TOPIC:

A 1937 British Newspaper report indicates the bemedalled Harry Cheadle had been promoted to Railway Services Commissioner based at Pretoria, South Africa. I am 99% certain that this illustrious gentleman started out life on 28 December 1878 in the North Staffordshire village of Sandon as grandson of the village blacksmith.

Harry first became involved in railway matters when on his sixteenth birthday he took up an apprenticeship with the Birmingham, Wolverhampton & Dudley Railway Co based in the Wolverhampton Goods Manager’s Department.

Harry first became involved in military matters when he attested on 8 January 1900 for service in the Staffordshire Imperial Yeomanry (6th Company, 4th Battalion). He stayed the course and was discharged, still a Trooper, in Lichfield in June 1901. But South Africa seems to have taken a hold and he returned with the third contingent of the IY as a Quartermaster Sergeant in the 27th Battalion. He set off for South Africa on 1 May 1902 but arrived in time to earn an additional clasp to his QSA. On 24 October 1902 he was discharged in South Africa at his “own request” to take up “civil employment in South Africa” and gave Skinner Street, Pretoria as his intended place of future residence.

All goes quiet until 1918 when he made three appearances in the London Gazette:

7 March 1918, p2882 – he was mentioned in the despatch of Major-General A R Hoskins, late Commander-in-Chief East Africa Forces. Harry was listed under “Staff” as “Cheadle, Lt (temp Capt.), H., S Afr Horse”.

26 March 1918, p3750 – he was awarded the Military Cross for “distinguished service” on 1 January 1918. He was one of three listed under “South African Forces”.

27 August 1918, p 9796 – this time he was listed as a “T. Maj” and he was awarded a DSO for “distinguished service and in connection with the campaign in South-West Africa”. His affiliation was given as S.A.E.C. which I presume stands for South African Engineering Corps.

Records go quiet again until the London Gazette of 26 June 1934 when as “Major Harry Cheadle, DSO, MC” he was appointed as a “Serving Officer” in the “Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem”. I presume this means he had been and was still active in the St John Ambulance Association/Brigade.

I would have thought the death of a Railway Commissioner and somebody mentioned four times in the London Gazette might have warranted a mention, if not an informative biography, in the British newspapers, but if it did I cannot find it.

The only other information I have regarding his life in South Africa is a suggestion he married a Jacoba Nienke Vloskamp in 1918 and they had three children ( 2 sons and a daughter).

Thus, I was wondering if anybody with access to South African Records & Newspapers might be able to provide further information about his time in the South African Horse & Engineering Corps, a marriage or death record and even, ideally, an obituary which stated he first came to South Africa in 1900 as a member of the Imperial Yeomanry, thus adding the final 1% to my certainty that I have made a correct connection.

Thank you for reading.

You might find these to be of use David.

Quite apart from the articles which Rory has posted, there's quite a bit of information about him in SA records.

From the National Archives of SA online inventory :

1916 : Appointment to Commissioned Rank in the Reserve of Officers : H. Cheadle.

1923 : Request of Major H. Cheadle DSO MC that his Military Cross be forwarded to him by post.

1933 : Appointment as Chief Traffic Manager (SA Railways & Harbours).

1934 : Increase in salaries of certain senior officials (H. Cheadle and others).

1936 : Appointment of Harry Cheadle as Acting General Manager (Commercial).

1937 : Appointment of H. Cheadle as a member of the Railways Commission.

1940 : Re-appointment as member of the SAR&H Commission for one year.

1943 : Award of Efficiency Decoration to Colonel H. Cheadle and others.

1956 : Deceased estate : Harry Cheadle, born in England. Surviving spouse Jacoba Nienke née Vlaskamp.

Familysearch :

His death certificate, showing that he was born in England 29.12.1878 and died in Durban 19.12.1956; that he was an SAR&H pensioner (formerly Director of Ports & Shipping) and a military veteran.

Baptism information of three children of Harry and Jacoba Nienke Cheadle :
* Laura, born Durban 24.12.1919;
* Peter Harry, born Durban 25.06.1922;
* Michael, born St Thomas 26.05.1927.

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Addendum : Jacoba Nienke Cheadler was evidently born in 1891 and died in 1977.

"You might find these to be of use David" I think qualifies for understatement of the year and it is only 14th January! Rory & Arthur thank you so very much - I am now 110% certain I have made a correct connection. Arthur's DoB is correct mine is a typo. The only thing I can find to fault in the info from SA is the 6 clasps to his QSA - based on medal rolls it was 5 - Wittebergen, Cape Colony, Transvaal and both date clasps. I think I can also give myself a pat on the back for my own research. If only he had spent time in the shunting yards at Smethwick (if the wind was in the right direction I used to listen to the ensuing noises on sleepless nights in my childhood) I could have claimed him as a Smethwickian! Quite a few of the first contingent Staffordshire IY are proving to have had interesting post ABW lives but Harry Cheadle now heads the league.

This is a present day view of the village of Sandon and it's war memorial - the birthplace of Harry. I should have described it as being in central Staffordshire.