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This medal was acquired through the good offices of a very kind lady in Australia who found it in a box of odds and ends.

Charles William Tompkins

Private, 1st City (Grahamstown) Volunteers/Trooper, Marshall’s Horse
Trooper, Scott’s Railway Guards – Anglo Boer War

- Queens South Africa Medal with clasps Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Johannesburg & Diamond Hill to 389 TPR. C.W TOMKINS, SCOTT’S RLY. GDS.

Charles Tompkins first saw the light of day on 18 April 1869 when he was born in the Parish of Kilburn, Middlesex to Frederick and Elizabeth Tompkins. Mr. Tompkins was a Labourer, sometimes Greengrocer, by occupation and, judging by the fact that two of his children were only baptised at St. Augustine’s on 29 September 1872, was not a regular church goer.

According to the 1871 England census, the family lived in Berwick Road, Westminster but had moved to 7 Osborn Road in Kilburn by the time of Charles’ baptism on the aforementioned date. Apart from Charles who was, at that time the last born, there were 11 year old Alice, 7 year old George and 5 year old Frederick in the house.

Details of his early life are unknown but at some point Tompkins made his way to the sunny shores of South Africa where he sought and obtained employment as a Miner. As the end of the 19th century drew to a close, the long simmering vitriol between the two Dutch-speaking Boer Republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State and Great Britain, escalated to the point where, on 11 October 1899, open warfare between the two protagonists commenced. In the build-up to this event, the volunteer regiments were called out to be in readiness to support the efforts of the meagre Imperial forces present in the Cape Colony and Natal at the time. Additionally, a number of new regiments were hastily mustered and, on 20 October 1899, Tompkins attested for service with one of these - the 1st City (Grahamstown) Volunteers.

This regiment, in conjunction with the Uitenhage Volunteer Rifles, raised four companies of Mounted Infantry, but the initials on the shoulder-straps, "I.C.V.", led to confusion with the "C.I.V." (City of London Imperial Volunteers) and the name of the First City was altered, as far as the M.I. were concerned to Marshall's Horse. So it came to pass that Tompkins, at the stroke of a pen, changed regiments.

As has been mentioned, Marshall's Horse was mainly composed of the mounted portions of the First City (Grahamstown) Volunteers and Uitenhage Rifle Volunteers and, in the despatches and in unofficial accounts the corps are mixed up, sometimes called Grahamstown Volunteers and sometimes Marshall's Horse.

Marshall's Horse had a very busy war as part of the army which, in February and March 1900, advanced from Modder River to Bloemfontein, seeing a great deal of fighting on the way. In the despatch of 15th March 1900 Lord Roberts said that during the advance on Bloemfontein, he had reorganised the mounted infantry, and the 1st City of Grahamstown Volunteers were placed into the 4th Brigade of Mounted Infantry, commanded by Colonel C P Ridley. On 7th March the battle of Poplar Grove was fought. The cavalry and mounted infantry did most of the work on that occasion, suffering practically all the casualties. The strength of the corps when it arrived at Bloemfontein was 12 officers, 245 men, and 231 horses.

Prior to Lord Roberts commencing his advance on Pretoria it was necessary to clear the enemy from their stronghold at Thabanchu, to the east of the Orange Free State and bordering Natal, and a powerful force was put under General Ian Hamilton for the purpose of carrying out this objective. It included Colonel Ridley's Brigade of Mounted Infantry, which again embraced the 5th Corps of Mounted Infantry, under Colonel Dawson, made up of the 5th Battalion Regular Mounted Infantry, Roberts' Horse, Marshall's Horse, the Ceylon Mounted Infantry, and a pom-pom.

On 25th April the enemy had to be cleared out of a very strong position at Israel's Poort. The frontal attack was entrusted to the Canadian Regiment of Infantry and Marshall's Horse, who had to lie for over four hours at about 800 yards from the enemy while the remainder of the mounted infantry were working round on the left. After heavy fighting the position was carried. In his telegram of the 27th April Lord Roberts said that among the casualties were no less than 7 officers of the Grahamstown Volunteers. Captain Gethin was killed, and Major Marshall, Lieutenants Murray, Winnery, Rawal, Barry, Hull, and 4 non-commissioned officers and men were wounded. In his telegraphic despatch of 27th April Lord Roberts said that the Royal Canadian Regiment and Marshall's Horse did particularly well.

All through May, during the advance to Pretoria, Ian Hamilton's force, which was first the army of the right flank and afterwards crossed the centre and became the army of the left flank, was constantly and most obstinately opposed. For the army of the centre it was practically a walk-over, the fighting being almost wholly on the flanks. Marshall's Horse frequently took a prominent share of this work. On 5th June at Schippen's Farm, for example, they had 1 killed and 5 wounded. They were engaged at Doornkop, south-west of Johannesburg, on 29th May, and in the battle of Diamond Hill, east of Pretoria, on 11th, 12th, and 13th June, and had slight casualties in both actions.



After Diamond Hill a large force was put under Sir A Hunter to clear the north-east of the Orange River Colony. Ridley's Mounted Infantry was part of the force, and Marshall's Horse were engaged at Heidelberg on 23rd June and were left there as part of the garrison. In his telegram of 22nd July Lord Roberts mentioned that a post on the railway east of Heidelberg had been attacked, and that General Hart had started from Heidelberg to succour the defenders. Part of Hart's force was 140 of Marshall's Horse. The attack was driven off before Hart arrived.

When De Wet broke out of the Brandwater Basin on 15th-16th July, Broadwood's Cavalry and Ridley's Mounted Infantry dashed off in pursuit, and Marshall's Horse and other troops under Hart were brought down the railway to co-operate. About Rhenoster Marshall's Horse had sharp fighting and some casualties.

For a time De Wet skulked in the Reitzburg Hills, but on the night of 6th August broke out across the Vaal. Ridley's force took part in the pursuit, and Marshall's Horse was at times engaged with De Wet's rear-guard. De Wet escaped through Olifant's Nek to the north of the Magaliesberg on about 15th August. At the request of Lord Roberts, Lord Kitchener with the bulk of Ridley's Mounted Infantry and other troops pressed on to the relief of Hore at Eland's River.

In the latter part of August and during September 1900 Marshall's Horse was employed about Krugersdorp and in the Gatsrand area, and frequently had fighting and rather heavy casualties. In October, November, and December they were with Barton in the Frederickstad district, and on 18th October a foraging party got into a nasty place when Marshall's Horse lost 2 killed and 4 wounded. The corps took part in the very severe fighting which Barton's force had between 20th and 25th October, which resulted in the total defeat of the force opposed to him. Marshall's Horse had Lieutenant Mullins and 2 men wounded.




When at the end of 1900 and beginning of 1901 the enemy reinvaded Cape Colony, the greater part of Marshall's Horse, like most of the Cape raised corps, were brought south to protect their own colony and for long did good service in the columns of Colonel Crabbe and other leaders. They were constantly in action and often had casualties. An officer and 6 men were wounded on 24th March 1901 in the Zuurberg Mountains when on patrol duty. In July and August they assisted to drive Kritzinger from the Colony. On 9th September Colonel Crabbe completely defeated the commando of Van der Merwe, that leader being killed and 37 of his men captured. Marshall's Horse, under Major Corbett, and Prince Alfred's Guards did a great part of the fighting, and did it well.

Part of the corps remained throughout most of 1901 in the Transvaal; about 30 were in the column of Brigadier General Cunningham, afterwards of Brigadier General Dixon, which operated about the Gatsrand and Magaliesberg. This detachment had 1 man killed and 1 man wounded at Modderfontein on 31st January, and 1 man killed and 1 wounded at Randfontein on 8th February, and had other casualties.

But for Tomkins, who had seen plenty of action himself, his time with Marshall’s Horse was drawing to a close. On 2 March 1901 he completed attestation forms for enlistment with Scott’s Railway Guards at Port Elizabeth. Confirming that he was a single man of 29 years and a Miner by occupation, he provided his sister Alice’s address as next of kin. This was 86 Carlton Vale, Cambridge Road, Kilburn, London. Pay was at the rate of 5/- per day, of which he elected to take half with the balance to be paid on discharge after his 3 months was up. As an aside, he claimed to have seen pre-War service with the “Middlesex Volunteers”. He also gave his address as High Street, Grahamstown.

Initially assigned number 30837 (this changed to 389) he commenced service with the S.R.G. - this corps, strength about 500, under Lieutenant Colonel R G Scott, VC, DSO, did work on the Orange River - Kimberley line not unlike what the Railway Pioneer Regiment did on the Central Railway. Although the Kimberley railway was not in the centre of the theatre of operations, still the west of the Orange River Colony, and that portion of Cape Colony bordering on it, was infested by roving bands bent on destruction; and Scott's Railway Guards often had skirmishes involving losses, and had much dangerous patrol work to undertake. On 15th June 1901 the corps engaged the enemy at Hartebeestfontein, in the Western Transvaal, and captured some prisoners, stock, and ammunition. On 20th August Lieutenant A V Harvey and 1 man were killed and several wounded at Devondale. At Lillifontein on 19th October they had again several casualties, and at the various posts where the corps were stationed — Devondale, Brussels, Content etc, they often had a few losses and acquitted themselves well in the field.

Tompkins appears to have ended his military career at this juncture, taking no further part in the war. For his efforts he was awarded the Queens Medal with the clasps appropriate to his service in the Cape Colony, Orange Free State and the battles for Johannesburg (Doornkop) and Diamond Hill.

After several years in business in South Africa which appeared to have been a success, he returned to the United Kingdom. Sadly, he took his own life not long after his return in what were strange circumstances. The Western Daily Press on 23 May 1908 carried the story under the banner “Gentleman’s Sad Death at Butleigh” – the article read as follows:

‘An inquest was held on Thursday at the residence of Mr George Burrows of Hill View Farm, Butleigh-Wootton, relative to the death of Charles William Tompkins, aged 45, who was found shot in his bedroom the previous morning. The deceased who was an extensive traveller in South Africa, where he had resided for many years, was on a visit to Mr Burrows, who was his brother-in-law.

Mr George Burrows said the deceased was a man of independent means. He had been staying with witness for three weeks. He had taken a residence in Glastonbury for two years, and was about to enter into possession. Witness then described how the deceased was found shot dead in his bedroom the previous morning. Witness sent for Dr. Knyvett. A revolver was afterwards found on the edge of the bed. Deceased always kept the revolver by his bedside.

Deceased was a strong-willed man and the last man in the world who he thought would have committed suicide. Mr. Louch: You don’t believe in the suicide theory? Mr. Burrows: No I don’t. He was not an adept in the use of a revolver. Dr. Knyvett said he saw the deceased about 8.30. There were two wounds in his forehead. There was a small hole in the ceiling. He was of opinion that the bullet did not enter the brain, but having smashed the skull, travelled along the vault of the skull, and made its exit a little higher up. The revolver was a six chambered one. There were three loaded cartridges in it, one exploded, and two empty chambers.

It was quite possible for the wound to be caused accidentally. The position of the wound which was very high up on the forehead, was compatible with an accident. Witness remained with him until he died at about 2.30. The Coroner in summing up said, to his mind, death was brought about through the negligent handling of what was admittedly a dangerous weapon. This he suggested was a proper verdict to record. The jury deliberated in private for close upon an hour, when they returned the following verdict, “That the deceased died from haemorrhage of the brain, the result of a revolver shot in the forehead, self-inflicted, but whether the injury was caused accidentally or of deliberate purpose there is no evidence to show.”

The Central Somerset Gazette of the same date carried some additional information. Quoting Burrough (sic), it was said that:-

“Deceased had been travelling since last July, and on his way back from South Africa he went to Jerusalem, Egypt and Rome. Witness saw the deceased on Wednesday morning, when he carried him and his wife up two cups of tea. The deceased took the tray from him, and in answer to his “How are you?”, he said “Alright.” This happened when the breakfast was being prepared, and deceased told his wife to go down and tell them that he would not keep them waiting for breakfast.

The witness then went out to the barn and heard a noise as if a churn had fallen there. His wife came out to him and asked if he had fired a shot at the rats.
Then he heard his wife’s sister screaming and going in and upstairs, he found the deceased lying on the floor behind the door. He identified the revolver as that belonging to the deceased, who always kept it by his bedside – a habit he had grown used to by his life in South Africa and when travelling. He showed the witness the revolver at Christmas time, when he told the witness that he had never had occasion to use it but once, and that was when he tried it; but he always carried it to frighten the Kaffirs, as it was the easiest thing to do so. He was not an adept with the revolver although he had had it some years – since the last Kaffir rebellion.” (This could be a reference to the Bambatha Rebellion of 1906 although Tompkins took no part therein)

So ended the life of Charles Tompkins.