TOPIC:

William Horsfall Battye

Sapper, Royal Engineers (2nd Telegraph Battalion) – Anglo Boer War
Corporal, 12th Infantry (Pretoria Regiment) – WWI

- Queens South Africa Medal with clasps Cape Colony, Orange Free State, South Africa 1901 & 1902 to 9556 Sapr. W.H. Battye, Tel. Bn. R.E.
- 1914/15 Star to Cpl. W.H Battye, 12th Infantry
- British War Medal to Cpl. W.H Battye, 12th Infantry
- Victory Medal to Cpl. W.H Battye, 12th Infantry

William Battye was born in Sheepridge, Huddersfield, Yorkshire in 1876 the son of John Battye, a Labourer, and his wife Ellen. At the time of the 1881 England census a 4 year old William was at home with his parents in Warren Road, Huddersfield. He was the oldest child of three with siblings Edith (2) and Harry (3 months) bringing up the rear.

Ten years later at the time of the 1891 England census the family had moved to Dean Wood Terrace in Golcar where Mr Battye was now employed as a Carter at the local Iron Foundry. His parents had been busy in the ten years since the last census with Fanny Elizabeth Battye (7) and Mary Maborn Battye (3) having joined the ranks. William was a 14 year old Woollen Picker with his brother Harry, only 10, working as a half-timer in a cotton mill. This would seem to indicate just how tough the times were for working class families in late Victorian England.

William was, however, made of sterner stuff and a passionate desire to better himself. If the Huddersfield Chronicle of Saturday, 15 April 1893 is to be believed; Battye was one of 17 youths to receive notice from Mr Pitman “that he has granted them his third grade shorthand certificate”. This was after attending Recreative Evening Classes at Crosland Moor.

In the latter half of 1897 he took the bold step of marrying Lizzie Craven at Huddersfield, Lizzie was a good 4 years older than him but this mattered not a jot to a man in love.

With the advent of the 1901 census the Boer War between the two Dutch speaking Republics in South Africa and the British Empire was well under way and had been raging since October 1899 with no sign of respite. The conventional part of the conflict had ended with the occupation of Bloemfontein and Pretoria – the capital cities of these two Republics – but this hadn’t led to the expected surrender of the Boer forces; on the contrary, they now stepped up their efforts in the form of a guerrilla phase where small highly mobile commandoes would snipe at isolated British columns and carry away with them as much plunder as they could.

The census referred to above saw a 24 year old William ensconced in his own home in Leymoor, Golcar along with his wife and, for good measure, his sister-in-law, Edith Craven, a Woollen Weaver. William had certainly progressed and was now a Telephone linesman by occupation.

Later that year, on 23 September 1901, he took the plunge and completed the Attestation Papers for Short Service (One Year with the Colours) at Halifax. Now 25 years and 3 months old he gave his occupation as Telephone Man. Physically he was described as being 5 feet 8 ½ inches in height with a fresh complexion, hazel eyes and brown hair. His next of kin was provided as his wife of 23 Burns Road, Birchencliffe, Huddersfield.

Having been found Fit for the army he was assigned to the Royal Engineers with no. 9556 and the rank of Sapper. From there he was posted to the 2nd Telegraph Battalion – a natural fit given his line of work and it was off to South Africa for service departing on 20 October 1901. But what had he been up to whilst in the field? The movements of the Telegraph Battalions are not well documented but what is known is that at the turn of the century there were two divisions, of which the first was sent to South Africa. Ordinarily it was stationed at Aldershot, employed in purely military work, and constantly being exercised, while the other division was attached to the Postal Telegraph Service, and had charge of a large district in the South of England. This one, to which Battye belonged, was sent to South Africa later on as we have learned.

Each section of a telegraph division was supplied with twenty miles of line, part of it being air-line and part insulated cable. A two-horse cart carried the latter, and there were three six-horse waggons for the air-line, besides other vehicles for supplies, technical equipment, and baggage. During the Boer War the Telegraph Battalion’s section laid 18,000 miles of telegraph and telephone cable. A total of 13,500,000 messages were handled in 4 years and the Battalion grew in strength from 600 to 2,500 men.

In times of war, a field company of engineers (197 officers and men) was added to every Division of infantry. A mounted detachment (116 officers and men) was added to every cavalry division. In addition, to every army corps, as Corps Engineers, was added a field company (197 officers and men), a pontoon company (200 officers and men), a staff and four sections of the telegraph battalion (226 officers and men), a field park (43 officers and men), a railway company (147 officers and men) and a balloon section (48 officers and men).

All told Battye was in the war for 337 days before being discharged at Bloemfontein on 22 September 1902. He had been in uniform for exactly one calendar year. For his efforts he was awarded the Queens medal for service in both the Cape Colony and the Orange Free State.

Having taken a liking to the country Battye elected to stay on sending for his wife who came out to live with him. It would seem that he sought and obtained employment with the Post Office, again a natural fit for him. All now went quiet on the world stage until that fateful day, 4 August 1914, when the world was once more plunged into war – on this occasion on a massive scale. The Great War as it was termed pitted Germany and her Allies against the United Kingdom and her Commonwealth. Battye with all his experience wasted no time in enlisting and on 19 August 1914 was taken on strength of “C” Company of the 12th Infantry (Pretoria Regiment). Assigned no. 5109 and the rank of Corporal he provided his next of kin as his wife now living at 4th Street, 7th Avenue, Wonderboom, Gezina, Pretoria.

The Pretoria Regiment were part of Military District No.9 and entered German South West Africa as part of the Central Force landing at Luderitzbucht and operating from there. On 14 June 1915 they became part of the Northern Force tasked with completing the rout of the German forces after the majority of troops and regiments had returned home to South Africa. Of the Pretoria Regiment men it was said,

“As they swung out across the open square that marks the northern most boundary of the town, it was difficult to think that these spare, hardbitten soldiers were volunteers whose ordinary avocations were those of the peaceful civilian. They looked and carried themselves like veteran regulars who had made campaigning the business of their lives.”

This look had come at a price to Battye – he was hospitalised at Luderitz on 21 February 1915 with Trachoma before being sent down to Wynberg where he was hospitalised from 25 February until being discharged on 17 March with poor Eye sight.
On 8 April 1915 his war was over and he was discharged to return home. His medals for services rendered were sent to him in 1922.

Battye continued on with the Post Office and eventually retired from their employ in East London in the Eastern Cape. He passed away at Frere Hospital in East London on 20 December 1950 at the age of 74 years and 6 months. His residence at the time was 80 Moore Street and he was survived by his wife and children – Nellie Lloyd, Kathleen Siebritz, Ethel Willmers and Ronald William Battye. He left an estate of £1 920.

Thank You Rory Great Story.......

Nice to se an early member of the communications trade......

As a member myself it is about time we got some recognition .... LOL ...... Just Kidding .......

Always look forward to your fantastic research......

Mike

Good gracious me Rory, that is two RE Telegraphist types, actually on here in under twenty four hours, along with Roy's, Frederick Joseph Shadbolt, they are, as you would expect, quite scarce medals, yet two come along at once, like a wretched Bus!

Very nice indeed and certainly very pleasing!

Rory wrote: William Horsfall Battye

Sapper, Royal Engineers (2nd Telegraph Battalion) – Anglo Boer War
Corporal, 12th Infantry (Pretoria Regiment) – WWI

- Queens South Africa Medal with clasps Cape Colony, Orange Free State, South Africa 1901 & 1902 to 9556 Sapr. W.H. Battye, Tel. Bn. R.E.
- 1914/15 Star to Cpl. W.H Battye, 12th Infantry
- British War Medal to Cpl. W.H Battye, 12th Infantry
- Victory Medal to Cpl. W.H Battye, 12th Infantry

William Battye was born in Sheepridge, Huddersfield, Yorkshire in 1876 the son of John Battye, a Labourer, and his wife Ellen. At the time of the 1881 England census a 4 year old William was at home with his parents in Warren Road, Huddersfield. He was the oldest child of three with siblings Edith (2) and Harry (3 months) bringing up the rear.

Ten years later at the time of the 1891 England census the family had moved to Dean Wood Terrace in Golcar where Mr Battye was now employed as a Carter at the local Iron Foundry. His parents had been busy in the ten years since the last census with Fanny Elizabeth Battye (7) and Mary Maborn Battye (3) having joined the ranks. William was a 14 year old Woollen Picker with his brother Harry, only 10, working as a half-timer in a cotton mill. This would seem to indicate just how tough the times were for working class families in late Victorian England.

William was, however, made of sterner stuff and a passionate desire to better himself. If the Huddersfield Chronicle of Saturday, 15 April 1893 is to be believed; Battye was one of 17 youths to receive notice from Mr Pitman “that he has granted them his third grade shorthand certificate”. This was after attending Recreative Evening Classes at Crosland Moor.

In the latter half of 1897 he took the bold step of marrying Lizzie Craven at Huddersfield, Lizzie was a good 4 years older than him but this mattered not a jot to a man in love.

With the advent of the 1901 census the Boer War between the two Dutch speaking Republics in South Africa and the British Empire was well under way and had been raging since October 1899 with no sign of respite. The conventional part of the conflict had ended with the occupation of Bloemfontein and Pretoria – the capital cities of these two Republics – but this hadn’t led to the expected surrender of the Boer forces; on the contrary, they now stepped up their efforts in the form of a guerrilla phase where small highly mobile commandoes would snipe at isolated British columns and carry away with them as much plunder as they could.

The census referred to above saw a 24 year old William ensconced in his own home in Leymoor, Golcar along with his wife and, for good measure, his sister-in-law, Edith Craven, a Woollen Weaver. William had certainly progressed and was now a Telephone linesman by occupation.

Later that year, on 23 September 1901, he took the plunge and completed the Attestation Papers for Short Service (One Year with the Colours) at Halifax. Now 25 years and 3 months old he gave his occupation as Telephone Man. Physically he was described as being 5 feet 8 ½ inches in height with a fresh complexion, hazel eyes and brown hair. His next of kin was provided as his wife of 23 Burns Road, Birchencliffe, Huddersfield.

Having been found Fit for the army he was assigned to the Royal Engineers with no. 9556 and the rank of Sapper. From there he was posted to the 2nd Telegraph Battalion – a natural fit given his line of work and it was off to South Africa for service departing on 20 October 1901. But what had he been up to whilst in the field? The movements of the Telegraph Battalions are not well documented but what is known is that at the turn of the century there were two divisions, of which the first was sent to South Africa. Ordinarily it was stationed at Aldershot, employed in purely military work, and constantly being exercised, while the other division was attached to the Postal Telegraph Service, and had charge of a large district in the South of England. This one, to which Battye belonged, was sent to South Africa later on as we have learned.

Each section of a telegraph division was supplied with twenty miles of line, part of it being air-line and part insulated cable. A two-horse cart carried the latter, and there were three six-horse waggons for the air-line, besides other vehicles for supplies, technical equipment, and baggage. During the Boer War the Telegraph Battalion’s section laid 18,000 miles of telegraph and telephone cable. A total of 13,500,000 messages were handled in 4 years and the Battalion grew in strength from 600 to 2,500 men.

In times of war, a field company of engineers (197 officers and men) was added to every Division of infantry. A mounted detachment (116 officers and men) was added to every cavalry division. In addition, to every army corps, as Corps Engineers, was added a field company (197 officers and men), a pontoon company (200 officers and men), a staff and four sections of the telegraph battalion (226 officers and men), a field park (43 officers and men), a railway company (147 officers and men) and a balloon section (48 officers and men).

All told Battye was in the war for 337 days before being discharged at Bloemfontein on 22 September 1902. He had been in uniform for exactly one calendar year. For his efforts he was awarded the Queens medal for service in both the Cape Colony and the Orange Free State.

Having taken a liking to the country Battye elected to stay on sending for his wife who came out to live with him. It would seem that he sought and obtained employment with the Post Office, again a natural fit for him. All now went quiet on the world stage until that fateful day, 4 August 1914, when the world was once more plunged into war – on this occasion on a massive scale. The Great War as it was termed pitted Germany and her Allies against the United Kingdom and her Commonwealth. Battye with all his experience wasted no time in enlisting and on 19 August 1914 was taken on strength of “C” Company of the 12th Infantry (Pretoria Regiment). Assigned no. 5109 and the rank of Corporal he provided his next of kin as his wife now living at 4th Street, 7th Avenue, Wonderboom, Gezina, Pretoria.

The Pretoria Regiment were part of Military District No.9 and entered German South West Africa as part of the Central Force landing at Luderitzbucht and operating from there. On 14 June 1915 they became part of the Northern Force tasked with completing the rout of the German forces after the majority of troops and regiments had returned home to South Africa. Of the Pretoria Regiment men it was said,

“As they swung out across the open square that marks the northern most boundary of the town, it was difficult to think that these spare, hardbitten soldiers were volunteers whose ordinary avocations were those of the peaceful civilian. They looked and carried themselves like veteran regulars who had made campaigning the business of their lives.”

This look had come at a price to Battye – he was hospitalised at Luderitz on 21 February 1915 with Trachoma before being sent down to Wynberg where he was hospitalised from 25 February until being discharged on 17 March with poor Eye sight.
On 8 April 1915 his war was over and he was discharged to return home. His medals for services rendered were sent to him in 1922.

Battye continued on with the Post Office and eventually retired from their employ in East London in the Eastern Cape. He passed away at Frere Hospital in East London on 20 December 1950 at the age of 74 years and 6 months. His residence at the time was 80 Moore Street and he was survived by his wife and children – Nellie Lloyd, Kathleen Siebritz, Ethel Willmers and Ronald William Battye. He left an estate of £1 920.

Here's another two...... LOL......

One from Rory.......

www.angloboerwar.com/forum/5-medals-and-...-battalion-r-e#47513

and One from me......

www.angloboerwar.com/forum/5-medals-and-...raph-battalion#16662

Keep it up and we can form a whole section ourselves......

Mike