TOPIC:

Adrian, thanks once again!

It's interesting that journalists qualified for medals, I'm not sure we'd be awarding them any today!!

I just wonder if he might have been following French's Scouts and sending back reports on them, hence the seeming confusion about his military exploits.

If we assume he was a journalist for the duration, then he was effectively a civilian when taken prisoner. Well, he was certainly on the wrong side as far as his captors were concerned. Maybe his injury and capture were recorded in a Regimental War Diary somewhere ... I'll have a look for stuff at the UK National Archives, though I've not noticed anything much on French's Scouts. Did they have another name, do you know?

What I have identified at the Archives are two files - one about war correspondant's applications to go to SA and another listing Casualty Returns by regiment. So, I'll request these on my next visit.

I've not yet been able to discover anything about Central News Agency either, so that could be revealing too.

Thank you so much for taking the time and making the effort to help my curious little research project.

Kind regards
Annie

Annie,

My pleasure.

I have just had another look through the casualty returns and roll, I cannot find him.

To the best of my knowledge, French's Scouts were only known as French's Scouts and not by another name.

All the best in the NA with your research project.

Regards

Adrian

Adrian,

Assume we're talking about the same Casualty Rolls [UK National Archives ref: WO 25/3261-3472, 3474 1850-1910 Index to Casualty Returns. Includes some returns from South African War 1899-1902. Listed by regiment.]

For sake of reference, the other file I mentioned is this one: WO 32/7137-7138 1899 CODE 0 (AU): Newspaper correspondents’ application to accompany troops. Question of ban on foreign correspondents and revised rules governing the licences for correspondents.

Sorry to find another question for you, but do you happen to know if any lists of prisoners exists?

Kind regards
Annie

Hello Annie,

I use the publication "The South African War Casualty Roll" The South African Field Force 11 Oct 1899 - June 1902 which was published by J.B Hayward and Sons as my reference.

This roll shows all the casualties to each unit and also shows if a man was captured, dates and places of each incident are given. It is known to have a few omissions but I would say in the main, pretty accurate.

I am not sure what is in KEW and if a POW list is available there either.

Hope this helps


Regards

Adrian

If my memory serves me right somewhere in a very early copy of the OMRS Journal there is an article on Journalists who rec'd the QSA.....

Mike

Found it......

Graham, A., Central News, Medal issued June 10th, 1903

Also a follow up by that great collector and writer J.M.A. Tamplin and I hope I can quote him......

War Correspondents and campaign medals

by J. M. A. Tamplin

The roll above which has been prepared by Mr. Patrick Street can be augumented by a few extracts from a file in the P.R.O.: W.O. 32/8559. This deals with correspondence regarding the matter of whether war correspondents should or should not be granted campaign medals.

The extracts are:

18 June 1901: letter to Adjutant-General (General Sir Evelyn Wood) from the Military Secretary to the G.O.C. in C. in South Africa (Lord Kitchener):

'The C. in C. is inclined to the opinion that War Correspondents should receive the Medal. Will you consider the matter and arrange with C. in C.'

General Sir Evelyn Wood (A.G.) to M.S.- 'Personally I am against it.'

20 July 1901: Field Marshal Lord Roberts:

'I do not see how we can refuse the War Medal to properly accredited civilian war correspondents. . .'

December 1901:

It was agreed to give medal without clasps subject to following strict conditions:

a. They must be properly accredited as correspondents by their Editors and be armed with appropriate editorial authority; they must also have reported by telegraph and not by letter.

b. They must be in possession of a pass from the Chief Censor in S.A.

c. They must have served with troops in the field.

Furthermore, the Inspector-General of Recruiting at the War Office (MajorGeneral H. C. Borrett) had prepared a precis (dated 26 June 1901) for the A.G. which included the following points:

W. H. Russell (Sir, Kt., 1820-1907) had received the Crimea Medal.

Archibald Forbes (1838-1900) had applied for the Afghan Medal for bandaging two wounded men whilst under fire and looking after them until the M.O. came up. Application refused as act performed was one of humanity and not consequent on an order from a military officer.

Mr. Hensman was given the Afghan Medal and Bronze Star as he was employed on public duty-carrying messages, assisting signallers, etc.

Incidentally, these extracts fill in some of the 'blanks' in J. H. Mayo's Medals and Decorations of the British Army and Navy,Vol. 11, at pages 589-592. The blanks given in Mayo are shown by asterisks.

Medals to civilians have always been of interest to this writer, and at the 1981 O.M.R.S. Coiavention one of the exhibits was that of four war correspondents, two of whom are listed in Patrick Street's roll: H. H. S. Pearse and J. A. L. M. Hamilton. The other two were for later campaigns (China 1900 to John Schonberg, and the Great War to Sir Percival Phillips, K.B.E.).

The assistance of Norman Gooding in pointing out the P.R.O. reference and to Alf Flatow for searching it out is gratefully acknowledged.

Mike (& Norman and Alf!),

Thank you so much for searching that reference out for me, much appreciated.

Was this what was in OMRS Journal? If not, the issue with the RSA medal to War Correspondents was Vol 25(2) pp96–101 ... just in case anyone happens to have a copy to hand, or maybe you can advise where I could see one?

The odd thing is that he returned from SA and became a stockbroker! I can't quite get my head around how he'd move from journalism to broking - it's a big leap of faith as well as expertise.

Adrian thanks again for your help too and I'll be sure to post any results from my forthcoming visit to Kew here to help others.

Kindest regards
Annie