TOPIC:

Charles Isaac Raynor

Sergeant, Leicestershire Regiment – Anglo Boer War
Constable, Cape Police District 1
2nd Class Sergeant, South African Police

- Queens South Africa Medal (C.C./S.A.1902) to 4746 SERJT: C. RAYNOR. LEICESTER REGT.
- South African Police Faithful Service Medal to NO. 1523 (M) 2/C SERGEANT. C. RAYNER

Charles Raynor (Rayner) was born in Woodhouse, Leicestershire on 15 September 1874 (although some records reflect his birth as being in 1872, 1871 and 1875). He was the son of Isaac Raynor, a Bricklayer by trade, and his wife Hannah Jane, born Cartwright.

At the time of the 1881 England census the family lived in Mill Street, Woodhouse. Apart from a 9 year old Charles, the house was home to his parents and siblings William Henry (11), John Scarborough (7), Eliza (5), Isaac (3) and Frank (1).


Rayner and family circa 1914

Ten years later at the time of the 1891 England census, the family were still at the same address, Mill Hill Road. Charles was now 19 years old and employed as a Quarry Labourer. His siblings William (21) was a Carpenter; Eliza (15) was a Loom Weaver; Isaac (13) was a Rubber Winder in a Hosiery Factory and there were two new additions to the family – Wallace (7) and Frederick (5).

On 14 February 1893, instead of picking a posy for his beloved on St. Valentine’s Day, he was at the recruiting office in Leicester attesting for service with the Third (Militia) Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment. Aged 18 and 5 months, he was a Labourer in the employ of a Mr. Hunt of Woodhouse. Physically he 5 feet 5 ¾ in height, weighed in at 120 lbs. and had a fresh complexion, grey eyes and brown hair. Having been passed as Fit by the Doctor he was assigned no. 4746 and the rank of Private. He commenced with 19 days drill on enlistment. On 4 May 1896 he was promoted to Corporal and was struck off on 13 July 1897 for being absent from training.

Unbeknown to him and most others, much more was going to be required from him than the annual attendance at camp in the very near future. As the 19th century wound to a close the ever present threat of hostilities between the two Boer Republics of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal and the might of Imperial Great Britain became a reality with war being declared on 11 October 1899. As opposed to having to resign from the Militia and join one of the regular battalions for service in South Africa, men from Raynor’s 3rd battalion were called upon as a detachment of volunteers to serve alongside the Regulars as a double-battalion unit.

He had blotted his copybook on 7 February 1900, the day he was tried by a Regional Court Martial, but the offence, whatever it was, couldn’t have been a very serious one as he was embodied for active service on 20 February 1900, promoted to Lance Corporal on 26 February (a week later) and to full Corporal a day later, on 27 February. At this point he was stationed at the Curragh near Dublin, Ireland. The 3rd (Militia) Battalion was quartered at the Curragh from February to December 1900, and from there it sent 127 men to reinforce 1st Battalion in South Africa.

The Leicestershire Regiment, for a long time prior to the close of the war, occupied blockhouses on the Standerton-Ermelo road. But this would have been in the Transvaal and, with Raynor only having the Cape Colony clasp to his Queens medal, it can be safely assumed that he wasn’t there. The regiment was embodied a second time in February 1902 and served in South Africa from April to September 1902, giving an excellent account of itself in the Burghersdorp and Knapdaar fighting. Again, with Raynor being awarded the South Africa 1902 clasp it can be assumed that he was sent out with the second embodiment and could very well have been present at these last mentioned skirmishes.

The war over on 31 May 1902, the Leicester men remained in the country until September of that year – Raynor, taking a liking to what he had seen, decided to take his discharge in South Africa on 1 September 1902. He had a reason for doing so – attesting for service in the Cape Police District 1 at King William’s Town in the Eastern Cape on 17 September 1902 on a salary of 6/- per day.

Assigned no. 2790 he was found to be 5 feet 7 ½ inches in height with light brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. By way of distinguishing marks he had a crooked little left finger and tattoos on both arms and wrists. Depending on what was to be believed, he was born either on 21 September 1875 or 15 September 1874 (both dates appear on his service card.) it was claimed that he could speak, read and write English and Dutch and had a working knowledge of Xhosa.


Service Card

On 28 December 1907 he joined the Buffalo Lodge of the Free Masons in East London. On 7 December 1909 he wed Hulda (Hilda) Matilda Weimann in the Baptist Manse, East London. He was 36 years old and still a Private with the Cape Police whilst she was a mere 21 from the Gonubie area just outside of East London. The couple set about the making of a family with Cecil Charles coming along on 8 September 1910, followed by Hilton Henry on 17 February 1913.

In 1911 he received a special commendation from the police which read as follows: -

“Commended for excellent services in affecting capture of Jonje Ncape, alias Jonge George who escaped from King Williams Town gaol.” (Order 5/08/11)

The various police forces of the former colonies and Boer Republics which made up South Africa were amalgamated into one – the South African Police – in 1913. Raynor was posted to East London on 1 April 1913 and then to Cradock a year later, on 1 June 1914. It was two months later that World War I erupted onto the international stage but Raynor, as a serving policeman, had nothing to do with the fighting, carrying on with his policing duties.

On 1 November 1919 he was transferred to Middleburg in the Eastern Cape which is where he appears to have been stationed until his retirement, after 22 years service, on 16 September 1924. His character on retirement was rated as Exemplary and he was awarded a commutation of 1/3rd of his pension viz. £564, and a reduced pension of £100 per annum. He had been promoted to Corporal on 1 November 1916 and to 2nd Class Sergeant on 1 October 1919. His service no. had changed to 1523 in 1913. The Police Good Service Medal was awarded to him per Gazette 1324 dated 5 June 1923.

Now retired, Raynor bought a smallholding outside East London, South Africa and called it "Charnwood" (from an area in Leicester from whence he came). He passed away at the Newhaven Nursing Home in East London on 17 October 1957. Further doubt as to his actual date of birth was cast with his death notice recording his age as 89 and his D.O.B. as 16 September 1871. He was a retired Police Officer in receipt of a Veteran’s Pension and had died from senility Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Acknowledgements: -
- Adrian Ellard for CMP files
- SAP Archives for Service Card
- Ancestry for census data/medal rolls
- Familysearch for marriage certificate/children's baptisms and death notice
- Finola Rayner (a relative) for photograph of Raynor and family.