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A while back I showed the KSA awarded to a defender of Mafeking, Sub Inspector John Henry Bawtree of the Cape Police in the thread "Medals to the Cape Police".

I have now completed his story and this was published at the request of Hennie Heymans, the editor of the "Nonqai online" in the June 22 edition so perhaps this has been see by some already. If so apologies.

220 Cpl J.H.Bawtree, Cape Police (Later Sub-Inspector)

Born: 02 July 1874
Died : 04 December 1910

A Mafeking Defender

John Henry Bawtree was born on the 2 July 1874 in Colchester, Essex, England. He was the son of Octavius and Charlotte Jane Bawtree (Nee Evans).

Little is known of John’s early life in England but we do know that at the time of the 1881 Census he was living with his parents at West Lodge, West Lodge Road in Colchester. His Father, Octavius was noted as a 50 year old Banker, (from this one would assume a man of means). Charlotte, his mother was a lot younger than her husband and was noted as being only 28 years old. John was a 7 years old Scholar.

Octavius Bawtree was a partner in the Firm, Mills, Errington, Bawtree & Co of Colchester and also a Lieutenant in the local Volunteer Rifle Corps. However, by the time of the 1891 Census, it appears as if the Partnership was in trouble and as a result the partnership was declared Bankrupt. It appears as if the business was in trouble from as early as 1883.

The 1891 Census though seems to show that there must have been some financial stress in the family as Octavius, Charlotte and John were now living at 50 Church Road, Richmond,Surrey, and the census page appears to show that they were living with Emily Tighe and her family.

Perhaps the new found hardships in England drove John to look for adventure beyond the seas but what ever his reason was we do know that he left England in October 1895 and arrived in South Africa in early November 1895. He was listed as being single upon arrival.

John travelled up to Kimberley and worked at the Convict Station at the De Beers Mine and a few months later he decided to enlist into the Cape Police in Kimberley.

On the 24 April 1896 John Bawtree attests into the Cape Police under the provisions of Act No 12 of 1882 with a rate of pay of 7 Shillings per Day. He was issued the Regimental number 220 and rank of Private.

His Personal Details at the time of his attestation into the C.P District 2 were noted as follows:

Height: 6 ft 1”
Weight: 166 lbs
Eyes: Hazel
Complexion: Grey (Pallor)
Distinctive Marks: Tattooed on right wrist with a ship inside a lifeboat and on the left wrist a bracelet with anchor.
NOK: Father, Octavius Bawtree, Killarstyle, Elmstead, Colchester, Essex.
Trade or Calling: Nil
Religion: Protestant Church of England.

He also states that he can ride a horse and is able to use a firearm.

John was not to have to wait to long to be involved on his first real adventure as approximately 8 months after joining the Cape Police he was involved in the Langeberg Campaign in Bechuanaland ( 24 December 1896 to the 30 July 1897). A serious outbreak of a virulent cattle disease called Rinderpest in the area called for the slaughter of the cattle owned by the local natives. This the obviously resented and a revolt started to gather pace. In a short period of time this revolt had gathered alarming momentum and local troops under Lt Colonel Dalgety were hard pressed to contain the expanding violence. A force was required to subdue the fighting and troops with volunteers were mobilised for the Bechuanaland Field Force to help contain the spread of the violence and bring the situation to a quick conclusion. The Cape Police were in addition to its normal policing duties also a paramilitary organisation.


Slaughtered Live stock in the field

The Cape Police and other regiments were involved in actions at Gamasep Kloof, Riet Kloof and finally, Langeberg on the 30 July - 1 August 1897. A brittle peace was restored after this and the Cape Police with the other regiments and volunteers went back to their daily duties.

John Bawtree was awarded the Cape of Good Hope General Service Medal with the Bechuanaland clasp for his involvement in the Campaign of 1896-1897. (His name can be found on a copy of the original medal roll page as found in the Cape Archives as well as the rolls found in the NA.


CGHGS medal Roll page

John would have by now, had a taste of the hardships and troubles of living in the northern parts of South Africa but this would have also helped prime him for far bigger troubles and hardships that were just around the corner.

On 11 October 1899 the Anglo Boer War began and in a very short period of time the Boer Forces had laid siege to Ladysmith, Kimberley and Mafeking and of course had been victorious at the battles of Colenso, Magersfontein and Stormberg Junction.

It is however Mafeking where John was to see action and later was able to call himself become a “Defender of Mafeking”.

John Bawtree had actually been stationed in Mafeking several months before the siege began as on 21/02/1899, he had already been found to be drunk and had received a caution for this.

He however, carried on with his police duties and as the war clouds gathered,he would have been busy doing his part in assisting with the organising of the defences so that when the time came he and the rest of the defenders would be able to defend Mafeking.

Mafeking was an isolated town and close to Boer controlled areas but it was a strategic town .It was the local administrative centre in the area and was also situated on the main railway line from Kimberley to Bulawayo. It carried supplies of food and other important goods etc and was used to store supplies for the troops.

War was declared on the12 October 1899 and by this time Colonel Baden Powell had about 2,000, men defending Mafeking. This included 500 men of the Protectorate Regiment, about 300 from the Bechuanaland Rifles and the Cape Police and a further 300 men from the town. The British garrison armed 300 African natives with rifles, these were nicknamed the "Black Watch" and used to guard the perimeter. Prior to the siege, Lord Edward Cecil formed the Mafeking Cadet Corps. This was formed from boys aged 12 to 15 ( claimed to be one of the inspirations for the Boy Scouts) they acted as messengers and orderlies and this helped release men needed to fight.

The work to build the defences around the 6-mile perimeter of Mafeking started on 19 September 1899. The town would eventually be equipped with an extensive network of trenches and gun emplacements. When war was declared on the 12 October 99, General Piet Cronje ordered that the Mafeking railway and telegraph lines be cut. The Boers began the siege the next day. Mafeking was later shelled on the 16 October after the British commanders ignored a deadline to surrender that was set by Cronje.

Although outnumbered by Boer troops, the garrison withstood the siege for 217 days, defying the predictions of the politicians on both sides. In reality, the Boers risked little to tie up Baden-Powell's force and stores and for most of the time the number of Boers actively engaged in the siege were few. While at one time the Boer troops numbered over 8,000 and more artillery was briefly brought up, most of these were merely moving through the siege camp. The Boers were able to take control of the railway and roads just outside the town and used the siege camp as a staging post. But with few soldiers, no modern artillery and little risk, the defenders kept as many as 8,000 Boers from deploying to other war fronts in Natal and the Orange Free State.
Fake land mines were laid around the town in view of the Boers and their spies within the town, and soldiers were ordered to simulate avoiding barbed wire (which were non-existent) when moving between trenches; guns and a searchlight (improvised from an acetylene lamp and biscuit tin) were moved around the town to increase their apparent number. A canon was built in the Mafeking railway workshops, and even an old cannon (dated 1770, it coincidentally had "B.P. & Co." engraved on the barrel) was pressed into service. Noticing that the Boers had failed to remove any of the rails, the British commanders had an armoured train from the Mafeking rail yard loaded with sharpshooters, armed with the Martini Henry Mark IV rifle, sent up the rail line in a daring attack right into the heart of the Boer camp, followed by a return to Mafeking. Casualties however, made this Baden-Powell's only attempt at such an attack.
British soldiers had to dress as women just to undertake normal activities such as fetching water and sewing to deceive the enemy.

The Boers decided that the town was too heavily defended to take so on the 19 November 1899, 4,000 Boers were redeployed elsewhere. Bawtree was again bought before his superiors on 25 November 1899 for neglect of duty, he was reprimanded for this.

John Bawtree was according to his service record in the Cape Police Officers File (CMP109) in action on the 26 December 1899 at Game Tree Hill. A force of defenders from Mafeking unsuccessfully attacked the fort which the Boers had converted into a heavily armoured blockhouse. The British lost 26 men killed, 23 men wounded and 3 taken prisoners. Sgt H.R Martineau of the Protectorate Regiment was awarded the Victoria Cross for rescuing a man under fire even though wounded himself. Trooper H.E Ramsdem was also awarded the Victoria Cross for rescuing his Brother who was under fire and carried him to safety.


Extract from CMP 109

The siege continued and the shelling of Mafeking also continued but as the Boers were aware of the approaching British relief columns, they launched a final major attack early in the morning of 12 May that succeeded in breaching the perimeter defences and setting fire to some of the town, but were finally beaten back. The British lost 12 dead and 8 wounded, the Boers losses 60 dead and wounded and a further 108 men captured.
On the 17 May 1900, a flying column of some 2,000 British soldiers, including many South African volunteers from Kimberley, commanded by Col B.T. Mahon relieved the town after fighting their way in. Among the relieving force was Major Baden Baden Powell, brother of the towns commander. The siege was now over.

At some point during the siege Bawtree was promoted to Corporal and after the siege of Mafeking John Bawtree returned to Kimberley, the exact date is sadly unknown. A final charge was bought against him on 12 April 1902, he was found guilty of being absent from stables and again he was reprimanded.

The war officially ended on the 31 May 1902 and for his services he was awarded the Queen’s South Africa medal with 3 clasps (Defence of Mafeking, Orange Free State and Transvaal) and the King’s South Africa medal with both date clasps. But for John his time in the Cape Police was far from over.

John was appointed Sub-Inspector on 1 Oct 1902 .

In 1904 he was a 29 year old single man living in Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape and still a Sub Inspector. It was during this time that I assume he met and married 27 years old Beatrice Elizabeth Cookson. She was born in Bramley, Yorkshire in February 1876. The wedding took place on the 12

May 1904 in Adelaide and was officiated by her Father Reverend Osmond Cookson of the Anglican Church in Adelaide. This union was witnessed by John Vice, Flora Sheldrake and Michael McMahon.
In December 1904 John wrote the examination for promotion to Inspector, he was unsuccessful, coming 20th on the list.

By June 1905 John and Beatrice were living in Adelaide in the Eastern Cape and on 10 June of that year a son John Edward was born to the couple. Sadly little John Edward was to live only 9 weeks passing away on 21 August 1905 from Congenital Morbus Cordis, Bronchitis and Exhaustion. This must have been a very sad time for John and Beatrice and I do think that this might have been the turning point in John Seniors life.
By the time 1908 came around the small family were now in Cradock as John was appointed Chief Constable for the area but still in the rank of Sub Inspector. However, due to retrenchments he was to revert to the rank of Sergeant. All of this compounded with the death of his very young son a few years earlier must have had really got to him and the Defaulters record for him, now in Fort Beaufort, shows that he had two offences and both very serious. He was on the 20 September 1908 charged with being drunk on duty and interfering with a civilian. On 12 October1908 it was recommended that he be dismissed, he was however allowed to resign. Sgt John Bawtree resigned from the Cape Mounted Police on 3 November 1908.

Three weeks later on 27 November 1908 his daughter Daphne Mary was born.

It is not known what exactly John got up to until June 1909 but he is next found as a Trooper with the Beaufort West Mounted Police Force. He was recommended by Mr Cecil Roger Vaughan, Esq. Assistant Magistrate in Adelaide. We do know though that he had been living with Reverend Cookson, his wives father for the last 5 months and the reports are that he had turned over a new leaf. On 23 June 1909 he was advanced 18 Pounds to purchase a horse from Private Potter who was leaving the force. Sadly on 30 August 1909 old habits reappeared and John was found by Constable Lombard at 11.10 pm lying in a public street namely Donkin Street, Beaufort West drunk and incapable. He pleads guilty in court and is fined 5 Shillings or 7 days imprisonment with hard labour. He was now unemployed but somehow he still managed to find employment, this time as a railway constable a post he held until he passed away aged only 36 years at the Kimberley Hospital on 4 December 1910.

He left his entire estate effects valued at 594 Pound to his wife Beatrice. His Death Notice records his minor child, Daphne Mary.

He was buried with his son in the Adelaide Cemetery.



John Henry Bawtree was a “Defender of Mafeking” who sadly seems to have taken to drink after his sons very early death and was not able to get over this.

His full medal entitlement is:

CGHGS medal with (Bechuanaland clasp)

Queen’s South Africa medal (Defence of Mafeking, Orange Free State and Transvaal clasps)
King’s South Africa with both date clasps

Hello David,

I am sorry, but I have noticed that this has been posted by me incorrectly, I placed it for what ever reason into "Welcome to the Forum" Please could you put it into the correct folder"Medals to the Cape Police"

Thanks very much
Regards
Adrian

Great story Adrian - a suggestion - repost the same article under the correct "medals" (I don't think it belongs under research) category and delete your post in "welcome to the forum"