TOPIC:

Brett,
I thought you received that last lot I sent?
Regards Frank

Brett Hendey wrote: Thanks, Adrian. The Vinnicombe biography I ordered seems to have vanished into the black hole section of the SA Post Office, together with an envelope from Frank. I still hope for two miracles.

Regards
Brett

Brett,

Hopefully it will all re appear shortly.

Regards
Adrian

On the subject of the Natal Police, how about this for an interesting advert from The Times 18 Sep 1901:

David

That is a very interesting advertisement. Thank you for showing it.

I think it is the first time I have seen "Natal Police Force, Mounted Branch" in print, and I wonder what variations there might have been. Perhaps simply 'Natal Police' to cover Dismounted Town Police, Railway Police, Water Police and Prisons.

Also, the maximum height and weight restrictions are interesting. I can understand there being minimum restrictions, but I think bigger would have been better for service in Colonial Natal. When I think of my sons and their friends, 6 feet and 160lbs may be about average figures for the descendants of British settlers in Natal, so perhaps there has been some natural selection going on since Colonial times.

Regards
Brett

Gentleman,
What sort of numbers of white european Natal Police actually served during the whole Boer War?

Frank

Somewhere in our new abode is a record of the numbers of QSA clasps issued to Natal Policemen. I estimated the total number of men who had served by adding the following numbers:
Most common state clasp (Natal) + Relief of Ladysmith + Defence of Ladysmith (which included the Talana men) + South Africa 1902 (Awarded to the post-Natal Campaign intake. The SA 1901 clasp was covered by the preceding groups, as was Belfast, and most of the Transvaal and OFS clasps.)

The estimated total was about 500, although, given the current state of my memory, it might be something else.

An initial search for this valuable piece of paper has been fruitless, but I will try again tomorrow.

Regards
Brett