TOPIC:

Sorry, Frank, I do not have any Caesar's Camp photos in my files. In fact, my photographic records are very poor indeed. I remember I once googled 'Wagon Hill' and came up with a website made up of photos taken by someone on a trip through Natal battlefields. I remember being impressed. Later this morning, I will try and find it again.

Regards
Brett

Good Morning Brett
Okay, I am just wondering how much remains today, I think it was one of the largest and most impressive of the Ladysmith defences, I think that even the walls were two meters thick maybe more in places, Colonel Curran was, it would seem, very intent on staying!
Regards Frank

So back to Gorton then,
Upon arrival at the library I quickly found the reading room and commandeered it after seizing several rolls of interesting looking microfilm! (well no, not really, the county council staff were really quite helpful, I dare say that I might have, perhaps, appeared to be rather "Germanic " to them!)
I had hoped the town would have had at least one very local newspaper, it did in fact have I think about four back then in those long ago days, I discounted one on the spot and another was not available for the period that I really wanted to look at, so I was left with only two, out of which, one was only partial I'm afraid, but still worth a look.
I did not spend enough time and indeed the time I could spend was no where near enough, I should have gone into the Anglo Boer War from the very start, I regret to have to tell you that I did not, beacuse there were just too many other things to look at, School/Beer/Rugby etc, so the day just went far to quickly.

Anyway Brett, as far as the town and the war went, the first the people would have known about the hard fight at Ladysmith on the 5th and 6th of January was on the 10th when it started to be reported upon in detail, by the 12th the scale of things must have become very clear in the minds of his father, his poor mother and of course, all his siblings.
Casualties started to be named locally in the Burton Mail, these did include all the Officers of the Imperial Light Horse, those killed and wounded on Wagon Hill.

His poor family must have been quite distraught by this point, they were about to have their worst fears confirmed!

I would think by that weekend of the 13th and 14th of January, the news was being talked about all across the country, at breakfast tables, clubs and public house etc, but, in Henry Gorton's home I would think there was rather less of a celebration taking place, the following day everyone knew the, worst, most awful news!

Page 3 Burton Mail January 15th 1900

BURTONIAN KILLED AT LADYSMITH

Mr C Gorton succcumbs to injuries

Mr Corbett Gorton, son of Mr Thos Gorton of Branstone Rd
had, so says a telegram from the War Office this morning,
secumbed to injuries recieved in repulsing the Boers on
the occassion of their attack on Caesar's Camp, on the
5th and 6th last.
Mr Gorton who left England for Johannesburg to take up
the position of Brewer at a brewery there joined the
Imperial Light Horse and was in the engagement at
Elandslaagte where he was wounded in the groin by a shot,
fired, it was said, by a man he knew of in Johannesburg.
He recovered from the injuries then recieved and again
joined in active service this time only to die a soldiers
death.
Like other members of his family he was a very popular
sportsman and in the rugby football world was a very
distinguished player when in Burton
He was highly respected and his untimely death will be
regretted by many here, while his parents, brothers and
sisters many be assured the sympathy of all.
Inquiries show that on Sunday morning, a telegram was
recieved from Mr Gorton by his parents, indicating
that he had recovered from his injuries.
When, however, the telegram was written or dispatched
cannot yet be ascertained, but, it was followed,
this morning by another one from a Mr Bain, one of
deceased friends in Pietermaritzburg, to which town
deceased removed from Johannesburg some time before
the outbreak of hostilities, stating that Mr Gorton
Was dead.
The deceased was the fifth son of Mr T Gorton, was about
twenty eight years old and left England some seven or
eight years ago, he was one of the clever pupils at
the grammar school and while in Africa he won an
international football cap which enabled him to play
against the English team out there.

Frank

A great result, for which I am most grateful. This confirms what has emerged with David's postings on records from 'The Times', that is, contemporary newspapers are an underused, but important research resource.

The mysteries of when and why Gorton moved to Johannesburg are solved, as is the nature of his Elandslaagte wound. I wonder if the man who wounded him at Elandslaagte lived to tell his story?

Interesting that Gorton was known in Burton by his second forename. Also, I wonder how the name used in the ILH, "Dicky", came about?

It is time I started writing up all the information you have gathered so far.

Regards
Brett

Now look Brett,
I think I have taken this as far as is really needed, from the average medal collector's point of view, please understand that photography of non digitised material is often very difficult, you have to work around the iron age tools you find yourself having to work with, exhibit "A" for example;





There are among the very many items I looked at a number of other references to this brave man, moreover, there will be, I am sure, others, that I have not looked at.
I could go much, much further with Henry Gorton if you really NEEDED me to, however, all you will end up with are a lot of details of how good a rugby player he actually was and he REALLY was, I can assure you.
This would have been a major advantage at both Elandslaagte and Wagon Hill had he not been hit on both occassions.

I have no idea about rugby, I never played it as a boy thirty years ago, but, this year is the 125th anniversary of the British and Irish Lions.

Moreover, I have to tell you that I did not, to my regret, now, look at the beer angle, I should have done, beer is still king here in beeropolis moreover, there is, indeed, both a large and very surprising amount of original material, around, to look into, very, very remiss of me to be sure!
I could do that in the future if needed, or perhaps, a feasibility study, at least, but, this does not and will not change anything.
Kind regards Frank