A nice little group that worked its way down to Weston-super-Mare is this trio to William Manifold
CGH GSM "Bech"; PTE. W. MANIFOLD. C. POL.
QSA "CC, Tvl, Witt"; 1005 PTE. W. MANIFOLD. CAPE POLICE
KSA "SA01, SA02"; 1005 PTE. W. MANIFOLD. C.P. DIST 2.
According to his Cape Police papers he spent four years in the Royal Scots Greys. After his service the R.S. Greys he joined Cape Police District 2 and served in the 1896-97 Bechuanaland campaign. He left the Cape Police "at my own request on private affairs" after 18 months service. Manifold returned to South Africa as a Lance Corporal (Regt No 9657) with the 45th Company (Dublin) Imperial Yeomanry (also known as the Dublin Hunt Squadron), part of the 13 Battalion Imperial Yeomanry.
Manifold's Cape Police KSA roll entry indicates service with the Imperial Yeomanry from 6 April 1900 to 31 December 1900. The 45th Company IY roll indicates an entitlement the "Cape Colony", "Orange Free State" and "Transvaal" clasps. The Cape Police QSA roll has an annotation, "
as servant to Earl of Longford 2 L. Gds". This refers to the OC 45 Coy, Thomas Pakeham, the 5th Earl of Longford.
The 13th Battalion IY gained notoriety when on the 29th of May 1900 they became engaged against a much larger Boer force near Lindley. After holding out for a couple of days the battalion surrendered on 31 May. They had suffered 80 casualties of which 23 were killed in action and a further 7 died of wounds. 379 were marched into captivity(three escaped) and 28 British wounded were left in hospital in Heilbron.
On Manifold's Cape Police re-joining papers with reference to his prior Cape Police service he states "18 months Cape Mounted Police DII, Dis. Cert lost when captured at Lindley". Manifold returned to Dublin and suBsequently re-enlisted in the Cape Police. His Cape Police KSA roll entry indicates further Cape Police service from 10 May 1901 to 21 June 1903.