TOPIC:

Henry Algernon Clode

Wounded in Action – Middlepan, Orange River Colony, 11 August 1901

Trooper, “D” Troop, 2nd Brabant’s Horse
Trooper, “E” Division, South African Constabulary – Anglo Boer War

- Queens South Africa Medal (Cape Colony, Wepener, Transvaal, Wittebergen) to 638 2ND CL TPR: H.A. CLODE. S.A.C.
- Kings South Africa Medal (South Africa 1901 & 1902) to 638 TPR: H.A. CLODE. S.A.C.

Harry Algernon Clode was born in Great Linford, Buckinghamshire on 3 June 1857 the son of John Clode, a Gentleman, and his wife Mary Clode, born Baily.

The Clodes were a well-known and prosperous family with deep roots in Greater Linford. John Clode was a successful farmer who had a wine importing business in Windsor - his firm was said to have been suppliers to Royalty.

Our first encounter with Harry comes via the 1861 England census where, at the age of 3, he was living at Green, Great Linford, Newport Pagnell along with his parents and siblings Elizabeth, Mary, Shaddick, Harriet, William, Gertrude, Arthur and Fanny. At the time he was the last born. Mr Clode was a Farmer of 42 acres employing 2 men. As an outward manifestation of his prosperity there was a Governess, Mary Colnett, in residence to educate the children.

Ten years later, at the time of the 1871 England Harry, now a teenager of 13 was a pupil at St Andrew’s Villa in Kingsthorpe Road, Northampton – a “High Class School for the Sons of Gentlemen”

According to the 1881 census Harry, 23, had returned to his father’s farm at Newton Pagnell. Clode senior’s farming operations had expanded and he now farmed 195 acres and employed 6 men and 2 boys. Some of Harry’s siblings were in evidence – Fanny (27) and Herbert (17) whilst the needs of the family were catered for by a myriad of servants including Mary Adam, a 74 year old Vintner who was more likely to have been an employee, given John Clode’s interests in wine.

The 1890’s would prove to be a tumultuous one for the Clode family – starting with the 1891 England census where, at the ripe old age of 81 John Clode had retired and taken his family to live in the High Street of Greater Linford. With him at home were his wife and daughter Gertrude Johnson (with her two children) a couple of servants and Harry who, alarmingly, at the age of 33 had no occupation.

Mr Clode lasted another three years before passing away on 22 December 1894 to be followed by his wife on 10 October 1899 – a year that was to become notorious for an entirely different reason. On 11 October 1899, the day after his mother expired, the Anglo Boer War erupted onto the international stage. Long simmering tensions between the two Boer Republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State and Great Britain led to the outbreak of war between these belligerents – a war that was to last almost three years before peace was declared on 31 May 1902.

With both parents dead and with no immediate prospects to hand Clode (who could well have been a Remittance Man), betook himself to South Africa in search of adventure and the war. On 3 March 1900 he completed the attestation papers for service with the 2nd Battalion, Brabant’s Horse – claiming to be 33 years old he was assigned no. 5105 and the rank of Trooper with “D” Troop. He provided the details of younger brother Herbert of Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire as his next of kin. By Trade he stated that he had “none”, thereby confirming our suspicions that he was a “man about town.”

Having been equipped with a rifle and ammunition (he would have had to supply his own mount) Clode went to the front with the 2nd Regiment, Brabant’s Horse. This corps was raised and took the field in the Queenstown-Dordrecht district of the Eastern Cape. A second regiment, the one with whom Clode attested, was raised in the same area in December 1900. Lieut. Colonel H. M. Grenfell, 1st Life Guards, was appointed to command it, and when Colonel Dalgety was besieged in Wepener, the first and a portion of the second regiment were with him, their strength being respectively 345 and 459.

A detachment of 160 men under Captain Goddard had arrived in Wepener on 24 March 1900 to assist with the collection of arms and the ongoing “paper bombing” of villages; the distribution of Roberts’ proclamations offering safe conduct to Boera who surrendered their weapons and took the oath of allegiance.

The unit had been conducting similar work in the nearby district but quickly discovered a starkly different atmosphere in Wepener where the hostile population reluctantly handed in only a few old and damaged firearms to the Colonial occupiers. After several arrests had been made and with rumours of returning Boers towards Wepener from Ladybrand, Goddard made the call for additional reinforcements from Aliwal North. This occurred just as Brabant was being instructed by Gatacre to dispatch additional troops to the village.



These arrived five days later and all were placed under the command of Major Maxwell of the Royal Engineers. Maxwell had initially intended to defend Wepener itself but was forced to reconsider with news of the impending arrival of a force under De Wet, choosing instead a location north-west of Wepener, just over the banks of the Caledon River on a series of hills, the “Jammerbergen” beside the river. The position provided extensive and all-round natural cover.

On 4 April 1900 Maxwell met briefly with a Boer vanguard who demanded his surrender. This he refused to give and with the Boer intentions now clear, he urged Lt Colonel Dalgety to make all haste to his position. The reinforcements made a timely arrival in Wepener that evening and on the following morning Dalgety moved all of his units to Maxwell’s position, assuming command in the process.

Expecting to be besieged Dalgety entrenched his men in the surrounding hills and kopjes around the central basin and set about requisitioning foodstuffs and supplies from local farms and the town. The combined Imperial force now numbered 1804 men and Dalgety dispersed his troops evenly across the now fortified perimeter. Brabant’s Horse was deployed to the north-west with the 2nd regiment in an arc from north to east that covered the road from Ladybrand.

For the next three days trenches were dug and existing ones deepened, stores and ammunition were distributed and patrols sent out to reconnoitre the surrounding hills and watch for Boer movements. It was not until the night of 8th April however, that De Wet with 6000 men and 7 guns were in position on all sides of Dalgety’s encampment.

As had become routine, the Colonial forces manned their positions from daybreak before standing down and returning to their bivouacs. On the 9th April this routine was rudely shattered by a barrage of shells from De Wet’s guns surrounding their position. The initial bombardment, now accompanied by rifle fire, focused on the Brabant’s section to the north-west but soon shifted to the CMR positions to the south. Finding himself exposed on that front Dalgety sent reinforcements within the next hour with the 1st Brabant’s and a half squadron of the 2nd Brabant’s joining the fray.



This involved an extremely dangerous two-mile dash across the basin to the CMR position which lacked almost any cover and was exposed to artillery, maxim and rifle fire throughout the approach. The pressure slackened about midday with desultory sniping taking place until nightfall. The next day, the 10th April, the 2nd Brabant’s to the south and south-east were forced to deal with sustained Boer sniping from dawn until night fell, from marksmen who had forded the river and taken up closer positions during the night.

As the days wore on ammunition began to run short as did rations. It wasn’t that there was no food, it was just dangerous having to run the gauntlet to where supplies were kept and many a man who made the attempt came to grief in the process, on the receiving end of a Mauser bullet. Conditions grew gradually worse as heavy rain began to fall, flooding the trenches and making life uncomfortable for the besieged.

Several attempts were made by De Wet in the succeeding days to take the British position but they were expected, thanks to Basuto spies who were monitoring their movements and the attacks failed. On the 19th April Boer columns and some of their ordnance were seen leaving Wepener but this was a ruse and the Boers continued their bombardment. On the 24th De Wet attacked Dalgety’s position for the final time. A fierce 90 minute firefight ensued during which the Colonial forces repulsed the attackers, sustaining no casualties in return.

By the 25th April as the relieving forces were finally approaching Wepener, De Wet made his escape in a daring breakthrough of the net attempting to surround him. Clode emerged unscathed from the ordeal and, after a brief period of rest and recuperation, was part of the Brabant’s Horse advance northwards where, in the operations preparatory to the surrounding of Prinsloo in the Brandwater Basin (Wittebergen), the corps was very frequently engaged. In the Hammonia district they had an immense amount of difficult scouting, and several times, in the latter half of May and in June, they had encounters with superior forces and rather heavy losses.

On 29th June Lieutenant J. S. Orr was severely wounded, and other casualties were suffered in an action in which the enemy had to be driven across the Zand River. On the 6th to 8th July at the capture of Bethlehem, on the 16th near Witnek, and on the 23rd, 24th at Slabbert's Nek, Brabant's Horse were in the forefront and gained distinction, but, as a matter of course, had to pay the price, *The Times' historian points out that it was some “adventurous scouts" of Brabant's Horse who, by discovering on the night of the 23rd a commanding summit to be unoccupied, enabled Clements to seize the ridge at daybreak — the corps being entrusted with this task.

The 2nd Regiment was ordered to the eastern Transvaal in August, to take part under General Hutton in the movement from Belfast to the Portuguese border, crossing some of the most difficult country in South Africa. It was at this stage of the war, on 17 August 1900 and a week before the Battle of Bergendal, that Clode bid his comrades in the BH farewell. His services not required, he was paid the £19 13 shillings owed him and was discharged at Rosebank, Cape Town after 168 days service, quite a few of which were caught up in the Wepener Siege.

Perhaps with urgent family business to attend to Clode embarked aboard the SS “Woolloomooloo” at Cape Town bound for London in October 1900 but, after a short hiatus, the lure of battle proving irresistible he entered the Recruiting Office of the South African Constabulary at Beech Hill on 1 December 1900, where he completed attestation papers. Staying with his brother Shand Clode at “Swallowfield” in Reading, he confirmed that he was 6 feet ½ inch in height, weighed 128 lbs and had a fair complexion, grey eyes and dark brown hair. He gave his age as 34 years and the name of a referee (a requirement for enlisting in the SAC) as Captain A. Campbell, D.S.O. of Bedford. By way of occupation or trade he listed himself as a Gentleman and when asked the question if he had been in South Africa and in what capacity – he answered that he had been in Methuen’s Horse for 12 months and Brabant’s Horse for 6 months.

Having set sail for South Africa once more he, on arrival, completed the attestation process on 23 January 1901 and was assigned no. E638 (E = Orange River Colony Division) and the entry rank of 3rd Class Trooper. With service dating from 19 January 1901 Clode took to the field to commence his policing duties. As the Boer War was still in full swing these were more of a para-military role, where, despite being a policeman he was also an active soldier in the service of the Crown.

After some seven months in the saddle he was engaged in what was, confusingly, initially referred to as a skirmish at Bessies pan and later changed to Middle Pan on 11 August 1901 – almost exactly a year after he had parted company with Brabant’s Horse.



The Daily Express of 17 August reporting that, “S.A. Constabulary lose 2 killed and 6 wounded – the following casualty lists were issued last night from the War Office (Names are those of Privates unless specified) – Losses in the field – Bessies Pan, 11 August, South African Constabulary – E3308 D McGregor, Killed; E2078 A.L. James, Killed; E3420 Harry Feltenhine, sev. wounded; E2102 Charles William Ryall, sl wdd; E584 J.W. Bilfield, sl wdd; E638 H Algernon Clode, sl wdd; Captain Claude Douglas Saunders, injured head and shoulders, fall from a horse.”

As was often the case in those days, several newspapers, fed with information from their correspondents on the ground or, as was mostly the case, from syndicated bulletins, had different takes on the action. The Eastern Evening News of 17 August added that “…on the following day (11th) E Company of the South African Constabulary, had two men killed and six wounded at Bessie’s Pan.” While the Derry Journal of 19 August reported that, “On the 11th instant the South African Constabulary engaged 40 Boers north of the Orange River.”

It took the Morning Leader of 19 August 1901 to rectify the misconception as to where the fighting took place. They reported that, “The casualties in South African Constabulary, 11 Aug., took place at Middlepan, not Bessiepan, as previously reported.”

With that small but important detail out of the way, the mainstream newspapers were able to continue with the story, the Ballymena Weekly Telegraph of 24 August 1901 reporting that,

“Commandant Malan is now near Edenburg, apparently with about 100 men. He is probably trying to recruit men, and is well mounted, having also spare horses. The Boers in this Colony are now widely scattered in relatively small bands of ten to the north-west along the Modder River.

There in the earlier part of the week, in the neighbourhood of Loughdearg (sic) and Middlepan, 40 miles out, General Ridley’s Constabulary has been skirmishing with varying success against the commandoes of Beermok, Jacobs, and Pretorious. Our loss was 2 killed and 6 wounded. The Boers had 3 killed and a number wounded. We took 6 prisoners, some cattle, waggons and ammunition.”

The upshot of all of this was that Clode was one of the six men Wounded in Action.



Having recovered from his ordeal he took to the field once more and was still in the service of the SAC when the war ended on 31 May 1902. His service record was not without blemish – on 2 March 1903 he was found guilty of being Drunk at Ficksburg and sentenced to a fine of £1. Undeterred he followed this up the very next day, being found guilty of the same offence which incurred a fine of £5. Clode’s time with the SAC was coming to an end and, at Ladybrand on 22 April 1903 he was discharged Unsuitable after 2 years and 89 days service. Given a Character rating of Fair he was a 2nd Class Trooper when he was discharged. Interestingly he claimed to have been born on 8 June 1861 whereas we know him to have been born in 1857. He was also, magically a good two inches shorter than when he originally attested, coming in at 5 feet 8 inches as opposes to the 6 feet he was supposed to have been.

Back in mufti Clode betook himself to the “City of Gold” – Johannesburg on the Witwatersrand where he obtained employment as a Miner with the New Goch Gold Mine Ltd. It was in this city, in the Kensington Sanitorium, that he passed away at the age of 38 on 14 July 1907. He had never married and bequeathed his worldy goods to his sister Mary Kathleen Clode of Swallowfield, Berks.

Acknowledgments:
- Siege of Wepener by David & Alexander Biggins
- Jeppe’s Maps of the Boer War
- Various newspapers accredited in the body of the work
- Ancestry, FMP and Familysearch for census data, death notice and Ship Manifest