TOPIC:

Steve - I have found the edition of the Gloucestershire Chronicle which reports the unveiling on Saturday 10 February 1906 of the Chapter House Memorial. The window cost “about £540” and the donations received more than covered the cost. The 14 panels cost £100 and were the “handiwork of the skilful disciples of William Morris, of the Chipping Campden School of Arts & Crafts”. The article then lists all the names on the 14 panels or tablets, as the article calls them, and says there are 469 of them. Will email you the full page.

469 or 476, I am only looking at the officers and have arrived at Lieutenant Edward Gronow Howell of the Derbyshire Regiment.

Edward was obviously a Bristol man and the “Bristol Gleanings” section of the “Horfield and Bishopton Record and Montpelier & District Free Press” of 22 Feb 1902 states “Lieutenant Edward Gronow Howell, the youngest son of Mr J H Howell of Clifton, was killed in action at Zuikerboschrand, Klip River, South Africa on 12th inst.” A week earlier the “In Memoriam” column in the Western Daily News states he was killed in action at Blesboklaagte, Transvaal on 12th February 1902 and that he served in the 2nd Battalion of the Derbyshire Regiment and his nickname was “Curlie”.

Donner has this to say about Edward of the Sherwood Foresters (Derbyshire Regiment). “He was killed in action at Blesboklaagte, near Klip River, February 12th, 1902. He was the youngest son of J H Howell, Castle Green, Bristol, was born February 1879, and educated at Rossall. He entered the Derbyshire Regiment from the 4th Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment April 1900, and was promoted Lieutenant February 1901. Lieutenant Howell first served in his Militia Battalion in South Africa, but being granted a commission in the Line was ordered to Malta. From this station he volunteered for active service, and proceeded with the Mounted Infantry to the seat of war, where he was killed. Major Dowell, who was wounded on the same occasion, wrote ‘Lieutenant Howell was close to me when he was shot, and although the Boers were within a hundred yards, he refused to leave me, and stood over me with his revolver until he was himself killed’. Lieutenant Howell was buried in the embankment close to Klip River Station, with ten others who fell. He was mentioned in despatches by Lieutenant General Lord Kitchener, LG April 25th 1902 for his services ‘whilst attending to his commanding officer whom he refused to leave’. His last words, as he fell, were ‘No Surrender’.”

Another newspaper article shows he is also commemorated in St Stephen’s, Bristol.

The other officer on Panel 13:

Lieutenant A Rowland Bright, Oxford Light Infantry (Panel 13). The A stands for Ashley.
Rowland was the son of wealth and privilege. He was born in Somerset in 1872 but by the time of the 1881 Census he was living in a 19 room mansion in Victoria Square, Clifton, Bristol. His father was a Banker and along with his mother & 3 elder sisters there were 8 servants including a Butler. He was killed in action in the Battle of Paadeberg on 18 February 1800.He is also commemorated in St Stephen’s, Bristol.

Colonel E P Wilford, Gloucestershire Regiment – Panel 6
Captain Edward Boaz Eager, Northumberland Fusiliers – Panel 5

From the "Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News" of 2 December 1899



Edmund Wilford was born in Portsmouth in May 1846. His father was a Major-General in the Royal Artillery. By the start of the Boer War he was in command of the 1st Battalion Gloucester Regiment who were stationed at Allahabad in Northern India in the summer of 1899. The 1st Gloucesters were one of four battalions sent from India between 16th and 30th September 1899. They were first engaged on 24th October at Rietfontein. The action was fought to enable General Yule to reach Ladysmith unmolested. It was not intended to press the attack home, but the Gloucesters got too far forward on unfavourable ground. They lost Colonel Wilford killed, 1 other officer wounded, 7 men killed and 57 wounded. The 30th October 1899 was to be another disastrous day for the battalion. The names of 3 officers and countless NCO’s & men of the Gloucestershire Regiment almost fill half of the 14 panels on the Gloucester Cathedral Chapter House Memorial. Edmund left four sons, one who rose to be a Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army, died from wounds received in action in East Africa during WW1.

Edward Eagar - despite what it says in the newspaper article, on the Gloucester Cathedral Chapter House Memorial and his gravestone in West End Cemetery, Kimberley his surname was spelt Eagar as his marriage banns below and every other document relating to his life show. Edward was born in April 1860 in London. He served in the 1st Battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers and was killed in action during the Battle of Belmont on 23rd November 1899. Like Edmund he left behind four sons, the younger two were killed in action during WW1



The only Medal Roll I can find for Edmund Wilford indicates he was posthumously awarded the QSAM with a single clasp - "Natal"

Edward Eager was awarded the QSAM posthumously also with a single clasp - "Belmont". As you can see they spelt his name correctly on the Medal Roll:

David,
There are a further 11 names in the recently added Panel 15 which I included in my total.
I could, of course , have miscounted!

LT E.G. HOWELL

Going to the top of Panel 1:



Francis was born in Dublin and brought up in London with his parents not moving to Gloucestershire (Cirencester) until after he had joined the army - so his qualification as a "Man of Gloucestershire" is tenuous. As an Old Etonian he is also commemorated in Lutpon Chapel, Eton - below is the relevant panel extracted from Berenice's photos of the memorial. Francis is 12th and 4 below him you will find John Fairfax Rhodes who is second on Panel 1 in the Gloucester Cathedral Chapter House.