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Hello everyone.

Can Forums members help me with the following. I have noticed that a few members of the 2/Dublin Fusiliers are listed as having been Killed in action on 24/02/1900. However the medal roll and my casualty roll records them as Killed in Action on 27/02/1900. This includes 4261 Cpl. Seymour and 4871 Pte. J. White. Which would be the correct date?

Kind regards, Malcolm.

Hello Malcolm
I can see your dilemma, Watts Memoriam has your 2 men has being KIA on the 24th of February 1900. Corporal Seymour 4261 Tugela Heights/ Harts Hill, interred at Tugela Onderbroek monument number U19A.
Private J White 4871 wounded on the 23rd February 1900 ,died of wounds on the 24th February 1900. Interred at Tugela/ Harts Hollow monument number 29A.

Interestingly, having checked the Natal Field Force roll , both soldiers were recorded as being killed in action on the 27th of February 1900.
Medal rolls also reflected the 27th for White and what looks to be the 28th for Seymour.
Looking at the other Dublin Fusiliers casualties pertaining to Harts Hill action, both dates of the 24th and 27th of February 1900 are recorded with KIA and wounded men.
Sometimes the transcription of dates from various casualty records contained anomalies.
My apologies for not being exact , perhaps a fellow forum member may be able to help nail the correct dates?

Dave......

Hello Dave.
Many thanks for the reply. From your information it’s seems White was wounded, died of wounds and killed in action, all on different days! I suppose it unlikely that in his case I will be able to definitely identify what happened to him. All very interesting!

Many thanks for helping me. Greatly appreciated.

Kind regards, Malcolm.

Malcolm,as regards the relief of Ladysmith and Tugela Heights campaigns, I find the dates recorded on the casualty roll are generally 1-2 days later than the actual date on which the death or wounding occurred. The place of death or wounding is often that of the field hospital rather than the battlefield.
Take Spioenkop, for example: Gen Woodgate was hit at 8:45 a.m. on 24 Jan and on the casualty roll his date of wound is 25 Jan; Colonel Blomfield hit at 10:30 am on 24 Jan, on the casualty roll his date of wound is 26 Jan, etc etc.
Rob

Hello Rob.

Many thanks for explaining this for me. It is much appreciated and gives me much to think on.

Kind regards, Malcolm.

I would be very interested to know the system the British used for recording casualties.
In the case of a dead soldier who was left on the field for burial, was the identification ticket taken to the hospital or the regimental HQ?
Was it the medical corps who filled in the list, or the commanding officer; and was this sytem the same for killed, wounded, and died-of-wounds?
Was the date entered in the roll perhaps only the date on which the entry was made?
Then remember of course that there were no topographic maps or grid references - so some hills had a multiplicity of names - "Conical Hill" and "Sugarloaf Hill" were each used for two completely different koppies which were within sight of each other. Thus on the Upper Tugela you'll see 'Venter's Spruit' as the place of death or wound for many soldiers, when in fact this was near the location of the field hospital but no battle was fought there.