TOPIC:

From Cumberland to Colenso
An Uitlander serving with the Natal Volunteer Ambulance Corps - Fletcher Breen
Roll number : Wo 100/261_01 p.16

Having recently researched the background of a member of the Natal Volunteer Ambulance Corps I would like to humbly share it with this forum.

The (gloriously named) Fletcher Breen was born in 1866 in St. Bees, a coastal village in Cumberland to a father, Nicolas, from Ireland and Mother, Frances, from Lamplugh, Cumbria.

A Cumbrian Childhood

St. Bees village sits between the mountains of the Lake District, just inland, and the sea, and was famous as the start point of a 35 mile submarine cable to the Isle of Man which was re-laid in 1875, when Fletcher was 9. He was one of 4 siblings, of which he was the eldest. Census records show him as a scholar the age of 5 in 1871, and then as a domestic gardener at 15 in 1881.


St Bees Main street in 1890s and the Beach at St Bees today.

In 1888 his father died, aged 57, and the family don't seem to reside in St Bees by the time of the 1891 census.

Economics and Migration to South Africa

From 1891 the UK economy was slowing into recession with unemployment increasing year on year peaking in 1893 at 7% before receding for the reminder of the decade. The goldfields of the Witwatersrand in the independent South African Republic, known as the Transvaal, discovered in 1886, were proving a strong draw for British labour and engineering skills, more so as the UK economy stalled. By 1893 c.40,000 of the c.90,000 population of Johannesburg were British.

Fletcher, at the age of 28, has progressed from work as a gardener to the status of an engine driver in the intervening years. Possibly driven by the economic opportunity presented by the goldfields, he books passage on the SS Drummond Castle, leaving Southampton on 14 October 1893 and migrates to South Africa. Steerage to Cape Town at that time would have cost around £10, with an engine driver earning around £2-3 per week.

Johannesburg Tensions

The British living in Johannesburg were known as Uitlanders (Foreigners or Outsiders) and were not allowed the vote by the government of the Transvaal, unless they had been resident for 14 years. The Uitlanders' demand for voting rights became a major source of tension and they formed the Reform Committee to agitate for suffrage.

Protests for reform culminated in the flawed Jameson Raid in December 1895, an unsuccessful attempt by around 500 British imperial adventurers (or chancers) to overthrow the Transvaal government and spark an uprising. Though the attempt failed this lead to increased tension and suspicion between Boer and British communities in the Rand.

In this atmosphere of heightened discord and mistrust we now find Fletcher, living in Johannesburg, Transvaal where in July 1896 he and Ada Connor (also an Uitlander from Kent in England) are married. Fletcher is now 30 and Ada is 26.

On 21 May 1898 their son is born in Johannesburg and baptised in St Marys, Jeppes Town. He is also called Fletcher Breen.

Johannesburg Marriage Register July 1896

Leaving the Transvaal

Tensions increased until 1899 (with the British Government using the non-voting status of the Uitlanders in Transvaal as a point of contention in discussion with Transvaal). Though not formally expelled, the atmosphere of mistrust and approaching conflict lead to c.30,000 Uitlanders leaving Johannesburg in the months leading up to the outbreak of the Second Anglo-Boer War, which began in October 1899.

Many of those left for Durban, Natal and, as war was declared, joined the colonial forces recruiting there. Some also made the longer journey back to the UK for safety.

Fletcher’s son, Fletcher Jr, appears in the UK Census of 31 March 1901 residing as a 2 year old in Greenwich, London where he is listed as nephew of the head of the household. It may be he has been sent back to England alone for the duration.




The Crisis in the Transvaal. A daily scene at the railway by Frank Dadd

With the NVAC

The Natal Volunteer Ambulance Corps (NVAC) was a response to the woeful state of British medical provision in the first 6 months of the conflict. Formed by Colonel T. Gallwey, the Principal Medical Officer of Natal, the intention was to have a trained body who would evacuate and treat wounded soldiers directly from the front lines, stabilising them and transferring them to nearby field hospitals.

Brett Hendey on this forum has previously provided a fantastic outline of their activity.

Fletcher, now aged 33, volunteered with the NVAC as a bearer in the first enlistment in Durban on 9 December 1899, with other men joining up until 13 December. The first enlistments left for General Buller’s camp at Frere, arriving there on Monday, 11 December. By noon on Tuesday, the NVAC joined Buller’s advance on Colenso by way of Chieveley.

Colenso & Spion Kop

The battle of Colenso was marked by poor planning and execution and resulted in 1,200 British casualties from a force of c. 20,000 equating to a 6% casualty rate (comparisons are not exact science but for context Battle of Mons had a British casualty rate of 2.3%). It was one of the 3 notorious failures in Black week and deeply impacted British Morale.

The Natal Advertiser carried this account of the activities of the NVAC at Colenso : “Now our work began in earnest. At 10 o’clock the first ambulance arrived from the battlefield with wounded men, and shortly afterwards the sections of [the NVAC’s] different Ambulance Companies were ordered to advance, with their stretchers. It was a long walk, varying from three to four miles to the firing line. I went out four times to the front, superintending the removal of the wounded. Some of these were badly hurt, but the majority of those who fell to my lot to bring in were shot through the extremities, the arms and legs …..” The defeated troops began to retire at 2 pm, “but it was not until far into the night that the ambulance and stretcher parties left off work.”


NVAC Bearers and Spion Kop

The NVAC continued to support the Natal and Tugela campaign and by 24 Jan 1900 were at Spion Kop.

The battle of Spion Kop has been treated extensively in historical literature. A day of being overlooked and enfiladed by rifle fire in ground too hard to entrench in resulted in what Warren referred to as 'an acre of slaughter'. From a military medicine perspective it is infamous, prior to the Somme, as having the densest concentration of casualties for a square mile in British military history. Of 7000 engaged, 1400 became casualties (20% rate).

It was the NVAC who were providing primary medical support and evacuation before handing casualties to the Natal Indian Ambulance Corps who would then transfer wounded to Pretorius’s Farm (around 4 miles away) and eventually No.4 Stationary Field hospital at Chieveley (12 miles from Spion Kop).

It was the NVAC who were on Spion hill, operating under direct fire and no doubt seeing sights most are privileged not to see in their lifetimes.

Atkins, describing the NVAC, states "through thick and thin, these brave volunteers faced the horrors to rescue the wounded, often at great personal risk to themselves." Burleigh describes their "behaviour was as brave as at Colenso, forward they went up to the firing lines to assist in bringing in the wounded and as at Colenso they paid the penalty of their devotion" and how NVAC "had their repeated toll to pay in killed and wounded, for without hesitation the Boers have fired upon the Red Cross flags and ambulance bearers".

Fletcher would have served at Colenso, Spion Kop and throughout the Natal campaign, until the NVAC was disbanded on 12 March 1900 (where he appears on the nominal role), following the relief of Ladysmith and the reorganisation of British Medical services.

To Johannesburg once more and the Rand Rifles

Johannesburg was captured by the British forces in May 31 1900.

Fletcher has no doubt returned to his Johannesburg home, and volunteers once more in the Rand Rifles formed in Dec 1900, a British imperial militia made up of mine and industrial workers armed to defend the Rand, especially the mining works.

Nasson outlines that the possibility of dynamiting the Rand mines was a very real strategic consideration for Smuts in the guerrilla phase of the war, in order to deny the British access to the Gold revenues. Fletcher serves with the Rand Rifles until 6 June 1901 when the threat to the mines is rapidly receding.



Lord Kitchener inspecting the Rand Rifles

Fletcher and Ada continued to live in Doris St, Johannesburg until Fletcher’s death, aged 79 on 3 April 1945. They had been married for 52 years. He was succeeded by Ada and their son.

Closing Thoughts

Fletcher's journey from Cumberland village, to a developing Johannesburg, as an Uitlander heading to Durban just ahead of the impending war, to volunteering with the NVAC and evacuating wounded whilst under fire at Colenso and Spion Kop is representative of many of the Uitlander narratives of that time, and an example of the human story that sits behind every name impressed in tiny letters on a medal's edge.

Whilst as historians it's difficult to attribute motivation, and misguided to project a modern sensibility, I'd like to believe that a sense of service in bringing medical aid to those in need, and the desire to make a difference for what you believe in feature at least somewhere in this man's story. Researching and bringing these stories to life is a privilege and part of stewardship responsibility.

I'm always awed to reflect that now, 120+ years later there are no doubt tens / hundreds of descendants of those at Spion Kop who are only alive today because of the actions of Fletcher Breen (and others like him) in the military medical services in saving the lives of their ancestors. Some may even be reading this account.

His death certificate records his trade as engine driver and goldminer. A few simple words that don't nearly do justice to what he must have seen and the part he played in this crucial part of South African and British history.

Any corrections/builds or further information on Fletcher would be welcome.

Jon

QSA Medal to F Breen ; NVAC Nominal Roll

Jon - what a brilliant and well researched write up - I wish mine were half as good. Look forward to reading some more. Regards David (of Smethwick & Pembrokeshire, as unlike as chalk and cheese)

Those stretcher bearers really were the unsung heroes in SA, as they are in every conflict!

I agree with Smethwick in hoping that you will be able to add some more well researched and interesting items to the Forum.

Cheers Steve

Hello Jon
Welcome to the forum.
What a superb 1st post you have given us.
I look forward to more of your well researched and presented write ups.

Best wishes

Dave.....

Welcome, Jon!
Lovely post about the NVAC. The NVAC were heavily involved in the firing line and in no mans land during the battles which preceded Spioenkop 17-23 Jan 1900. On 24 Jan the NVAC were not on Spioenkop summit, but they carried wounded men from the lower terraces of the ascent spur to Maj Moir's 5th Bde Field Hospital at Fairview Farm (previous posts on this site show photos etc).
Your 1st photo is from the NAM and does show the NVAC, probably at Tabanyama (Venter's Spruit) 17-23 Jan 1900. The 2nd photo shows Boers posing (Feb 1900?) above the trenches just east of the eastern Twin Peak.
Rob

David, Thanks for the kind comments and glad you enjoyed it - I will post again, though the research takes some time : )