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Hugh Weir, an Armourer Sgt. with the Uitenhage Volunteer Rifles 3 years 8 months ago #70812

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Hugh Weir

Armourer Sergeant, Uitenhage Town Guard
Armourer Sergeant, Uitenhage Volunteer Rifles- Anglo Boer War
Acting Sergeant, South African Medical Corps – WWI (Union Service only)


- Queens South Africa Medal with clasp Cape Colony to 26 ARM. SERGT. H. WEIR, UITENHAGE V.R.
- Kings South Africa Medal with clasps South Africa 1901 & 1902 to 26 ARMR. SERJT. H. WEIR, UITENHAGE V.R.
- British War Medal to A/SJT. H. WEIR, S.A.M.C.
- Harris Cup Competition (Shooting Medal) dated 1897 to Arm. Sergt. H. Weir.


Hugh Weir must have been apoplectic when he received his Boer War medals! Here was a man who had been with the U.V.R. from its earliest stages, who had advanced through the ranks, and who was an Armourer Sergeant when war broke out. How dare they then name his Queens Medal up to the rank of Private! Losing almost no time, he set about remedying this flagrant insult and, rather crudely, had the details on the rim altered to reflect his proper station in the military.

Born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1855 Weir was the son of James Weir, a Fireman at a Print Works, and his wife Elizabeth. At the time of the 1861 Scotland census, Hugh (6) was at home in the family house in Browns Buildings, in Campsie, along with younger siblings Charlotte (4) and baby James (1)

Ten years later, at the time of the 1871 Scotland census, Hugh, now 16, had already completed his rudimentary schooling and was employed as a Joiner. He was still living in the family home which had moved to 227 South Wellington Street, in Glasgow. Siblings Charlotte (12) and James (10) had been joined by the arrival of Thomas (6) and a Boarder, James Baird (37).

At the time of the 1881 Scotland census the family had moved to 6 Craignestock Place in Glasgow. Of his mother there was no sign, leaving him in the house with his father and siblings Charlotte (23) and Thomas (16). He was still a Joiner by trade. He married a Helen Wilson Weston in Glasgow on 6 June 1884.

That Weir tired of life in “the old country” and decided to make his fortune in South Africa is evidenced by the fact that he and his wife were in the Eastern Cape in 1892 where, at Uitenhage on 24 February of that year, he enlisted with the Uitenhage Volunteer Rifles. As we have seen, a Joiner by trade, he sought and secured employment on the Railways in Uitenhage – at that time the epicenter of a large and bustling Locomotive and Carriage works.

The U.V.R. had a long and distinguished history – although they didn’t exist in name before 1892 there was a No. 6 (Uitenhage) Company attached to the Prince Alfred’s Guard in Port Elizabeth. In 1889 the members of No. 6 Company agitated for separation and to be allowed to form their own Corps, this being disallowed they resigned as one body until, in 1892, some of the old members of the Company approached the Member of Parliament for the town resulting in the formation of the Uitenhage Volunteer Rifles with effect from 4 February 1892.

As can be seen Weir was a foundation member of the U.V.R. who numbered 100 men at this time under Captain J.M. Thornton. The members tried to get a dark green uniform but were obliged, like all the other volunteers to accept red.

In April 1895 a military camp of instruction was held at Grahamstown where the U.V.R. among other regiments was present. Periodic camps followed thereafter, typical of the times, where militia-style units were kept busy with drill and instruction. This was to stand them, ultimately, in good stead for war clouds were looming. That he was good shot is evidenced by a Shooting medal he earned as an Armourer Sergeant with the Uitenhage Volunteer Rifles, dated 1897. He earned this with a commendable 214 points.

The Transvaal under President Paul Kruger and his ally, the Orange Free State, were on a collision course with Great Britain. This escalated into open war on 11 October 1899 and the U.V.R. were ordered to mobilise a month later, on 11 November 1899, and were placed on the lines of communication at Cookhouse and Witmoss tunnel.

From there they were sent to Cradock, and afterwards one company was sent to Rooispruit and two companies to Thebus which was occupied by a column under General Knox. Having been relieved by the King’s Royal Rifles they proceeded to Schoombie before being ultimately transferred to Colesburg (all of these places in the Eastern Cape). After the re-occupation of Colesburg by the British they at different times supplied detachments for duty at Steynsburg, Henning and Kroomhoogte, as well as at Arundel and Rensburg.



The Uitenhage Volunteer Rifles

Several detachments went on across the Orange River and all the way up to Johannesburg and Pretoria but Weir appears to have been one of those men who remained behind in the Cape Colony earning the clasp to that name on his Queens Medal. He also earned the Kings Medal for a minimum of 18 months service, part of which seems to have been spent with the Uitenhage Town Guard where he was also an Armourer Sergeant, assigned no. 6.

The war over, Weir settled down to civilian life once more. The peace that now prevailed was rudely interrupted by the advent of the Great War – this conflict between Great Britain and Germany (and their various allies), burst onto the international stage on 4 August 1914 and it wasn’t long before South Africa was involved as well. Weir, no spring chicken and already at almost retirement age, bided his time before deciding to enlist.

Completing the attestation forms for service with the South African Expeditionary Forces at Potchefstroom on 10 April 1916, he claimed to be 61 years old, a Carriage Builder on the Railways by trade and married to a Helen Wilson Weston Weir with whom he had no children. His residential address was 41 Caledon Street, Uitenhage and he confirmed that he had spent 11 ½ years with the Uitenhage Volunteer Rifles, along with a prior stint of 9 years with the Lanarkshire Artillery, a Militia outfit in his native Scotland. He was also already an Active Citizen Force member (only being released from this obligation on 31 January 1916).

Assigned no. 111, Weir was deployed to the South African Medical Corps for Union Service only. Attached to the Military Hospital at Potchefstroom, he was promoted to the rank of Acting Corporal on 17 August 1916 and deployed to the Cooking Section, which provided an extra rate of pay. The cantonments at Potchefstroom were the hub of the South African war effort in that all new drafts, destined for the Western Front, were initially stationed there. The hospital would have been bursting at the seams with any number of cases of men who had caught pneumonia from the cold floors the hits afforded.

The very next day he was classed as dangerously ill with Bronchitis. This was updated to “marked improvement” the next day and to “much improved” by 22 August. He was taken off the dangerous list on 23 August and discharged to duty a week later.

Weir was moved to Sanitation duties after his stretch in the kitchens and was promoted to the rank of Acting Sergeant on 19 December 1917. On 11 September 1918 he was transferred to No. 6 General Hospital for duty, a precursor to being moved to a Reserve Company and discharge on demobilisation on 22 January 1919. After three years and twenty six days “Very Good” service, he was discharged to return to “Weston Villa” in Uitenhage.

Having only home service he was issued with the British War Medal only.

Hugh Weir passed away at the Cottage Hospital in Uitenhage at the age of 70 years and 5 months on 24 June 1925. He was survived by his wife and there were no children of the marriage. The cause of death was chronic nephritis and heart failure.












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