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BERNARD EVAN MABERLY was born in Handsworth, Staffordshire on 1 August 1878. His father was a medical doctor and is described variously on Census returns as Physician, Surgeon and General Practitioner. At the time of the 1891 Census the family were living at 172 Soho Hill in Handsworth. Note – Handsworth did not officially become part of Birmingham until 1911, thus transferring to Warwickshire. Today Soho Hill is the A41, an urban dual carriageway to be avoided.

The 1891 Census indicated Bernard was the fourth of six children born to Dr Thomas Herbert Maberly and his wife Elizabeth. Bernard’s eldest brother, Frank aged 18 at the time of the Census was already a medical student. Bernard’s elder brother by one year, Leonard was to serve in the Imperial Yeomanry during the South African (Boer) War of 1899-1902. The other three children were girls and there were four domestic servants listed.

On the internet one can find two pages of photographs relating to the wider Maberly family. This is taken from one of them and shows Bernard and his five siblings, albeit later in life than 1891.



Bernard’s contribution to the war in South Africa was complex and he can be found on no less than five medal rolls.

Bernard first went to South Africa as a St John Ambulance Brigade volunteer. I can’t put an exact date on when he went except to say it must have been after January 1900, when there was evidence he was still in Handsworth (see next paragraph), and before December 1900 when he first returned to England (see third next paragraph).

In late January 1900 Bernard made the Birmingham newspapers when he administered first aid to a Handsworth servant girl who had accidently set her clothes alight. Bernard was described as a member of the Handsworth Old Church Branch of the St John Ambulance Association. Afterwards she was attended to by a Dr Maberly but it is impossible to say whether this was Bernard’s father or his more recently qualified eldest brother. Subsequently she was taken to hospital and recovered.

The SJAB Medal Roll shows Bernard was assigned the service number 1111. Service numbers for the men of the SJAB Handsworth & Smethwick Corps who served in South Africa ranged from 376 to 1918. The first batch of 23 SJAB volunteers sailed for South Africa on 3 November 1899. Within SJAB Corps allotted service numbers were issued sequentially in the order they went to South Africa. Thus I think we can conclude that Bernard did not see service in South Africa during 1899.

The SJAB/4th General Hospital QSA Medal Roll drawn up at Mooi River, Natal on 10 October 1901 lists 1111 Private Maberly B. E. and indicates he was only awarded the “Natal” clasp for his SJAB service. The “Remarks” column adds “Sent to England for discharge (Time expired) on 19.12.00.” Other comments, obviously added later, indicate Bernard subsequently served in A Division, South African Constabulary (SAC) with the regimental number 1686.(As you will see in a moment somebody muddled the digits of his regimental number.)

The 31 March 1901 Census found Bernard in London, boarding in a public house/hotel in St John’s Square, Clerkenwell. His occupation was given as “Mercantile Clerk”.

An A Division SAC QSA Medal Roll lists an 1868 Corporal Maberly B. E. and credits him with three clasps – Orange Free State, Transvaal & Natal. In the Remarks column is written “S. J. A. B. 1111 ~ 1900”. This roll is stamped 8 January 1902 but the location is not given.

Another A Division SAC QSA Medal Roll, stamped 1 September 1903 and location “Potchefstroom” lists him as 1868 Medical Corporal, Maberly B. E., credits him with three clasps – Orange Free State, South Africa 1901 & South Africa 1902 and indicates he was entitled to the KSA. All the entry as stated so far was crossed out but uncrossed out in the Other Unit Column was written “SJAB 1111 1900” and in the Remarks Column “Discharged 10 February 1903”.

He is also listed as 1868 M. Corporal Maberly B. E. on an A Division SAC KSA Medal Roll also dated 1 September 1903, location “Potchefstroom”. This document shows his KSA was adorned with both date clasps and he also served in the SJAB. The Remarks Column reads: “4 May 1901 to 10 February 1903. Disch.”

SJAB Volunteers usually volunteered for six months overseas service. Thus from this and the medal rolls we can summarise Bernard’s South African service as:

(1) SJAB Volunteer, rank Private: an unknown period, probably about 6 months, but totally within 1900.
(2) Medical Corporal, SAC: from 4 May 1901 to 10 February 1903 with A Division.
(3) Medals – SJAB; QSA with 3 clasps (Orange Free State, Transvaal & Natal); KSA with both date clasps.

His 1 year and 26 days of SAC service would not have qualified him for the KSA and is evidence his time with the SJAB on South African soil must have exceeded five months.

There is a slight fly in the ointment. This annotated sketch appeared in the Dundee Evening Post of 29 January 1900 (I cannot find it in any other newspapers):



The text at the bottom states “WHEN THE CEASE FIRE WAS SOUNDED THE BRITISH AMBULANCE MEN WENT OUT WITH STRETCHERS AND WAGGONS. THE BOERS INSISTED ON BLINDFOLDING OUR MEN, AND THUS HAMPERED WE RESCUED OUR WOUNDED AND DYING” Then in slightly smaller type: “DRAWN BY CHARLES SHELDON FROM A SKETCH BY LESTER RALPH, OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT WITH LORD METHUEN.”

The above illustration is also on one of the online wider Maberly family sets of photographs. Whoever created these galleries has added a further annotation:

“After the 1900 Boer War battle of Magersfontein. The rear blind folded stretcher bearer is Bernard Evan Maberly (1878-1952).”

The annotator shows some ignorance of the South African War of 1899-1902 as the Battle of Magersfontein occurred on 11 December 1899. Thus. my research says Bernard could not be the rear blindfolded stretcher bearer depicted in this illustration. Thus I appear to have exploded a family myth – or have I just modified it? Is anybody aware of SJAB stretcher bearers being blindfolded by the Boers whilst carrying out their duties during 1900?

So Bernard returned to England in February 1903, unless he was discharged in South Africa, but by the time of the 1911 Census he was definitely back in England and, according to what he wrote on the census return, living at 197 Barclay Road, Bearwood, Birmingham. Strictly he should have written Oldbury, Worcestershire rather than Birmingham. If he had completed the form about 15 years later it would have been Smethwick, Staffordshire. The northern part of the Bearwood residential area was transferred from Oldbury to Smethwick in the mid 1920’s. The return showed he had married Mary Jane ???? three years earlier and they had subsequently had a daughter a year later who had been born in Bearwood. His wife was Irish and as I can find no record of the marriage it possibly occurred in Ireland or even South Africa. They christened their daughter Mary Jean Hardie making me wonder if her mother’s maiden name was Hardie but the creator of a public family tree on Ancestry has it as McLean. Bernard gave his occupation as “Insurance Official” working for an “insurance company”.

I can find no evidence that Bernard served in the Great War although he would have been only 37 when conscription was brought in.

The 1921 Census found the family living in Llandaff, Glamorganshire. They now had another daughter who had also been born in Bearwood 7 years earlier. This means they had lived in what was to become Smethwick for at least 5 years – the 1915 Kelly’s Directory adds another year. In June 1921 Bernard gave his occupation as “Residual Insurance Inspector” employed by the “British Oak Insurance Co Ltd” who had offices in Cardiff but Bernard worked mainly “from home”.

The 1939 Register found the family living at 88 Park Road, Cardiff. Bernard’s occupation was given as “Collector, St John Ambulance Brigade”. The elder of his daughters was a part-time “First Aid Demonstrator”, the younger was a “Manageress, Lingerie Factory”.

Searching the newspapers Bernard received numerous mentions whilst living in Wales and always in connection with the St John Ambulance Brigade. The Western Mail of 3 March 1930 even ran to a group photo which included Bernard, sadly the quality of the photo makes it not worth posting but the caption reads: “PRIORY FOR WALES, ORDER OF ST. JOHN – Lord Kyslant, G.C.M.G., Sub-Prior of the Chapter of the Priory for Wales, Order of St. John, presenting Mr Hugh M. Ingledow and Chief Staff Officer B.E. Maberly with Framed Vellums of Thanks at the Annual General Meeting of the Priory held at the City Hall, Cardiff on Saturday.” The quality of the photo is just sufficient to show that Bernard was wearing his QSA & KSA in addition to his SJAB medal.

Bernard passed away in St David’s Hospital, Cardiff on 6 December 1952 aged 74 years.