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Laura – attached are extracts from two letters sent home by members of the 37th (Howitzer) Battery, RFA. The one by Wiseman refers to an engagement at Vlakfontein in the Western Transvaal, he dates it as 29th May 1901, other reports say 30th May 1901. At the time one newspaper correspondent described it as “one of the fiercest fights of the war” but newspaper correspondents were known to get carried away at times. It did result in a very long casualty list in which the Derbyshires held first place, followed by the Scottish Horse and the 28th Battery RFA were also rans. Surprisingly the 34th Battery RFA did not get a mention in the casualty list but they were definitely there. Whilst one can say Wiseman was there one cannot definitely say Percy Wilkin (who wrote the other letter) & George Prime were as it has to be remembered that the majority of British soldiers who fought in the Second Boer War spent time in hospital, in some cases caused by spending too many nights sleeping under waggons soaked to the skin. You can ignore the references to Wiseman being at the bloody battle of Magersfontein – he was there but as a member of the 18th Battery RFA (he was subsequently transferred to the 37th). In any case the Battle of Magersfontein occurred in December 1899 and well before George Prime stepped on South African soil.

You asked what ship George went out on. We know he set sail for SA on 28th April 1900. The shipping records to be found on this site show two ships sailed for SA on 28th April 1900. The Orotavia sailed from Tilbury with “39 officers and 1,354 men (and several stowaways)” on board – the London Times listed the officers none of whom served in the RFA. The other was the Dunvegan Castle which sailed from Southampton and according to the London Times carried “4 - 6 inch Howitzer siege train guns and 6,000 rounds of lyddite shell for South Africa” They gave no further information but I would suggest George went out on the Dunvegan Castle.

Not sure why you intend to visit a Museum in Salisbury. George was living in Hertfordshire when he enlisted and the two attached letters suggest the 34th Howitzer Battery was an East Anglian outfit. Note Bury as in Bury St Edmunds and not Bury in Lancashire.

Final point I would suggest that George’s brothers, Richard & Harry, also served in the Royal Artillery but whether they served in South Africa is another matter. This is based on section 12 on the last page of his service records posted by Dave.

Regards, David (lived and worked in Stevenage for a couple of years).

Laura,

You mentioned that you intend to visit the Regimental Museum in Salisbury. You must mean the Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment Museum located in The Close.

This museum do not hold records for any Artillery Regiments. The 37th Battery may have been raised in Wiltshire but it is not linked to the Wiltshire Regiment (Infantry).

Hi Rob,
Many thanks for that information, I will investigate! I've always been interested in the daily records, imagining the people whose job it was to keep them.

Laura

Hi Ian,
Thank you for your post. It seems that I have been barking up the wrong tree for months, thinking that the Wiltshire Regiment was a Wiltshire based one, I did think it was a bit strange as he was from Hertfordshire, but most of what I could find about it said Wiltshire. I also realise now that the Museum in Salisbury (yes, the one in The Close) might not be the source I thought it might be! I've been to the Museum in Hitchin Herts, there is a very small section there on The Boer War, I will go back and have another look at some point.
Thank you!

Laura

The Hospital Commission is a good place to find more detailed information regarding embarkations (Appendix to the Minutes of Evidence, pp. 51-186).

This shows the 37th Battery sailing for South Africa on the Antillian, on 15 Nov 1899, with a draft following on the Orotava on 28 Apr 1900. The Dunvegan Castle is not included in the return as she was operating as a freight ship at this time (though it seems a number of nurses were on board for the 28 Apr sailing). The howitzers mentioned by David were Royal Garrison Artillery Siege Train guns, so not guns for the 37th Battery R.F.A.




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Hi David,

Many thanks for all that information, the letters are fascinating, and really bring it all to life. I have noted the battle information. Yes I was interested to note from the form that his brothers were also in the RA, I think they both lived quite long lives according to the census records I've seen, no doubt I'll start finding out more about them too at some point though! I found George's memorial cards in my Dad's belongings after he died, that was what originally got me started...knew next to nothing about the Boer Wars prior to that I must admit. The family come from the village of St Ippolyts, perhaps you visited there when you were living in Stevenage?
Best wishes,
Laura