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Manchester Courier 16 May 1900


His father (also Alfred) who received his tribute medal in 1881 was a "Saltboiler", in 1891 a "Saltboiler", in 1901 a "Saltmaker". I am pretty certain his father, who came from Croydon, had some military history including desertion in 1876. He moved north and married a Winsford lass and Alfred Amos was the eldest of their numerous children.

Alfred Amos's IY attestation papers & service records can be found on Ancestry.

And best of all on Find a Grave:





The plaque is in Winsford. Winsford also has a Boer War Memorial which bears his name plus 5 other Winsford men who perished in South Africa and another 74 who served in South Africa and returned.

Cooke, J.H., "5,000 Miles with the Cheshire Yeomanry in South Africa" (Warrington 1914), p.65. Note that the inscription on his original grave-marker incorrectly gave his name as A. Arthur Carrick.












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There seems to be some doubt as to exactly when Alfred Amos Carrick died. The Winsford plaque and current grave marker in South Africa have it as 11 May 1900; the 1901 report of the tribute medal presentation as 13 May 1900; the 1914 work by J. H Cooke as 14 May 1900. The date on the grave cross in the photograph posted previously by Neville is debatable between 11 & 14 May 1900, but enlarging it I go for 11 May 1900.

His Statement of Services Sheet says 13 May 1900:



This article from the Nantwich Guardian of 19 May 1900 also has it as 13 May 1900, it also tells us more about Mr J. H. Cooke:

DEATH OF A WINSFORD YEOMAN.

Mr Alfred Carrick received a telegram on Tuesday evening intimating the death of his son, Trooper Alfred Amos Carrick, of the 22nd Company of Imperial Yeomanry, from pericarditis at Draghonder, on Sunday 13th inst. Carrick was only 19 years of age, was a member of the Winsford Volunteers, and on his country appealing for Volunteers to assist the regular forces in south Africa, he was one of the first to be selected for the contingent under Captain Moseley Leigh and Lord Arthur Grosvenor. He left England in February of this year, and so had only been away about ten or a dozen weeks. His letters home have always had a ring of cheerfulness about them, and only a fortnight ago one received by his father, and printed in the Guardian, stated that he was in the best of health. In fact a letter was only received from him on Sunday by a friend at the Salt Union Works. This letter, which was probably the last he wrote, commenced thus: “Ruck up. What ho’ she bumps” and went on to state – “I write these few lines hoping to find you well as it leaves me at present – well and hearty. I suppose you know where we are and what we are doing. When we left Maitland Camp and went up to De Aar I thought we were in for a lively time, and especially when we started on the march for Prieska, with the flying column, under Kitchener but we did not get a shot at those rebels, for they had done a “bunk” and hour or two before. We, however, captured a few rebels and an ammunition waggon. You must not expect me to tell you anything about the war because you will know more yourself. We are stuck here, and have to remain at present. We can get nothing to eat, smoke or drink. I could just do with a smoke now. I have not had one for a fortnight or more and it is hard lines. There is no going round asking for a bit of smoking tobacco, I cannot even get a twist here. I think I will be a non-smoker and teetotaller when I return. It is all work here. I have just come down for some water, and have stopped to write these lines. Give my respects to all.” Prior to leaving, Mr J H Cooke, as hon secretary of the Winsford War Relief fund, insured the Volunteers for £50 each, and the father will accordingly draw this amount from the insurance society.

There also seems to be some variation in the spelling of where he died – based on the name of the cemetery his grave lies in today, I think they should all read Draghoender.

As regards the previous letter to his father, referred to above, only a very short extract was published in which Alfred reported they were on a train headed for Victoria West to suppress a rebellion and the next morning they may be fighting for their lives, “but we care nothing for that as we are fighting for our Queen and country”.

What is of more interest is a letter sent to his father by somebody present at his death and published in the Nantwich Guardian of 30 June 1900:

Draghoender near Prieska, 16th May 1900: Dear Mr Carrick, I regret to be obliged to inform you of the death of your son, Alfred, which took place here last Sunday 13th May. You will doubtless have heard of it by cable, but I you might like to hear from some who were here at the time. Consequently I, chaplain to the column, send you this letter to assure you of my deep sympathy with you and his mother in your time of sorrow, and at the same time to tell you that everything was done for him that lay in our power. He had been ill for some days, and became weaker and weaker, until at the end he was unconscious, now and then he would cry out “Father”, “Mother”, that was all we could understand. He passed away quite suddenly and peacefully at the last, free, I think, from pain. He was in a cottage we are using as a hospital. Naturally, we had not all the conveniences of a proper hospital, but the doctor was most kind in his attention, as also I believe were the orderlies who waited on him. He was buried here at 5 p.m. the same day, Sunday, of course with a military funeral, side by side with four others, who had died a few days before. A cross is now being erected by his comrades at the head of the grave, and the little “cemetery”, if I may so call it, on the veldt is enclose, so that the ground will, I hope, be sacred for all time. I can well imagine what a blow this must be to you all at home, more especially in not being able to know exactly his surroundings, but I expect his comrades will see you when they return and give fuller details. In the meantime I pray that god may comfort you all, and enable you to look forward with a sure confidence to the future reunion with your loved one. – In all Christian sympathy, believe me yours sincerely, Ernest C Beck, chaplain.

I think we can now say categorically that Alfred Amos Caddick died on Sunday, 13 May 1900.

Pericarditis is “inflammation of the sac around the heart”. These days with rest and treatment one would expect to recover from it. It seems to have a variety of causes including viral/bacterial infections or as reaction to some other illness such as influenza.

When he attested Alfred gave his occupation as “labourer” – so socially he was not typical of first wave Imperial Yeomen as his father was a blue collar worker, who with a large family to support, would have been unlikely to be able to finance a horse for him. Also he had to rely on a Board School for his education. So as a member of the Winsford Volunteers why did he switch from the opportunity of serving in a Volunteer Service Company attached to the Cheshire Regiment alongside his mates and social equals to a unit where he may have felt a bit out of place and looked down upon? However, the start of his last letter home does indicate he had adopted some of the lingo of his social “superiors”. The ornate lettering and leafy art work on the cross marking his grave in the photograph previously posted by Neville is interesting and indicates some extra expenditure in commemorating him. Presumably this cross was not the one erected by his comrades at the time of his burial.

His death certainly aroused local interest but local populations did seem to hold their Volunteers, a new concept in 1900, in esteem and affection and, in addition, Alfred does seem to have been considered to be the first Winsford man (or should one say youth as he was only 19) to volunteer and the first to die over 6,000 miles away serving his Queen & Country. Albeit not exactly a glorious death but he does seem to have been the only one of the two dozen Winsford volunteers to perish during the whole duration of the war.

Besides his posthumous Winsford Tribute Medal, Alfred’s parents were also to receive his Queen’s South Africa Medal adorned with a single clasp, Cape Colony.

The Winsford Boer War Memorial (courtesy IWM/David Bignall)



I have found three reports of the unveiling of the Winsford Boer War Memorial in 1906, one lists all the names on the memorial, one side of which appears to be dedicated to the Volunteers:

Thank-you very much for the info, i would love to find his QSA.CHEERS.