TOPIC:

Pte Charles Edward Downes, 3987, 2nd Denvonshire Regiment, WIA Vaal Krantz

A young musician from a blended family who enlisted as a boy soldier at 14; fought at the Battle of Colenso when he was 19 and wounded shortly thereafter at Vaal Krantz in South Africa.

Emigrated to Australia and at the outbreak of WW1 was one of the first men in Sydney to enlist with the service number of 34 and rank of Seargent.

Landed in Gallipoli on ANZAC day (25th April 1915) as a Seargent Drummer with the 1st Battalion Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and served for the entire duration of the War including France and finally Australia without a casualty; this is his story:



Queen's South Africa Medal 1899, clasps Orange Free State, Relief of Ladysmith, Transvaal, Laing's Nek, South Africa 1901; 3987 Pte C.E.Downs [sic], Devon: Regt
[1914/1915 Star]
British War Medal; 34 Sjt C.E.Downes 1/Bn. A.I.F.
Victory Medal; 34 Sjt C.E.Downes. 1 Bn. A.I.F.

Early Life:
Charles Edward Downes was born at Hyderabad in India on the 28th June 1880 to Alfred Downes (potentially American) and Alice Yates (born 1857 in East Stonehouse, Devon).

On the 3rd April 1881 his widowed mother was at sea returning home to the UK with her infant child Charles.

In 1883 she married George Henry James himself recently widowed when his wife Sarah passed away in 1882; George & Sarah James had been married for 12 years and had 5 children together.

In the 1891 census the George and Alice blended household had grown considerably with 8 children of which 3 were born to Alice following her marriage to George.

At the time they were living in Plymouth along with 6 families; 31 people in this single house:


Picture courtesy of “Street View”

It was against this backdrop that Charles at 14 decided to enlist with the Devonshire Regiment as a boy soldier.

Military Career:
On the 14th July 1894 and only 2 weeks after his 14th birthday he attested with the 2nd Battalion Devonshire Regiment as a Boy Soldier and assigned the regimental number of 3987; at the time he was 5ft 3 inches tall and weighed 84lbs (38kg’s) and stated that he was working as a “Musician”.

He must have had tough upbringing as he was recorded as having a scar to his head and distinctive dots to forearm and thumbs.

He signed his attestation papers Charles Edward Downs [sic] an error in spelling that would carry through to the naming of his QSA medal.

Charles was subsequently educated at the Duke of York Royal Military School and passed both his 3rd Class and 2nd Class certificates in November of 1894 and 1895 respectively and promoted to the rank of Drummer on the 1st June 1895.
 
2nd Anglo Boer War
With the outbreak of hostilities in South Africa Charles, now 19, along with the 2nd Battalion Devonshire regiment sailed on the Manilla on the 20th October 1899 and arrived at Cape Town on the 15th November 1899. They were at once sent to Durban and along with the 2nd Queen's, 2nd West Yorkshire and 2nd East Surrey formed the 2nd Brigade under Major General Hildyard.

Before the brigade landed at Durban Ladysmith had been invested and Estcourt threatened. No time therefore was lost in pushing the men to the front. The brigade formed an important part of the Natal Field Force taking part in practically all the engagements fought with the object of relieving Ladysmith.

General Buller devoted all his attention to massing his troops about Frere and Chieveley and by 14th December 1899 this was accomplished.

Battle of Colenso (1st attempt to relieve Ladysmith)
On 13th and 14th December 1899 the Boer positions around Colenso were shelled but no response was made with the Battle commencing on the 15th December 1899.

General Buller in his despatch stated that he intended that Hildyard’s 2nd Brigade in the center should cross at the wagon bridge over the Tugela River and so the Devons advanced along with the rest of the brigade in open order and towards the village of Colenso.


Picture courtesy of “Great Battlefields of the World” by John McDonald; red annotations are my own

When Colonel Long’s guns got into trouble the West Yorks and East Surrey were pushed in their direction while the 2nd Queen's and Devons went straight for Colenso village which they actually entered driving out the enemy. When the order to retire came the Devons were so far forward that they did not all get the command timeously and Colonel Bullock, 2 officers and about half a company could not get back.

Whilst not in the very worst of the battle their losses were serious enough with 9 men killed, 5 officers and 60 men wounded and 3 officers and about 33 men missing. 

Battle of Spion Kop (2nd attempt to relieve Ladysmith)
In the fighting between 16th and 24th January 1900 at Venter's Spruit and Spion Kop the Devons were not heavily engaged. On the 24th January 1900 they were not far from the fated kop and all day had to lie longing for a chance of helping their hard-pressed brothers.

Battle of Vaal Krantz (3rd attempt to relieve Ladysmith)
Within a few days General Buller was to commence his third attempt to relieve Ladysmith. On 3rd February 1900 preparations were being made for an attack on Vaal Krantz, a hill some little distance down the river from Brakfontein. On the 5th General Lyttelton's 4th Brigade, assisted by the 2nd Devons from Hildyard captured the position and held it that day and the next day under a very heavy fire. It was during this engagement that Charles was Wounded in Action.



The following day, on the 6th February, the Boers made a determined attempt to retake the hill, and the farthest out line was driven in, but the enemy were eventually repulsed. That evening General Hildyard's 2nd Brigade relieved the 4th Brigade. The 2nd Queen's held the left facing Brakfontein, the East Surrey the centre, and the West Yorkshire the right; the 2nd Devons being in reserve on the inner slope. On the following evening General Buller, being satisfied that the character of the ground prevented intrench-ments and gun-emplacements from being made on the hill, withdrew the 2nd Brigade, and his third attempt ceased.

At Vaal Krantz the Devons had 2 men killed and 32 wounded.

Recovery, Imprisonment & Remainder of Military Service
Charles was not awarded the “Tugela Heights” clasp, 14 to 27 February 1900, and it’s assumed he was recovering from wounds sustained at Vaal Krantz.

However, for reasons unknown he was imprisoned by his O.C. Battalion for 14 days from 5th March 1900 and returned to the ranks as Private; this would prove to be the only blemish during his long military career.

Following this Charles took part in the operations at Laing’s Nek, 2 to 9 June 1900 and the Transvaal/Orange Free State; Charles was invalid home to England on the 2nd April 1901 until 23rd July 1902 where he returned to South Africa for another 1 year service.

Back in England, on the 26th August 1903, at the age of 23 he was discharged following 9 years of Service and a military campaign in South Africa.

Private Life & Australia
Following his discharge form the military Charles married Caroline Taylor in Essex on the 4th November 1903; they had a daughter together and at some point emigrated to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia where Charles continued to work as a musician.

World War 1
The 1st Battalion was the first infantry unit recruited for the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in New South Wales during the First World War. The battalion was raised within a fortnight of the declaration of war in August 1914 with Charles, now 34, one of the first to enlist at Randwick on the 17th August 1914 and assigned the service number of ‘34’.

Given his previous military history was immediately assigned the rank of Seargent and then Seargent Drummer on the 18th October 1914.

The battalion proceeded to Egypt, arriving on the 2nd December 1914.


PICTURE COURTESY THE AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL: MEMBERS OF THE 1ST BATTALION BAND, WITH THEIR INSTRUMENTS, TAKEN AT MENA CAMP

The battalion took part in the ANZAC landing on 25 April 1915 as part of the second and third waves, and served there until the evacuation in December 1915. Its most notable engagement at Gallipoli was the battle of Lone Pine in August 1915.

After the withdrawal from Gallipoli in December 1915, the battalion returned to Egypt. In March 1916, it sailed for France and the Western Front. From then until 1918 the battalion took part in operations against the German Army, principally in the Somme Valley in France and around Ypres in Belgium.

Charles, now 38, returned to Australia on the 24th Augst 1918 having been away for 4 years for Submarine Guard duty; he was finally discharged on the 12th December 1918.

The date and place of Charles death is currently unknown; to be continued….one day….