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William Norton Mepstead

Trooper, 91st Coy. XXIII Battalion, Imperial Yeomanry (Mounted Sharpshooters) – Anglo Boer War

Bombardier, Royal Garrison Artillery – World War I

- Queens South Africa Medal to Tpr. 31576 W.N. Mepstead, 92nd Coy, Imp. Yeo. With clasps Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901 & 1902
- British War Medal to Gnr. W.N. Mepstead, R.A.
- Victory Medal to Gnr. W.N. Mepstead, R.A.

William Mepstead was born in Camberwell, Surrey the son of William Henry Mepstead and his wife Hester (born Chamberlain) on 9 October 1879. On 30 November 1879 he was baptised in the church of St. Andrew’s in Peckham, Surrey. The baptismal register records that William was a Commercial Traveller by occupation and that the family lived at 5 Ossory Road in Peckham. In those days the road would have been populated with small semi-detached houses and children playing in the street whereas today it is a commercial area.

Less than two years later at the time of the 1881 England census the family comprised his parents as well as older sister Lilian Mary (she was only 3), and a Domestic Servant in the form of Clara Webb (15). Mrs Mepstead’s sister Annie was visiting.

The 1891 England census revealed that tragedy had struck the small close-knit family with William Senior having passed away in June 1886 leaving Hester to fend for herself. A Dress maker by trade, she put her skills to good use to raise her young family. The Mepstead’s had also moved house to 37 Ossory Road, further down the street. William now a lad of 11 was joined in the house by younger siblings Gerty (8) and Reginald (6)

Despite having lost his father at an early age William seemed determined to make something of himself and, after his schooling, entered the employ of a Solicitor’s firm as a Barrister’s Clerk. It was in this capacity that we find him on 1 March 1901 when, the Boer War being some 18 months old, he attested for service with the Imperial Yeomanry in Cockspur Street, London.

The Short Service (One Year with the Colours) Attestation Form he completed provides us with insight into the man. Now 21 years and 4 months old he was single and claimed to have seen service with the 3rd Middlesex Volunteer Artillery. Physically he was 5 feet 6 ½ inches in height and weighed a meagre 126 pounds. He had a pale complexion, brown eyes and dark hair and was a member of the Church of England.

Dr Hastings Stewart found him Fit for the Army on 27 February 1901 and he started out life in uniform with the Mounted Sharpshooters Company (91st Company) of the Imperial Yeomanry with no. 31576.The “Sharpshooter” component of the Imperial Yeomanry came about primarily on the back of Black Week when a good number of very patriotic people in the city got together to discuss the way the war was going and concluded that what was really needed were people who could both ride and shoot better than the enemy.
Henry Fletcher, who was the chairman of the National Rifle Association, the Earl of Dunraven and other exponents of rifle shooting formed a committee and approached the War Office with their thoughts leading to the granting of permission by the War Office to raise a single squadron of sharpshooters.

These men actually became the original 18th Battalion, and where they differ from the Imperial Yeomanry is the way they were recruited, it was no use saying you could use a Lee Metford if you could not, each man was carefully chosen and his skills were proven before he was accepted, character references were also needed. The initial intention was to raise a single squadron but this ended up becoming three battalions.

For every hundred men who joined, there would have been several hundred who were not successful upon applying to join, and they came from across Great Britain too, though, most were from the home counties and the city of London, as in Mepstead’s instance.
Service counting from 1 March 1901 Mepstead set sail immediately for South Africa and adventure commencing in the field on 28 March of that year.

All told he was to spend 1 year and 133 days under the blazing African sun in pursuit of a very elusive enemy, the Boers. By this stage of the conflict the Boers were well and truly on the run. They were hounded across the veld and attempts were being made, via the blockhouse system, to pen them in and force their surrender. This wily bunch was having none of this and succeeded in a number of cases, in escaping through the cordon. This was the so-called guerrilla phase of the war where there were no pitched battles but rather a number of hard riding small commando outfits who would harass the British line of communication disrupting and stealing their supplies.

Mepstead and his comrades would have been actively involved in the hot pursuit operations employed against the Boers by the frustrated British and would have been involved, especially as Mounted Sharpshooters, in many skirmishes with the enemy.

Having stayed on in South Africa a few months after the war ended on 31 May 1902 he was repatriated to England where he was discharged on 16 August 1902 to return to his civilian career. For his efforts Mepstead was awarded the Queens South Africa Medal.

Back in civvy street Mepstead resumed his occupation as a Barrister’s Clerk. There was time for romance as well and, at the age of 25, he married Ruth Ella Burr in Kent. We next encounter him at the time of the 1911 England census where, together with his wife Ruth and child William Edward Burr Mepstead, he was living at 7 Savernake Road, Gospel Oak, North West London. He was still a Barrister’s Clerk by occupation.

August 4th 1914 brought about the advent of the Great War and Mepstead, no doubt caught up like so many of the Boer war veterans who still had “fight” in them with the fervour of the moment, enlisted for service with the Royal Garrison Artillery. His records haven’t survived the Blitz of 1940 where so many files were destroyed by the water used to douse the flames from German bombs on London. Those that survived were the so-called “burnt series”. Nevertheless his Medal Index Card lived on and it confirmed the issue to Gunner W.N. Mepstead of the British War Medal and Allied Victory Medal. Initially he was assigned no. 197685 and then no. 211224. Yet another indicator of his war service was the Silver War Badge, no. B133619 issued to him in the rank of Bombardier/Acting Corporal on 27 May 1919. The form confirms that he enlisted for the war on 10 December 1915 and was discharged either wounded or sick on 23 May 1919. His overseas service in France is also thus confirmed.

Sadly Ruth passed away in 1926 at the age of 45 leaving William with 3 children to raise. William junior would have been 18 whereas his younger sisters, Katherine and Ruth were 15 and 6 respectively. Small wonder then that he chose to remarry tying the knot with Dorothy (Doff) King the following year.

In 1933 he received an unexpected boon to his finances with the passing away of his mother. Hester Mepstead left £783 to William on her death on 12 February 1933.

William Norton Mepstead passed away at the grand old age of 88 in Camberwell, the place of his birth, in 1968.

Hi Rory,

A very nice acquisition to the collection, congratulations.
As always a superb write up

Paul