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War Drums Beat Across the Dinner Table.... 6 years 9 months ago #54186

  • Rory
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Thomas William Franklin

Private, 7th Hussars (Queens Own) – Matabele and Mashona Rebellion, Rhodesia
Private, 7th Hussars (Queens Own) – Anglo Boer War
Private (Rough Rider) Army Service Corps – WWI


- British South Africa Company Medal 1896 reverse with Mashonaland 1897 clasp to Pte. T.W. Franklin, 7th Hussars
- Queens South Africa Medal with clasps Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901 & 1902 to 4227 Pte. T.W. Franklin, 7- HRS
- 1914 Star to RTS 2297 Pte. T.W. Franklin, A.S.C.
- British War Medal to RTS 2297 Pte. T.W. Franklin, A.S.C.
- Victory Medal to RTS 2297 Pte. T.W. Franklin, A.S.C.


Tom Franklin would have seen it (almost) all in his long military career. From the virgin bush of a very primitive Rhodesia to the wide open plains and veld of South Africa and then on to the slaughter fields of France he was certainly eligible to boast about his war-time exploits should the need ever arise.

Franklin was born in the Parish of St. Pancras in London in the County of Middlesex on 19 July 1869 the son of George Franklin, a Hosier, by occupation and his wife Maria Agnes. The family were living in Burton Street at the time of his baptism on 27 September 1869 but had moved to 28 Market Street in Finsbury by the time the 1871 England census rolled round two years later. Actually the family were apart on the night the enumerator called – Maria Franklin was “lying in hospital” (as the census return put it) along with an infant born but two hours earlier. Thomas was at home with his father and a host of relatives in the form of his father’s two sisters and mother – all no doubt called upon to lend a helping hand while Mrs Franklin was “indisposed.”



Franklin is in the middle of this trio

The 1881 England census showed the family, all together this time, living at 30 Delhi Street in Islington West. Thomas, now 11, was joined by younger brother George (7). The roles were somewhat reversed with Mr Franklin now occupying himself as a Porter whilst his wife was the Hosier and Tie Maker by occupation.

Nothing in his domestic arrangements would give the casual observer cause to understand why a 23 year old Thomas decided to join the ranks of the army but this is effectively what he did, in Canterbury on 28 August 1891, when he enlisted for Short Service (7 years with the Colours and 5 years with the Reserve) with the 3rd Dragoon Guards. Claiming to be a Carman by occupation he was physically 5 feet 7 ½ inches in height, weighed 157 pounds and had a fair complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. By way of distinctive marks about his person he sported a mole on his buttocks (the records do not reveal on which one). His next of kin he provided as his mother of No. 103 Herringford Road, Barnsbury, Middlesex.

Found Fit for the service by the Doctor at St. George’s Barracks in London he was assigned no. 3483 and the rank of Private with his service to count from 1 September 1891. After a stint of 194 days at home Franklin and his regiment sailed for the East Indies aboard a P & O liner – on arrival he was stationed at Rawalpindi and surrounds in India for 223 days before being despatched to South Africa where he arrived on 19 October 1892.

On that very day, having handed over their horses to the 20th Hussars, they went by train to Pietermaritzburg where, on arrival, they assumed their duties. This was a routine posting but while there trouble flared up in Matabeleland so 9 months after their arrival 3 squadrons, under the command of Lt-Col Harold Paget, had go to Mafeking where troops were being assembled. This involved a return to Durban where they embarked on the 'Goth' bound for East London further down the coast, from there they could travel by train. Whilst in Pietermaritzburg Franklin acquainted himself with the inside of a hospital on three occasions. The first was on 9 June 1893 when he was admitted for a Sore Throat (accompanied by fever), spending 11 days in bed before being discharged on 19 June. The second was on 6 September 1894 when he spent 12 days out of action with Febricula. With the help of tonics he recovered and resumed duty on 17 September. The last occasion was 23 August 1895 when he suffered a bout of Tonsillitis accompanied by an acute chill. This lasted for 9 days before he was discharged to resume his duties.

Trouble had, in the meanwhile, been brewing on the northern borders of South Africa with the Matabele tribe of Rhodesia. Miffed by the continued (and growing) presence of the white settlers who were making themselves at home in what was deemed to be tribal territory they took up arms and, in an unprecedented move, took to slaying a number of European settlers living in isolated and out of the way places.

The authorities no longer prepared to countenance what was assuming the proportions of open rebellion raised a number of local units to quell the rebellion as well as sending what troops they could from South Africa. On 4 October 1895 a telegram was received transferring Franklin from the 3rd Dragoons to the 7th Hussars – with this came automatic inclusion in the small Imperial force being sent to Rhodesia.

Throughout 1896 the regiment operated in the area of Gwelo which in the middle of Southern Rhodesia, patrolling regularly alongside Mounted Infantry made up with men from the 2nd Yorks and Lancs. The column was usually commanded by Colonel Baden-Powell. They rarely found any large groups of the Matabele warriors who had caused the trouble, and their main task was to seize stocks of grain and any cows and goats they could find to starve the warriors into submission. Kraals and stores of arms and ammunition were destroyed. On Sep 18th, however, a patrol of 12 men under Baden-Powell captured a woman who told them the whereabouts of a group from M'tini's Impi. A boy offered to lead them and they surprised the group in their kraal and surrounded them with drawn swords. In the middle of October a battle was fought to capture Chief Wedza which lasted 4 days.

There is no better a source to quote what was transpiring on the ground than Bade-Powell himself. In his book “The Matabele Campaign 1896” he states, on page 118 that,

“28 October – I started off with Carew, 7th Hussars, and a party of ten men, and my orderly Parkyn, to call on Monogula. We went by moonlight, so that he would not be alarmed at our numbers. On arriving at the stronghold soon after daylight, the escort hid in the bush, and leaving our rifles with them, Parkyn and I rode out into the open in front of the kraal, and waving a towel as a flag of truce. We told the rebels we were men of peace come to talk with them – that the men of war were not far behind us and would be there before another sun rose, unless they (the rebels) came to talk over the situation.

The great White Queen was getting a little vexed with Monogula, all the other chiefs of note had surrendered of been licked except him: if he did not take this chance of surrendering , he would be knocked out and his lands given to another. Most eloquent we were but all in vain! Our shouts only raised up birds from their feeds of split grain in the kraal. There was no reply, nor was there any fresh spoor on the many paths. We went closer and closer up on the rocks – nobody fired at us – they were not there!

We had a good look around, and then returned to report to Colonel Paget, who had meanwhile moved up the laager to within three miles of the place. When blazing midday sun was over, the men and the 7 pounder were moved out to the stronghold. The gun fired half a dozen shells into the place, and the 7th Hussars then advanced along the ridge into the kraal, while I came up from below with the Mounted Infantry. Suddenly there was an outburst of firing in the kraal above – I knew it was the 7th Hussars firing into it as a precautionary measure.

A few weeks ago there had been a different tale to tell. A patrol of 7th Hussars under Captain Carew had then got up to the wall which defended the main kraal. One man was shot dead close to the wall, when his companion without a second’s pause, mounted the wall and pistoled the firer of the shot.

The incident of the 28th October and others were recounted at a gathering of old 7th Hussar comrades in London in the early 1950’s. A Daily Graphic reporter, under the headline “War Drums Beat Across Dinner Table” wrote thus:

“The serviette became a patch of veldt, the cruet-set a hill, the knife a river…… Matabele warriors came out of the long grass just here…
Where? In a London restaurant yesterday sixty three veterans met there and re-lived “war that WAS a war.” Their average age was more than 70, their medals unknown to modern soldiers. But as they “mapped” the campaign on the tablecloth they were back in Bulawayo and on the long marches of the Matabele War, 1896.

Again they heard the beat of drums, saw the war plumes waving in the wind and a thousand shields upraised….

Said Private Thomas Franklin, once of the 7th Hussars, now a Chelsea Pensioner: “Twenty of us, along with our commander, Baden Powell, were lost nine miles from base. We were ordered to dig our own graves, and resist to the last – but the enemy disappeared.”

The Matabele veterans drank a toast to absent comrades, and heard from the High Commissioner of South Africa that the campaign was being remembered in Bulawayo. A lawn and pond would be built on the site of the Hussars barracks there, and picked veterans would be flown out in 1953.”

The article was accompanied by a photograph of Franklin sporting his medals along with two comrades.

The war continued apace and in November 1896 A and D squadrons marched to Bulawayo where a camp had been prepared for them. In early 1897 D Squadron was sent north of Bulawayo, commanded by Major Ridley, to raid the stronghold of Chief Matzwetzwe. They attacked at dawn on 12th July but it proved too difficult so they laid siege until the warriors surrendered. On 24th July B and A Squadrons joined in an attack on the stronghold of Mashigombi. The enemy were in fortified caves which had to be dynamited. It took 3 days to defeat them.

The Matabele rising was put down but thoughts of returning south of the border to the safety of South Africa were cast aside - another trouble spot arose in Mashonaland. The local white population were unhappy that the government had not taken measures to prevent the stealing of cattle by the Mashona people and so the patrols of Hussars and Mounted Infantry were sent out to deal with the culprits. On 7th July 1897 Major Ridley's column attacked M'guilse where a trooper was killed and Ridley was wounded in the leg. And on 14th July a detachment under Captain Poore killed 40 rebels at Umtzewa's kraal near Fort Charter without any casualties of their own. On 24th July the 3 squadrons of the 7th Hussars met up with a column of police and Vryburg Volunteers to attack Mashingombi's stronghold. He was the main leader of the Mashona rebellion.

The British/Rhodesian force was commanded by Sir Richard Martin and the 7th Hussars were commanded by Captains Carew and Poore. The attack started at dawn and the Mashonas were scattered. They took refuge in the many caves that pitted the surrounding hills and caused trouble on the following days and nights firing down on the troops. Mashingombi himself was killed along with many others and 400 prisoners were taken. Casualties among the Hussars were few although Private Dands was reported killed. Captain Carew led a further attack on Marlie's kraal capturing another 100 prisoners. He then split the 7th Hussars into 2 columns to move down the river Unfuli to Fort Charter.

Patrols continued to be sent out but the remaining chiefs had all surrendered by the end of September. The 7th Hussars were ordered to embark at Beira on 20th Oct with Major Ridley back in command. The conduct of the regiment was reported as being of a very high standard and the 2 squadrons that remained in Pietermaritzburg had maintained a high state of discipline. The next day they arrived back in Pietermaritzburg. For his efforts Franklin was awarded the B.S.A.C. medal with Mashonaland 1897 clasp. At some point he parted company with the original and was, on request, issued with an official replacement on 4 April 1935.

The regiment had returned from Southern Africa on the 'Simla' arriving at Southampton on 29th November 1898. They were quartered at Norwich until the spring of 1899 and then went to Colchester, staying in camp on the Abbey Field for the summer. Lieut-Col R T Lawley took over command from Harold Paget on 26th June 1899. They wintered in Norwich again and moved to Aldershot in 1900.

Franklin was transferred to the Army Reserve on 1 December 1898 but it wasn’t long before he was recalled to the Colours. Trouble had been brewing in a corner of the globe well known to him – Southern Africa – where the recalcitrant Boer leader and President of the South African Republic (Z.A.R.) Paul Kruger was at loggerheads with the British Authorities. The reason were many but suffice it to say that, on 11 October 1899 the world woke up to war between Kruger and his Orange Free State ally and the might of the Empire.

Franklin’s call-up came on 28 December 1899 but the regiment was to while away its time in England only receiving orders to embark for South Africa on 1st Nov 1901. The 7th Hussars lost many of their horses as a result of this inactivity with 395 of them transferred to other cavalry regiments which were posted there. The 1901 England revealed that Franklin, employed as a Bus Driver and Groom was living at 11 Offord Street, Islington along with his now widowed mother and brother George.

The officers of the 7th were frustrated at being left in England while all the action was going on in the Boer War. Finally the order came and the regiment sailed from Southampton partly on the 'Templemore' on 30th Nov 1901, and partly on the 'Manchester Merchant' on 3rd Dec. On the 'Templemore' were 20 officers, 409 NCOs and men, and 420 horses. The 'Manchester Merchant' sailed from Albert Docks with 6 officers, 89 NCOs and men, and 65 horses. The 'Templemore' reached Cape Town at 5am on 20th Dec 1901 having lost 16 horses from pleuro-pneumonia, and the 'Manchester Merchant' landed on 22nd Dec.

On terra firma once more no time was lost and the regiment took a train to De Aar in the Karoo and marched a short way to their camp. It was here, on 31st Dec that a veterinary surgeon shot a horse in the lines causing a stampede. Many of the tents were knocked flat and the men inside hurt. A number of horses were killed or seriously injured either by falling or cutting themselves on barbed wire. A trumpeter was ordered to sound 'Feed' and some horses returned but it took several days to recover the fit horses. Seven of them were found 30 miles away. On 10th Jan they were supplied with 50 remounts.

A column was formed at Winburg in the Orange Free State at the end of January 1902, with the 7th Hussars, the 2nd Dragoon Guards, 2 guns of 39th RFA and a pom-pom and with Lt-Col Lawley in command. Their first contact with the enemy came on 4th February 1902 when the advanced guard were shot at by a group of 50 Boers at Doornberg, but they fled when the pom-pom was used on them. The following day several men on patrol were captured by the Boers, stripped and sent back naked (the reason for this was twofold – on the one hand it meant that the naked soldier wasn’t about to take up arms immediately against them and, possibly more important, the Boers had reached such a wretched state in their fight that they were starved of not only provisions but clothing as well. Many captured Boers were found dressed in womens’ clothing).

The first proper casualties occurred on the 6th February when Private Burke of C Squadron was killed and two others wounded. An encounter with a force of 100 Boers took place on 9th February near Bloemhoek, but no casualties were reported. On 13th February they were ordered to drive the enemy towards the blockhouses and slaughter any sheep they found to prevent them from being used to feed the Boers. The enemy attempted to break through them but failed, although a corporal was killed and two men hurt.

On 23rd February a patrol under Capt Wormold captured 11 Boers and killed one when they were surprised in a cattle kraal near Grootfontein. On 27th February they were anxious to make contact with the forces at Harrismith but bad weather hampered the heliograph.

However on 1st March the weather cleared enough for them to receive orders from Kitchener to march south to Tiger's Kloof. They were now part of a larger force of 5 columns driving the Boers towards the Vrede-Frankfort blockhouse line. Several unsuccessful actions occurred or fizzled out over the next few days, but the 7th were given some fresh remounts on 26th March to improve their performance.

Thereafter an action took place at Holspruit when men of the 2nd Dragon Guards acted upon information gained by Captain Vaughan. They engaged the force of Boers but were outnumbered and had to withdraw to Boschman's Kop. On 31 March 1902 the 7th Hussars arrived in time to drive the Boers away but two officers were killed and two wounded, including Capt Vaughan and one other officer of the 7th. The next day was spent attending to the numerous wounded men from this battle, this included 110 Boer casualties of whom 30 were killed

From then on the regiment were involved in drives to contain the Boers over the next few weeks reaching Balmoral, Dorstfontein,
Vlakfontein, Heidelberg and Vereeniging. The eighth and last drive was over the area bounded by the Heilbron-Vereeniging line to the east and the Kroonstad-Vereeniging line on the left. A Squadron captured C B Prinsloo and 25 men. The regiment had been reinforced with a draft of 110 men from England on 4th May so that the strength of the regiment was 562. Their casualties for the war were 2 officers wounded, 2 men killed, 4 wounded, 3 died and 11 invalided. The regiment finished their tour of duty at Springs, then moved on to Heidelberg until peace was declared on 31st May 1902.

The regiment remained in South Africa, under the command of Lt-Col RL Walter until 11th Nov 1905 but Franklin returned to England on 1 July 1902 where, on 26 December 1902 he was placed on the Army Reserve again. This spell of freedom was put to good use and, on 30 November 1903 at the Parish Church of St. Mary’s in Newington, he wed Florence Mary Palmer, a 20 year old girl. He was a 34 year old Cab Driver at the time.

What followed next was a period of relative bliss although life couldn’t have been easy for Franklin. The 1911 England census shows us that he was an “out of work” cabman having to feed and clothe not only his wife but Leonard William Franklin (6) and Florence Patricia Franklin (1 month old) as well. Added to that his 44 year old father-in-law Charles Palmer was also living with the family at 10 Lochinvar Street, Balham S W. and was unemployed as well.

August 1914 saw the outbreak of the Great War between Germany and her Allies and Great Britain and her Allies. Despite being all of 45 years of age Franklin didn’t think twice before volunteering for service. On 24 September 1914 he attested for Short Service (3 years with the Colours) with the Remount Company of the Army Service Corps. Claiming to be a Groom by occupation he was 5 feet 8 inches in height and weighed 177 pounds with eyes that were now grey, hair that was dark grey and a fresh complexion. The mystery of the mole on the buttocks was solved – it was said to be on his left buttock.

Having been found Fit by the Doctor he was assigned no. RTS 2297 and the rank of Rough Rider. Little seems to be known about what this role encompassed with several sources stating that it involved breaking in new horses for use and required the services of an experienced horseman. Franklin was all of that having been a Groom for many years. As part of the British Expeditionary Force he was posted to France without delay entering that country two days after enlisting. He was to spend a total of 2 years 136 days on the Western Front experiencing the horrors of that slaughter field before being sent home to England on 9 February 1917. This was after he had been admitted to hospital (4 Convalescent Depot) suffering with Myalgia, Debility and “age”. He was sent back aboard the Hospital Ship “Warilla.”

Franklin was discharged with a conduct rating of Very Good on 15 March 1917 “No longer physically fit for war service – the result of exposure.” He had done his bit – no one could argue that and for his efforts he was awarded the 1914 Star, War Medal and Victory Medal. Asked as to where he would seek employment he answered that he was “Uncertain if he could take up previous employment as a Carman”. He also divulged that he had 15 years experience in the role and that his last employer had been F. Sumner, Contractor, Berner St. Commercial Road, London where he had worked for the last 18 months prior to enlisting. He was also issued with a Silver Wound Badge.

Franklin became a Chelsea Pensioner after the war, confirmation of this comes courtesy of the 1939 household return which shows him as a resident of the Royal Chelsea Hospital. Interestingly his date of birth is provided as 28 July 1868. He passed away at the age of 84 on 24 July 1952 – shortly after he had appeared in the newspaper mentioned previously. His son, Leonard, had died in early 1935 and one can’t help speculating that perhaps he had sold his medals to afford either treatment for his son or to pay for the funeral. We will never know






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War Drums Beat Across the Dinner Table.... 6 years 9 months ago #54187

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Thank You Rory.......

Another great bit of work......

Mike
Life Member
Past-President Calgary
Military Historical Society
O.M.R.S. 1591
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War Drums Beat Across the Dinner Table.... 6 years 9 months ago #54188

  • Frank Kelley
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Good heavens Rory, that was quick, well, you know my thoughts on Franklin, from your other thread, a very pleasing group.
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War Drums Beat Across the Dinner Table.... 6 years 9 months ago #54197

  • djb
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That was great. I very much like that picture of the three men wearing their medals too.
Dr David Biggins

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War Drums Beat Across the Dinner Table.... 6 years 9 months ago #54222

  • Frank Kelley
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Hello Rory,
Just reading your post again, to clarify, the word Hussars, is actually engraved, in full, on the 1896 medal, that is very interesting, one assumes the War Office would have to get the medal and clasp from the Company itself, I wonder who was contracted to do the naming?
Regards again, Frank

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War Drums Beat Across the Dinner Table.... 6 years 9 months ago #54232

  • Rory
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Hello Frank

Herewith a snap of the rim - apologies for the quality of the photo but I'm in an airport lounge...



Regards

Rory
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