TOPIC:

Perhaps it was the order of the day or, perhaps, done in an attempt to "fit in" but, no matter what the reason, Sam Wimborne's family anglicised their Jewish name soon after arriving in England. Here is his story:

Samuel Solomon Wimborne

Private, Bechuanaland Rifles – Anglo Boer War
Trooper, Natal Mounted Rifles – Bambatha Rebellion
Trooper, Headquarters Section, Natal Police
Private, 1st Rand Intelligence
2nd Class Air Mechanic, South African Squadron, Royal Flying Corps
Driver, South African Service Corps, Mechanised Transport
Private, South African Medical Corps

- Queens South Africa Medal to 522 Pte. S. Wimborne. Bec’land Rif. with clasps Cape Colony and Transvaal
- Natal Medal with 1906 clasp to Tpr. S. Wimbourne. Natal Mtd. Rifles
- British War Medal to Dvr. S. Wimborne. S.A.S.C.
- Victory Medal to Dvr. S. Wimborne, S.A.S.C.

One doesn’t quite know what to call Sam Wimborne. His is a lengthy tale which started with the emigration of his parents Mark Leon Wimborne and his wife Dora from Sierpec in the governance of Plock in Russian Poland to England in the late 1800’s. A Certificate of Naturalisation to an Alien dated 1890 provides us with the proof that the Wimborne family started out life as Weinbaum’s, a name that they were at pains to change as they settled down to life in Victorian England. The aforementioned Certificate went on to say that Mark Leon Wimborne was 31 years of age, a Commercial Traveller by occupation and that he was married with 6 children, viz:-

- Joseph Wimborne, aged 11
- Samuel Solomon Wimborne, aged 6
- Charlotte Wimborne, aged 4
- Rose Rachel Wimborne, aged 3
- Nellie Wimborne, aged 2 and
- Selina Wimborne, aged 1

Young Sam, born in Hull, Yorkshire, was a Hebrew by birth, and ere long; he was destined to start his school career which led him to the portals of the Blakesly Street School in London. Here, according to the school register, he was admitted as a pupil under the name Samuel Weinbaum on 13 July 1892. Having been born on 29 December 1884 he was already 7 years old. Not destined to stay longer than one week at this school he took his discharge and moved on to the Berner Street School nearby where he was admitted on 31 October 1892. His address at the time was provided as 27 Richard Street, London. One can only assume that this is where he remained for a time as there are no further records of his schooling available.

What became of him and his family during the 1891 England census is unknown but he reappears in the 1901 census as a 16 year old Stable Lad living at Weyhill Stables in Monxton, Hampshire. These premises were owned by Mary Aldridge whose son; Humphrey Davies appeared to employ a large staff of 15 including young Sam. 1901 was also when the Anglo Boer War had entered its second year. This was when the guerrilla phase of the conflict was in full swing and the Boer Commandos were being systematically hunted down by the British troops.

Quite what decided a young Wimborne to head south to play his part in the conflict is unknown but, at some point, he made his way to the North West region neighbouring what is now known as Botswana and enlisted with the Bechuanaland Rifles as a Private with no. 522. This outfit had been, a year or so earlier, embroiled in the Siege of Mafeking but this was long over by the time Wimborne saddled up in their ranks. From January 1902 until March of that year the Bechuanaland Rifles were with or under Lord Methuen. A detachment of them was in the force which escorted the convoy captured near Klerksdorp on 25 February 1902. On this occasion the Rifles had 5 killed and about the same number wounded.

At this time the Western Transvaal had been dangerously denuded of troops while the great driving operations were in progress in the eastern part of that country hence Methuen had been unable to cope with De La Rey and other leaders, strengthened as they were by commandoes driven from elsewhere.

Once the forces in the Western Transvaal had been strengthened, the Bechuanaland Rifles took part in the last great drives which, under the direction of General Ian Hamilton, finally broke De La Rey’s power. At Rooiwal on 11 April 1902 there was a well fought engagement, where the Rifles suffered 9 casualties.

The war over on 31 May 1902 Wimborne was awarded the Queens South Africa Medal with clasps Cape Colony and Transvaal for his efforts. Seemingly he had developed a taste for the country and elected to stay on as opposed to returning to his native England.

Post Boer War Natal was a depressed place economically but this is nevertheless where Wimborne headed after taking his discharge. The Natal Government of the day had to deal with the costs incurred over the period of the war and funds to meet commitments with were few. Parliament decided that the introduction of a Poll Tax to raise money was just the thing and a scheme was devised whereby every Black Male would be required to pay tax towards the fiscus. This law met with immediate opposition from many of the native Chiefs, one of whom was a young chap named Bambatho who reigned in the Greytown area of the Colony. Magistrates were tasked with the collection of this tax and went about this responsibility with their normal zeal. Bamabatha and his followers were having none of this and he started an insurrection which was to prove costly to his people.

On 23 February 1906 the Natal Mounted Rifles were mobilised for service and marched to Maphumulo, there to rendezvous with other units of the Natal Militia. Trooper S. Wimbourne (sic) was among them. He had decided to enlist for duty to help quell the uprising. The conflict continued in fits and starts and ended with Bambatha defeated and beheaded. After this the Colony returned to normalcy and the Militia stood down. Wimborne, for his role in the Rebellion, was awarded the Natal Medal with 1906 clasp.

Shortly after this, on 27 August 1906, he enlisted with the Natal Police at Pietermaritzburg. Assigned no. 3930 and the rank of Trooper, his service wasn't a lengthy one - attached to the Headquarters staff, he was Court Martialled on 5 October 1906 for "Insolence to a N.C.O." Asst. Commissioner Mardall, finding him guilty, ordered that his enlistment be cancelled and he was dismissed with "services no longer required" - he also had to suffer the humiliation of not having a certificate for his time spent, issued to him.

The ubiquitous Wimborne appeared next in the South African Railways magazine, October 1913 edition, wherein his employment as a Learner Guard in Ladysmith was confirmed. His fledgling railway career must have been of short duration. He had relocated to the Transvaal which is where he was with the outbreak of the Great War on 4 August 1914. Called upon to assist the Empire against the Germans; South Africa entered the war a few days later and, on 7 September 1914 Wimborne joined the ranks of the 1st Rand Intelligence outfit as a Private with no. 28. This foray back into military life was to be very short-lived as he took leave of them 5 days later on 12 September 1914. Wimborne’s war was far from over as events would prove. On 24 September 1915 he attested at Potchefstroom for service with the S.A.M.C. (South African Medical Corps).

Claiming to be 32 years of age he provided the name of his wife, Jessie Mary Wimborne of 14 Holt Street, Forest Hill, Johannesburg as his next of kin. He confirmed that he had 5 children, all under the age of 16 and that his mother, Dora Wimborne of 57 Meanley Road, Manor Park, London, England was partially dependent on him. He also confirmed that he had prior service with the Bechuanaland Rifles.

Physically he was described as 5 foot 5 ½ inches, weighing 140 pounds and with dark brown hair, dark brown eyes and a dark complexion. He had scars on his chest and arms by way of distinguishing characteristics and was of the Jewish faith. Passed as Fit by the Doctor, Wimborne was assigned no. 253 and the rank of Private. Why had he selected the S.A.M.C. one could ask? The answer comes with the occupation he provided on enlistment – that of a Hospital Attendant.

Wimborne was imbued with a restless spirit, one month after going to the effort of attesting for the S.A.M.C. he put pen to paper completing the Attestation forms for service with the South African Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. This was on 26 October 1915 at The Castle in Cape Town. On this occasion he claimed to be a Traveller by occupation. This wasn’t to be the only “alteration” he made to his story – he now magically was 31 years of age and the number of children he had reduced to 4 from 5. All other details remained the same save for the fact that he had a bullet shell scar on his right jaw – whether or not he had been wounded in the Boer War is a matter for conjecture. Passed as Fit he was assigned no. Z251 and became the SAS RFC’s latest recruit as a 2nd Class Air Mechanic.

At this juncture it is worth exploring more about this small but illustrious unit. The 26th (South African) Squadron of the R.F.C. (to give them their correct appellation) were banded together and shipped to England embarking at Cape Town per the “Saxon” on 8 November 1915. After several months training they were posted to German East Africa, tasked with assisting the ground forces against the formidable Otto von Lettow-Vorbeck, the German Commander. Most of the chaps arrived in January of 1916 but Wimborne, who was required to undergo an appendicitis operation in England, only joined the Squadron on 22 April 1916 after recuperating from his operation. The outfit was based at Mbuyuni and the mechanics were required to keep airworthy a range of decrepit, outdated and frankly, downright obsolete equipment – all that could be spared for the operation by an Empire fighting for its very survival in France and other fronts.

Lettow-Vorbeck’s approach was simple – by using hit and run tactics he was able to tie down large numbers of British troops in East Africa thus preventing them from joining the fighting in Europe. 26 Squadron operated in support of the British troops under Smuts who chased the Germans along the Pangani River. The operating environment for the Squadron was very difficult. Throughout April and May 1916 the rain curtailed operations. Dense bush also hampered emergency landings and the Squadrons base could not always keep up with the main forces. The men of the Squadron were living as roughly as the troops and many succumbed to the tropical diseases which abounded. Wimborne was no exception and, on 1 May 1916 was admitted to the Hospital at Mombasa with Malaria. After treatment he returned to duty but on 8 August 1916, having been returned to South Africa, was discharged as Medically Unfit at Wynberg in the Cape.

The Proceedings on Discharge form completed in his respect confirmed that Private (Air Mechanic) Samuel Solomon Wimborne of the South African Aviation Corps was discharged in consequence of having been found medically unfit for further military service. With a Military Character of Good and service of 342 days credited to him, Wimborne returned to his home in Johannesburg.

This was not to be the end of this intrepid adventurer. On 20 July 1917, almost a year since he had last donned a uniform, Wimborne completed the Attestation forms at Roberts Heights for service with the Mechanical Transport section of the South African Service Corps for posting to Nyasaland. Assigned no. MT 6937 he was now 33 years of age and had altered little physically apart from the fact that he now had scars on both sides of his face.

Leaving Roberts Heights by rail for Beira in what is now Mozambique on 8 August 1917 he then went on to Zomba and other places in the capacity of Driver before being sent back to the Union on 29 October of that year. Having spent much of his time ill with Malaria, he was Medically Boarded and deemed to be Temporarily Unfit for Tropical War Service (4 months)

Having disembarked at Durban he returned to Johannesburg to recuperate where, on 20 November 1917 he was admitted to No. 4 General Hospital at Roberts Heights. After a lengthy spell of treatment he was transferred to No. 1 Convalescent Camp on 10 January 1918 and, on 18 January transferred to the Wanderers from where he was discharged on 25 January. Ill health had not quite deserted him. However, as he was readmitted to the Wanderers on for complications with his appendix and malaria only being discharged on 8 February 1918.

A Medical Report on an Invalid completed in respect of Wimborne at Roberts Heights on 7 February 1918 stated his address as 16 Hill Street, Johannesburg and confirmed that he had contracted Malaria at Luohenys, Nyasaland in September 1917. The Doctors’ quoted him as stating,

“Have had Malaria from the second month, September 1917, all the time I have been in G.E. (German East Africa) and was in hospital continuously from September, was returned from Zomba Hospital to No. 4 General Hospital, Roberts Heights arriving on 20 November 1917. Thence to No. 1 Camp 12 January 1918, was in Wanderers Hospital 18/1/18 then to No. 1 Camp 26/1/18. Operated on for appendicitis a year ago in Europe.”

After this Wimborne was discharged from the army for the last time on 9 March 1918 to return to what was, for him, a new address, “The Hatcheries”, Umgeni, Durban. For his efforts he was awarded the British War and Victory Medals sent to him on 10 October 1922. The Proceedings on Discharge form completed on this occasion credited him with 233 days service and a Military Character of Very Good.

The war over he returned to civilian life and his whereabouts were unknown. Surfacing again on 8 August 1931 where he was a witness to his daughter Eileen Esther’s wedding to Samuel Gowan Duff in Durban. This was followed by the wedding of his son, Hereward Archibald Wimborne to Kathleen Annie Adams on 29 June 1935, again in Durban where he still seems to have been living.

As alluded to earlier Wimborne had a restless spirit and this again manifested itself some two years after the outbreak of the Second World War. On a List or Manifest of Alien Passengers for the United States dated 11 December 1942 appears the name of one Samuel Solomon Wimborne, a 59 year old South African Hebrew who was a Seaman aboard the S.S City of Hong Kong bound for America from the port of Liverpool. The manifest confirms that Wimborne was a resident of Durban which leaves no doubt that as to who he was. So what have we here? Wimborne had turned his hand to the sea and was a crew member aboard a ship which traversed the Atlantic Ocean at a time when U-Boats were very active and on the prowl for prey.

Nothing of his doings is known hereafter until, on 7 December 1962 a Samuel Solomon Weinbaum (also known as Wimborne) passed away at Addington Hospital in Durban. He was 78 years old at the time and lived at 570 North Coast Road, Greenwood Park, Durban.

His wife, Jessie Mary Weinbaum had predeceased him on 28 February 1947 and he was survived by his children Hereford Archibald Wimborne, Lilian Eva Wimbourne, and Eileen Esther Duff (a son, Bert Percival Wimborne, had passed away before. The Death Certificate noted that he was a General Handyman and in receipt of a Veteran’s Pension. His estate devolved upon his three sisters, all of whom had remained in the United Kingdom – these were Selina Wimborne, Rose Wimborne and Helena Wimborne (otherwise known as Nellie) – all in equal shares. To his children he left nothing.

Rory,

What can I say? Excellent!

Hello Rory,
A fairly typical and very interesting Great War group, was this the man you mentioned to me before on here?
Also, regarding his service in the Rand Intelligence Corps, I wonder what has become of his Star, you mention a proceedings on discharge paper, does it actually say South African Aviation Corps?
Regards Frank

Rory wrote: Perhaps it was the order of the day or, perhaps, done in an attempt to "fit in" but, no matter what the reason, Sam Wimborne's family anglicised their Jewish name soon after arriving in England. Here is his story:

Samuel Solomon Wimborne

Private, Bechuanaland Rifles – Anglo Boer War
Trooper, Natal Mounted Rifles – Bambatha Rebellion
Private, 1st Rand Intelligence
2nd Class Air Mechanic, South African Squadron, Royal Flying Corps
Driver, South African Service Corps, Mechanised Transport
Private, South African Medical Corps

- Queens South Africa Medal to 522 Pte. S. Wimborne. Bec’land Rif. with clasps Cape Colony and Transvaal
- Natal Medal with 1906 clasp to Tpr. S. Wimbourne. Natal Mtd. Rifles
- British War Medal to Dvr. S. Wimborne. S.A.S.C.
- Victory Medal to Dvr. S. Wimborne, S.A.S.C.

One doesn’t quite know what to call Sam Wimborne. His is a lengthy tale which started with the emigration of his parents Mark Leon Wimborne and his wife Dora from Sierpec in the governance of Plock in Russian Poland to England in the late 1800’s. A Certificate of Naturalisation to an Alien dated 1890 provides us with the proof that the Wimborne family started out life as Weinbaum’s, a name that they were at pains to change as they settled down to life in Victorian England. The aforementioned Certificate went on to say that Mark Leon Wimborne was 31 years of age, a Commercial Traveller by occupation and that he was married with 6 children, viz:-

- Joseph Wimborne, aged 11
- Samuel Solomon Wimborne, aged 6
- Charlotte Wimborne, aged 4
- Rose Rachel Wimborne, aged 3
- Nellie Wimborne, aged 2 and
- Selina Wimborne, aged 1

Young Sam, born in Hull, Yorkshire, was a Hebrew by birth, and ere long; he was destined to start his school career which led him to the portals of the Blakesly Street School in London. Here, according to the school register, he was admitted as a pupil under the name Samuel Weinbaum on 13 July 1892. Having been born on 29 December 1884 he was already 7 years old. Not destined to stay longer than one week at this school he took his discharge and moved on to the Berner Street School nearby where he was admitted on 31 October 1892. His address at the time was provided as 27 Richard Street, London. One can only assume that this is where he remained for a time as there are no further records of his schooling available.

What became of him and his family during the 1891 England census is unknown but he reappears in the 1901 census as a 16 year old Stable Lad living at Weyhill Stables in Monxton, Hampshire. These premises were owned by Mary Aldridge whose son; Humphrey Davies appeared to employ a large staff of 15 including young Sam. 1901 was also when the Anglo Boer War had entered its second year. This was when the guerrilla phase of the conflict was in full swing and the Boer Commandos were being systematically hunted down by the British troops.

Quite what decided a young Wimborne to head south to play his part in the conflict is unknown but, at some point, he made his way to the North West region neighbouring what is now known as Botswana and enlisted with the Bechuanaland Rifles as a Private with no. 522. This outfit had been, a year or so earlier, embroiled in the Siege of Mafeking but this was long over by the time Wimborne saddled up in their ranks. From January 1902 until March of that year the Bechuanaland Rifles were with or under Lord Methuen. A detachment of them was in the force which escorted the convoy captured near Klerksdorp on 25 February 1902. On this occasion the Rifles had 5 killed and about the same number wounded.

At this time the Western Transvaal had been dangerously denuded of troops while the great driving operations were in progress in the eastern part of that country hence Methuen had been unable to cope with De La Rey and other leaders, strengthened as they were by commandoes driven from elsewhere.

Once the forces in the Western Transvaal had been strengthened, the Bechuanaland Rifles took part in the last great drives which, under the direction of General Ian Hamilton, finally broke De La Rey’s power. At Rooiwal on 11 April 1902 there was a well fought engagement, where the Rifles suffered 9 casualties.

The war over on 31 May 1902 Wimborne was awarded the Queens South Africa Medal with clasps Cape Colony and Transvaal for his efforts. Seemingly he had developed a taste for the country and elected to stay on as opposed to returning to his native England.

Post Boer War Natal was a depressed place economically but this is nevertheless where Wimborne headed after taking his discharge. The Natal Government of the day had to deal with the costs incurred over the period of the war and funds to meet commitments with were few. Parliament decided that the introduction of a Poll Tax to raise money was just the thing and a scheme was devised whereby every Black Male would be required to pay tax towards the fiscus. This law met with immediate opposition from many of the native Chiefs, one of whom was a young chap named Bambatho who reigned in the Greytown area of the Colony. Magistrates were tasked with the collection of this tax and went about this responsibility with their normal zeal. Bamabatha and his followers were having none of this and he started an insurrection which was to prove costly to his people.

On 23 February 1906 the Natal Mounted Rifles were mobilised for service and marched to Maphumulo, there to rendezvous with other units of the Natal Militia. Trooper S. Wimbourne (sic) was among them. He had decided to enlist for duty to help quell the uprising. The conflict continued in fits and starts and ended with Bambatha defeated and beheaded. After this the Colony returned to normalcy and the Militia stood down. Wimborne, for his role in the Rebellion, was awarded the Natal Medal with 1906 clasp.

It would appear that, sometime after this, Wimborne relocated to the Transvaal which is where he was with the outbreak of the Great War on 4 August 1914. Called upon to assist the Empire against the Germans; South Africa entered the war a few days later and, on 7 September 1914 Wimborne joined the ranks of the 1st Rand Intelligence outfit as a Private with no. 28. This foray back into military life was to be very short-lived as he took leave of them 5 days later on 12 September 1914. Wimborne’s war was far from over as events would prove. On 24 September 1915 he attested at Potchefstroom for service with the S.A.M.C. (South African Medical Corps).

Claiming to be 32 years of age he provided the name of his wife, Jessie Mary Wimborne of 14 Holt Street, Forest Hill, Johannesburg as his next of kin. He confirmed that he had 5 children, all under the age of 16 and that his mother, Dora Wimborne of 57 Meanley Road, Manor Park, London, England was partially dependent on him. He also confirmed that he had prior service with the Bechuanaland Rifles.

Physically he was described as 5 foot 5 ½ inches, weighing 140 pounds and with dark brown hair, dark brown eyes and a dark complexion. He had scars on his chest and arms by way of distinguishing characteristics and was of the Jewish faith. Passed as Fit by the Doctor, Wimborne was assigned no. 253 and the rank of Private. Why had he selected the S.A.M.C. one could ask? The answer comes with the occupation he provided on enlistment – that of a Hospital Attendant.

Wimborne was imbued with a restless spirit, one month after going to the effort of attesting for the S.A.M.C. he put pen to paper completing the Attestation forms for service with the South African Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. This was on 26 October 1915 at The Castle in Cape Town. On this occasion he claimed to be a Traveller by occupation. This wasn’t to be the only “alteration” he made to his story – he now magically was 31 years of age and the number of children he had reduced to 4 from 5. All other details remained the same save for the fact that he had a bullet shell scar on his right jaw – whether or not he had been wounded in the Boer War is a matter for conjecture. Passed as Fit he was assigned no. Z251 and became the SAS RFC’s latest recruit as a 2nd Class Air Mechanic.

At this juncture it is worth exploring more about this small but illustrious unit. The 26th (South African) Squadron of the R.F.C. (to give them their correct appellation) were banded together and shipped to England embarking at Cape Town per the “Saxon” on 8 November 1915. After several months training they were posted to German East Africa, tasked with assisting the ground forces against the formidable Otto von Lettow-Vorbeck, the German Commander. Most of the chaps arrived in January of 1916 but Wimborne, who was required to undergo an appendicitis operation in England, only joined the Squadron on 22 April 1916 after recuperating from his operation. The outfit was based at Mbuyuni and the mechanics were required to keep airworthy a range of decrepit, outdated and frankly, downright obsolete equipment – all that could be spared for the operation by an Empire fighting for its very survival in France and other fronts.

Lettow-Vorbeck’s approach was simple – by using hit and run tactics he was able to tie down large numbers of British troops in East Africa thus preventing them from joining the fighting in Europe. 26 Squadron operated in support of the British troops under Smuts who chased the Germans along the Pangani River. The operating environment for the Squadron was very difficult. Throughout April and May 1916 the rain curtailed operations. Dense bush also hampered emergency landings and the Squadrons base could not always keep up with the main forces. The men of the Squadron were living as roughly as the troops and many succumbed to the tropical diseases which abounded. Wimborne was no exception and, on 1 May 1916 was admitted to the Hospital at Mombasa with Malaria. After treatment he returned to duty but on 8 August 1916, having been returned to South Africa, was discharged as Medically Unfit at Wynberg in the Cape.

The Proceedings on Discharge form completed in his respect confirmed that Private (Air Mechanic) Samuel Solomon Wimborne of the South African Aviation Corps was discharged in consequence of having been found medically unfit for further military service. With a Military Character of Good and service of 342 days credited to him, Wimborne returned to his home in Johannesburg.

This was not to be the end of this intrepid adventurer. On 20 July 1917, almost a year since he had last donned a uniform, Wimborne completed the Attestation forms at Roberts Heights for service with the Mechanical Transport section of the South African Service Corps for posting to Nyasaland. Assigned no. MT 6937 he was now 33 years of age and had altered little physically apart from the fact that he now had scars on both sides of his face.

Leaving Roberts Heights by rail for Beira in what is now Mozambique on 8 August 1917 he then went on to Zomba and other places in the capacity of Driver before being sent back to the Union on 29 October of that year. Having spent much of his time ill with Malaria, he was Medically Boarded and deemed to be Temporarily Unfit for Tropical War Service (4 months)

Having disembarked at Durban he returned to Johannesburg to recuperate where, on 20 November 1917 he was admitted to No. 4 General Hospital at Roberts Heights. After a lengthy spell of treatment he was transferred to No. 1 Convalescent Camp on 10 January 1918 and, on 18 January transferred to the Wanderers from where he was discharged on 25 January. Ill health had not quite deserted him. However, as he was readmitted to the Wanderers on for complications with his appendix and malaria only being discharged on 8 February 1918.

A Medical Report on an Invalid completed in respect of Wimborne at Roberts Heights on 7 February 1918 stated his address as 16 Hill Street, Johannesburg and confirmed that he had contracted Malaria at Luohenys, Nyasaland in September 1917. The Doctors’ quoted him as stating,

“Have had Malaria from the second month, September 1917, all the time I have been in G.E. (German East Africa) and was in hospital continuously from September, was returned from Zomba Hospital to No. 4 General Hospital, Roberts Heights arriving on 20 November 1917. Thence to No. 1 Camp 12 January 1918, was in Wanderers Hospital 18/1/18 then to No. 1 Camp 26/1/18. Operated on for appendicitis a year ago in Europe.”

After this Wimborne was discharged from the army for the last time on 9 March 1918 to return to what was, for him, a new address, “The Hatcheries”, Umgeni, Durban. For his efforts he was awarded the British War and Victory Medals sent to him on 10 October 1922. The Proceedings on Discharge form completed on this occasion credited him with 233 days service and a Military Character of Very Good.

The war over he returned to civilian life and his whereabouts were unknown. Surfacing again on 8 August 1931 where he was a witness to his daughter Eileen Esther’s wedding to Samuel Gowan Duff in Durban. This was followed by the wedding of his son, Hereward Archibald Wimborne to Kathleen Annie Adams on 29 June 1935, again in Durban where he still seems to have been living.

As alluded to earlier Wimborne had a restless spirit and this again manifested itself some two years after the outbreak of the Second World War. On a List or Manifest of Alien Passengers for the United States dated 11 December 1942 appears the name of one Samuel Solomon Wimborne, a 59 year old South African Hebrew who was a Seaman aboard the S.S City of Hong Kong bound for America from the port of Liverpool. The manifest confirms that Wimborne was a resident of Durban which leaves no doubt that as to who he was. So what have we here? Wimborne had turned his hand to the sea and was a crew member aboard a ship which traversed the Atlantic Ocean at a time when U-Boats were very active and on the prowl for prey.

Nothing of his doings is known hereafter until, on 7 December 1962 a Samuel Solomon Weinbaum (also known as Wimborne) passed away at Addington Hospital in Durban. He was 78 years old at the time and lived at 570 North Coast Road, Greenwood Park, Durban.

His wife, Jessie Mary Weinbaum had predeceased him on 28 February 1947 and he was survived by his children Hereford Archibald Wimborne, Lilian Eva Wimbourne, and Eileen Esther Duff (a son, Bert Percival Wimborne, had passed away before. The Death Certificate noted that he was a General Handyman and in receipt of a Veteran’s Pension. His estate devolved upon his three sisters, all of whom had remained in the United Kingdom – these were Selina Wimborne, Rose Wimborne and Helena Wimborne (otherwise known as Nellie) – all in equal shares. To his children he left nothing.

Hi Frank t'was indeed the man I have mentioned before. His group finally arrived on my shores last week.

What you see is Wimborne's full entitlement. He was another of those who enlisted with a unit but only for a handful of days before taking his leave of them only to reappear a year or so later.

In his case he never made it to German South West Africa to qualify for the 1914/15 Star.

His Proceedings on Discharge form makes particular reference to the SA Aviation Corps.

Regards

Rory

Hello Rory,
Well in that case, it is indeed, a lovely group, a missing Star would have been a great shame, fitter's and rigger's in the RFC had it relatively easy when compared to pilots, you did not have the same obvious level of risk, although, life was doubtless much harder in East Africa than it was in France, with rather more basic ways to loose ones life.
I just wondered about the SAAC, as you had mentioned it, of course, normally a man who had served in it, beyond 1915, would not have any medal other than his Star actually named to it, not pertinent in Wimborne's case as he was not in the Corps in 1915 and the pair come from the SA Service Corps anyway.
A really super group.
Regards Frank

Picture courtesy of DNW

QSA (2) Defence of Mafeking, Transvaal (128 Pte. T. Gardiner. Bec’land Rif:);
Natal (1) 1906 (Cpl. T. Gardner, Royston’s Horse)

Provenance: J. F. Goodwin Collection, Dix Noonan Webb, September 2009.

T. Gardiner was dismissed from the Bechuanaland Rifles for misconduct. He also served in 1/Imperial Light Horse (No. 350) and 2/Imperial Light Horse (No. 2230).