TOPIC:

Leonard Grierson Beall

Trooper, Cape Mounted Rifles – Anglo Boer War
Private, King Edward’s Horse – WWI

- Queens South Africa Medal with Cape Colony clasp to 3557 PTE. L.G. BEALL. CAPE. M.R.
- 1914/15 Star to 87 PTE. L.G. BEALL. K. EDW. H.
- British War Medal to 87 PTE. L.G. BEALL. K. EDW. H.
- Victory Medal to 87 PTE. L.G. BEALL. K. EDW. H.

Leonard Beall was born in Billericay, Essex on 28 February 1876 the son of William Grierson Beall, a Corn Merchant by occupation, and his wife Mary Annie born Lucas. Our first glimpse of a young Leonard comes courtesy of the 1881 England census where the family were at home in the High Street of Billericay the night the enumerator called round.


Billericay High Street in late Victorian times

Aside from his parents, joining a 5 year old Leonard were older sibling Reginald William Lucas Beall (7), younger sibling Lawrence Lucas Beall (3) and the two Hannah’s – servant girls in the form of Hannah Totman and Hannah Portway.

In 1886 the partnership in the Corn Merchant business between William Lucas (Mary Annie Beall’s brother), her husband William Beall and Charles Carter expired by effluxion of time and William Lucas continued with it on his own.

The 1891 England census revealed that a 15 year old Leonard was visiting his maternal uncle, Reginald Lucas, a Clerk in Holy Orders living at 44 St. John Road, Bridgnorth St. Mary in Shropshire. He would have felt right at home with his cousins and a number of other visitors of similar age who were in the house at the time. On his own domestic front, his mother had given birth to Janet Mary Beall on 8 January 1884. He now had a younger sister to keep him on his toes.

On Leonard’s mother’s Lucas family side of things, an older relative, William Lucas, had emigrated to South Africa in 1862 and had set about making a life for himself. Fed on a diet of stories of the African wild, as they were sent back to England over the years, Leonard and his two brothers set sail for the southernmost tip of Africa to see and experience it for themselves.

Before departing from home shores, Leonard, on 29 December 1900, at the age of 24, enlisted with the Cape Mounted Rifles for service in South Africa with no. 3557 and the rank of Trooper. His service register revealed that, on enlistment, he was 5 feet 6 ½ inches in height, had hazel eyes, brown hair and a fresh complexion and was a 24 year old Carpenter by occupation.


An extract showing Beall's record of service.

By this time the Anglo Boer War – between the British Empire and the two Dutch-speaking Republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State – had been raging since 11 October 1899. Almost 13 months in before Beall attested, the war showed no signs of abating. Despite the fall of the two capitals, Bloemfontein and Pretoria, the Boers were showing unexpected and pugnacious resilience. Far from being on the point of meekly surrendering, they had embarked on the guerrilla phase of the conflict, one where no pitched battles were being fought but, rather, any number of small “hit and run” type skirmishes were the order of the day, where a small group of mounted Boers would attack and harass isolated patrols and convoys of supplies and ammunition. Once they had prevailed and plundered what there was to take, they would gallop off before reinforcements could be brought up, thereby living to fight another day.

The Cape Mounted Rifles whom Beall joined had an illustrious past, having started out life in the mid 1800’s, they had evolved into a compact unit of many men, tasked with the job of keeping the Boers at bay in the eastern part of the Cape Colony. They were soon to be placed under the auspices of General E.Y. Brabant.

In Lord Roberts' first despatch, that of 6th February 1900, he said: "A subject which from the first attracted my special attention was the development and organisation of the Colonial forces, of which I was inclined to think that sufficient use had not been made. I, therefore, arranged for one mounted corps to be raised by Colonel Brabant, to whom, with the approval of the High Commissioner, the rank of Brigadier General has been given. Inclusive of this corps it is intended to place a body of Colonial mounted troops, about 3000 strong, under Brigadier General Brabant's command, on Lieutenant General Gatacre's right flank for the purpose of guarding the eastern portion of the colony and pushing back the enemy from the neighbourhood of Stormberg. The headquarters of this Colonial force will be at Dordrecht, where it will be in readiness to operate northward towards Jamestown".

By the time Beall was among their number plenty of fighting had taken place. Early in 1901 a portion of the Cape Police and Cape Mounted Rifles were taken to Cape Colony to pursue Kritzinger and other leaders who had managed to cross the river from the Orange Free State into the Cape.

Stories of ammunition about to be landed at Lambert's Bay, and the very apparent resolution of commandos to push into the extreme south-west of Cape Colony, caused Lord Kitchener to send various columns to that district, among whom went the CMR. Some fighting was seen, and on 1st March 1901 Captain J F Purcell of the CMR, and Lieutenant Grant of Brabant's Horse, were mentioned for coolness and skill displayed in handling their men in action near Lambert's Bay.

The next notice of the work of the corps to be found in despatches is in the despatch of 8th July 1901, where it is stated that on 20th May Lieutenant Colonel Scobell, whose column consisted of one squadron 9th Lancers, 200 men of the CMR, and 3 guns belonging to the corps, surprised Malan's commando west of Cradock, killing 4 men and capturing 40 horses and many saddles and rifles. Scobell and other leaders now went in pursuit of some commandos in the Zuurberg, but although some losses were inflicted the main bodies generally escaped, sometimes to do damage, as when on 2nd June they captured Jamestown after a defence by the Town Guard which was the reverse of heroic.

"On the 6th of June Colonel Scobell's column caught a commando asleep at 3 a.m. Lieutenant Colonel Lukin with a squadron of CMR rushed the laager in the dark, killing 6 Boers and capturing 25 prisoners and all the saddles of the commando". Lieutenant Colonel Lukin was mentioned for his gallant leading.

The despatch of 8th August detailed another success by Scobell. The columns had been driving the enemy north of Richmond, and his force surprised Lategan's laager, taking 10 prisoners and 105 horses and saddles. On the 22nd July at Tweefontein the Rifles had about 6 wounded, and on 8th August Captain J F Purcell was wounded. In his next despatch of 8th September Lord Kitchener again expressed himself as greatly pleased with the column.

"On 5th September Lieutenant Colonel Scobell was able to achieve a brilliant success near Petersburg, 40 miles west of Cradock, where he surrounded and captured the whole of Lotter's commando and a party of Boers under Breedt. 14 of the enemy were killed and 105 captured (46 of whom were wounded). The prisoners included Commandant Lotter and Field-Cornets J Kruger, W Kruger, and Schoeman, and amongst the dead were two notorious rebels named Vorster. 200 horses and 29,000 rounds of ammunition and all the vehicles and supplies of the enemy fell into our hands. Our casualties were ten men killed and 8 wounded, the latter including Lieutenant Burgess, Cape Mounted Rifles". The Rifles had 2 men killed and 3 wounded.

In September and ensuing months the pursuit of small bodies of the enemy was carried on with untiring energy, and Lord Kitchener praised Colonel Scobell's column along with three others for responding cheerfully to every call. In the despatch of 8th November it is stated that Lieutenant Colonel Lukin surprised a laager six miles south-west of New Bethesda at dawn on 21st October, killing 1 and taking 14 prisoners.

Down to the close of the campaign the CMR continued to operate in Cape Colony, for a time in the extreme west, always doing conscientious work of the highest order. No corps, whether regular or volunteer, could point to a better record.

Although it is nigh on impossible to link the movements of one man with a particular column or action, what we are able to say is that, on 1 May 1901, Beall was transferred to A Squadron. This was followed on 1 March 1902 with a transfer to H.Q. Squadron, where he was to remain for the rest of the war transferring to F Squadron on 1 August 1902 – some 8 weeks after the cessation of hostilities. He had been promoted to 2nd Class Private on 16 February 1902 and was in possession of a signalling allowance of 6d per day.

For his efforts he was awarded the Queens Medal with the Cape Colony and South Africa 1901 and 1902 clasps. On 6 May 1904 Beall’s service with the Cape Mounted Rifles came to an end when he was discharged on reduction of the establishment. If the medal rolls from which his medal was awarded is anything to go by, he was stationed at, variously King Williams Town and Umtata (Transkei) at the end of his service.

Now out of uniform, Beall scouted about for something else to do. As mentioned earlier, he had come to South Africa with his two brothers and it was in the employ of one of them, Lawrence Lucas Beall, that he soon found himself. The Natal Archives contain correspondence between Beall and one of the Colonial Departments. Writing from the Clarendon Hotel, D’urban, Natal; he addressed himself, on 12 May 1909, to The Secretary, Natal Native Trust Department as follows:

“Dear Sir

I was employed under my brother, Mr L.L. Beall at £12.10 per month during 1904 – 5 on the Mooi River and Tugela Irrigation Works. I shall be glad if you can give me a reference during the time I was employed by the Natal Native Trust Department.

Yours faithfully

L.G. Beall

Without a hint of delay, he received the following reply on the same day:

“In reply to your letter of the 12th instant I have the honour to point out that as your work was of a professional character, I am not able to state anything with regard thereto. I would however suggest that you address an application for a reference to the professional gentleman under whom you were employed.”

This was signed by the Under Secretary of native Affairs.

Leonard Beall faded from the scene thereafter but, with the dawn of 4 August 1914, the world found itself at war and anyone with an ounce of patriotism about them saw it as their duty to attest for service. Zeal for the Empire was still strong in those days and men who had so recently, a mere 12 years before, fought in a war, rushed to the recruiting offices to sign up to do “their bit.” Now aged 38 and no longer in the first flower of youth, Beall sailed for England where he attested for service with the 2nd Battalion of King Edward’s Horse.

The 2nd King Edward’s Horse (2KEH), the outfit Beall initially joined with no.87, have a proud history of service including having fought as dismounted troops in France. They were raised by John (later Sir John) Norton-Griffiths, a colonial adventurer and Captain/Adjutant of the bodyguard of Lord Robert’s as Commander-in-Chief in the Second Boer War, at his own expense (40,000 pounds).

Having assembled in White City, London from the 10th August 1914, they were initially trained at Langley Park between Slough and Uxbridge. The Earl of Lonsdale became their Colonel-in-Chief and they were commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Montagu Cradock CB CMG. In December 1914 they replaced the Essex Yeomanry in the Eastern Mounted Brigade of the 1st Mounted Division whilst stationed in Essex. On the 1st February 1915 they transferred to the Canadian Cavalry Brigade at Maresfield. The Brigade was later called 1st Canadian Cavalry Brigade but since there were no others raised they were commonly just called the Canadian Cavalry Brigade.


Men of KEH in uniform in about 1914

The Canadian Cavalry Brigade was made up of the 2nd King Edward's Horse, the Royal Canadian Dragoons, Lord Strathcona's Horse, and the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery. The Brigade deployed to France on 4th May 1915 and the 2nd King Edward’s Horse Regiment fought dismounted as Seely’s Detachment attached to the 1st Canadian Division until September 1915 before re-joining the Canadian Cavalry Brigade.

From January 1915 until January 1916 they were brigaded with the Fife & Forfar Yeomanry until they were replaced by the Fort Garry Horse. The 2nd King Edward’s Horse acquired a Talbot armoured car in 1915 but it was not used overseas on active service. On the 27th January 1916, the 2nd King Edward’s Horse re-gained their mounts and formed as a two Squadron Cavalry Regiment with General HQ troops. In 1915, the 2nd King Edward’s Horse Regimental HQ and ‘A’ Squadron remained with General HQ whilst ‘B’ Squadron went to the 56th Division as Divisional cavalry on the 23rd March 1916 until 30th May 1916.

In June 1916, the 2nd King Edward’s Horse were expanded with the addition of a Service Squadron of the 21st Lancers from England and became XIV Corps Cavalry Regiment. The unit became broken up in August 1917 with the 2nd King Edward’s Horse leaving France for Wareham, England on the 5th August 1917 to be absorbed into the Tank Corps. The Squadron from the 21st Lancers went to No. 5 Base Depot on the 29th August 1917 and was broken up.

In early September 1916 Beall was admitted to hospital with a fractured clavicle. Aged 40 and with 2 ½ years’ service (of which 16 months were with the Field Force) he was to spend 64 days in recovery before being discharged to duty on 9 November 1916. His medical records indicate that he was serving with ‘A’ Squadron. He was serving with 1st King Edward’s Horse regiment with no. 2045 having been transferred there at some point and was discharged on 24 February 1919 having fulfilled his military obligations.

For his efforts, Beall was awarded ‘Pip, Squeak and Wilfred’ – the trio of medals for service in World War I.

Returning home to South Africa he was listed as a trade union member in Durban on 29 September 1919. This was a precursor to a move to Salisbury, Rhodesia on 30 August 1920 where he was employed by B & M.R. Railways (Beira and Mashonaland Railways) in Wankie . He was recorded as living in Bulawayo in 1921.

Beall never married and passed away in Salisbury Hospital from the effects of Blackwater Fever and heart failure on 6 May 1927 at the age of 52. He was still a Carpenter by trade at the time of his death. He had left a Last Will and Testament, dated 13 November 1920, wherein he bequeathed £853 to various relatives.











Sources and acknowledgments:
Kings Colonials website
Ancestry - medal rolls and census data
Anglo Boer War Forum unit history - for Cape M.R. summary
Family search or Death Notices - Zimbabwe and South Africa