced the Du Toits Pan Hussars in 1877 which had been established the year before following the Black Flag rising of 1875. It was an irregular unit and made use of a few rooms at the Police Camp in Beaconsfield.

William Brooks’s award of the SAGS medal with the clasp 1878 evidently followed his submission of an individual medal application rather that the inclusion of his name on a roll submitted by his regiment in respect of their members. His name is noted on schedule summary of miscellaneous individual claims filed under WO 100/49 which was signed in King Williams Town on 22 January 1884 by Lt. Col. H. Philip Homan FFolliott, an Imperial Officer who had been appointed Military Secretary, Colonial Forces on 1 June 1882. This schedule does not note any details about his rank but simply notes his name and entry as “Wm. Edwin Brooks” for service against “The Griquas 1878” and therefore qualifying for the single date 1878 clasp. The number “746” is noted in the margin and this may refer to his unit service number although I suspect that it probably refers to another reference. From this one might assume that William’s service was limited to the engagements with the Griquas in 1878.The original individual claim which he submitted has not been noted however in their published medal rolls both Forsyth and Dutton note him as Quarter Master Sergeant.

One might assume that perhaps William took part in the fighting during June and July 1878 when the exploits of his colleague and namesake, Sergeant D.H. Brooks, of the Diamond Fields Horse earned the official comment “deserving of special mention”. It does not seem that this Robert Hentain Brooks who was employed at that time as a Sergeant in the Police was a close relative. In later years Robert worked as an electrician and it was in that capacity 20 years later he earned the QSA following a special motivation for his service during the Defence of Kimberley as “Chief Electrical Department in charge of all Searchlights, Telephone and Dynamic mines”.

The Civil Service List for the Cape Colony records that William joined the Cape Police as a Sub Inspector on 1 April 1888 serving under Inspector William Bellew and the Henry Roper Commissioner for District No 8. William Septimus Bellew has served as a Captain with the Du Toit’s Pan Hussars and commanded a Troop of the Diamond Fields Horse before being appointed as Inspector of Police in 1883. Henry Basil Roper was well known in Griqualand West having served in the Government Office in Griqualand West from 1873. He was educated at Eton where his father was a member of the Clergy Staff. He was intimately involved in putting down the Black Flag Rebellion and commanded the Burghers of Griqua Town during the Northern Border War of 1878. He served in numerous capacities being appointed Chief of the Detective Department and Commissioner of Police in Kimberley in 1885. He later served as the Inspector of Prisons for the Cape Colony and was awarded the Imperial Service Order in 1903.

Having joined the police one might assume that William was posted to the small settlement known as Douglas as that is his residence as noted on his membership record of the Octahedron Masonic Lodge No 1417 in Barkley East when he was initiated four months later on 24 July 1888. The town of Douglas is situated some 115 kilometres south west of Kimberley and 60 kilometres south east of Griqua Town. Douglas was first founded as a mission station in 1845 and in 1867 a small of Europeans from Griqua Town established the town which was named after Sir Percy Douglas, the Lieutenant Governor of the Cape Colony.

The South African Directory published by the Argus in 1894 records that William served as a Justice of the Peace. An additional entry also seemingly records that he was the Captain of one of the Cricket Clubs in Griqualand West.

He was promoted Inspector on 10 February 1895 but evidently resigned from the Police shortly before 1899. He terminated his Lodge membership on 30 May 1899. The South African Directory published by the Argus in 1894 records that he served as a Justice of the Peace. In an additional entry it also records that he was the Captain of the Klipdam Cricket Club.

Following the outbreak of the Anglo Boer War William was back in uniform. He was appointed as a Lieutenant with Orpen’s Horse on 11 January 1900 and was later advanced to the rank of Captain.

Stirling in his “The Colonials in South Africa” describes that this corps, 300 strong, was raised by Major Frank Orpen early in 1900 in the Hopetown neighbourhood for service on the Lower Orange River and in the extreme west of Cape Colony. Stirling records that the men of Orpen’s Horse were of great use in particular when the Boers were making serious efforts to stir up rebellion. Concentrated at initially at Hope Town they then formed part of the garrison at Upington and along with the Cheshire Yeomanry and the Royal Australian Battery, held Kenhardt, Draghoender, and Dopas. The unit saw varied action in the Northern Cape most notably taking part clashes in clashes at Kenhardt, Dopas Poort, Kheis and at Ganabosch in the Calvinia district. Many of the officers who served with Orpen’s Horse transferred to the Border scouts who were commanded by Major John Birkbeck himself a former officer and adjutant of Orpen’s Horse. It would seem however that William continued to serve with Orpen’s Horse and remained with them until the unit was dissolved towards the end of 1901.

William’s Death Certificate records his occupation as “Diamond Digger” on the river diggings at Klipdam although the wording of “Accountant” as initially noted was deleted. Towards the end of his life, he lived in Barkly East. He died aged 75 years in the Kimberley Hospital from a carcinoma of the stomach on 13 March 1922 and was buried in the West End Cemetery in Kimberley.

RobM