TOPIC:

Benjamin William Bates

Overseer, Native Labour Corps
Cyclist, Field Intelligence Department
Superintendent, Director of Supplies, Investigation Department

- Queens South Africa Medal to 130 OVERSEER. B.W. BATES. N.L.C.

Benjamin Bates was a hard man to find or, put another way, a man who didn’t want to be found. What else could explain the fact that, until much later in life, not a record nor a shred of correspondence exists that carry his full names. Everywhere he appears it is only with his initials and surname.

A resourceful and intelligent man, he was born in Gorey, County Wexford, Ireland on the 29th January 1868, the son of John Bates, a Farmer and his wife Jane Barbara Bates, formerly Webster. Bates’ early movements are shrouded in obscurity, much like his names, with his first appearance in South Africa being circa 1890 – a good nine years before the commencement of the Anglo Boer War.

His story is perhaps best told through the many testimonials he solicited from his circle of friends and acquaintances in the years just after the war. These tell of his movements whilst in the country and shine a light on his doings during and just after the period South Africa was immersed in conflict between the Boers and the British.

First up is the medal roll from which his Queens Medal was awarded on 30 September 1902 – this tells us that he was an Overseer with the Director of Supplies attached to the Native Labour Corps. There is also mention in the remarks column of said roll, of service in the Intelligence Department and the Cyclist Corps of the Natal Field Force. Ostensibly qualifying for the Laing’s Nek and Natal clasps to his medals, this became moot when the decision was made to issue all medals to this department without clasps, irrespective of those earned. There is, however, a direct link between his later employment as Superintendent, Director of Supplies and Director of Supplies in the NLC.

The Native Labour Corps was formed in Natal by J S Marwick at the beginning of December 1899 after it was decided that a Native Labour Corps should be created and administered by the Public Works Department, but with the important difference that that the labour employed would be - nominally at least - voluntary. Within a short period Marwick had recruited over 1000 men, supplied largely by Chief Ncwadi and indirectly by the magistrates in Weenen and Estcourt, Natal. The men were usually engaged for three months and paid 40s a month, double the rate for isibalo labour.

A small number of Indians were also enlisted, some of whom also acted as overseers and were paid 60s a month. As the war progressed the corps gradually became dispersed throughout Northern Natal, the Orange River Colony and the south eastern Transvaal.

With such a large body of uneducated and unskilled labour came the need for close supervision and this was the roll of the Overseer in the equation. With peace finally being brokered on 31 May 1902 with the Treaty of Vereeniging seeking gainful employment became an imperative for those who had no other recourse to an income.

Obviously well connected from his time with the Director of Supplies, it wasn’t long before Bates put out feelers with a bombardment of letter to those in positions of power and authority.

The first of these was to G. D. Wheelwright, at the time of writing, Superintendent of the D. of S. Inv. Department. This worthy responded on 15 July 1902 to his request for a testimonial thus:

“Mr B.W Bates has been associated with this department since 29 March 1901, and now that I am terminating my connection with this Office I have great pleasure in testifying to my appreciation of the work Mr Bates has done for the Department.

Mr Bates has been resident in the Transvaal for several years and is well-versed in the Dutch language; he has had an extensive experience in South Africa and I know of no man who is better acquainted with the local conditions of the Transvaal than Mr Bates; in the performance of his duties he invariably acts with tact tempered where necessary with the quality of decisive action; whatever Mr Bates has had to do he has always done well and invariably discharged his duties in a most able and efficient manner – a case in point is that of “Rex vs Mann and Stainbank”, one of the most notorious trials for fraud ever known in the annals of the Natal courts, involving, as it did, a long series of thefts of Government Stores, and the effects of which were so far-reaching that the earnest attention of the War Office was attracted to the issues involved.

Upon Mr Bates fell the onerous and important duty of unravelling and elucidating the many intricacies of the case, and so ably did he conduct matters that he received the commendation of the Attorney-General for Natal and of Colonel Morgan, Director of Supplies.

Since 1 April this year Mr Bates has been local Inspector, Director of Supplies’ Investigation Department, Cape Colony and has coped very ably with the many and arduous duties pertaining to so vast a territory.

On my resigning my present position as Superintendent, with knowledge of Mr Bates’ invaluable experience of men and affairs, gained after more than a year’s association with him, I have recommended and obtained the sanction of the Director of Supplies that Mr Bates succeed me as Superintendent.

(Sgd) G.D. Wheelwright

A few months after this epistle Bates received a letter from Gustave Halle, Editor of the “Transvaal Critic,” an incendiary publication designed, it would seem, to get under the skin of those in authority. Dated 10 October 1902 it read thus:

“Dear Mr Bates

I am extremely sorry that pressure of work has prevented my writing sooner. I have known you since 1895 when you were engaged in the Zoutpansberg district, (and later in the Klein Letaba) as property agent during which period you supplied me with much valuable information regarding the Boer and Native question. I have followed your work during the war, in connection with the protection of Military interests in the transport and Supply department with great interest, and consider that your efforts have been of the greatest value. I sincerely wish you success in your future career and am convinced that Government could employ no better man in your line of occupation nor one more loyal and trustworthy.

Yours very truly.

Gustave Halle"

All of this was the precursor to the main event – Bates was about to put pen to paper requesting Government employment but, first, he needed a testimonial from someone with Colonial “clout” – this was the Attorney General of Natal, G.A. de R. Labisteur, Esq. K.C. to whom he wrote, from his office as Director of Supplies Department, Pretoria on 23 September 1902: -

“Sir - On the conclusion of the Mann and Stainbank Case last year it was my intention, this being lost, to ask you to grant me a letter as would clear me of any possible suggestion of neglect on my part as regards the verdict.

As it happened my Chiefs were pleased to commend my conduct of the case and I was raised to the rank of Chief Inspector, D. of S. Inv. Dept. Cape Colony, subsequently I think you will be pleased to know, to that of Head of the Department.

I am presently putting a matter of importance before Headquarters and if I have been fortunate in gaining your esteem I should consider it an honour and favour if you would grant me a letter with your Opinion of my conduct and ability, more particularly as regards my action in the Mann and Stainbank Case, which I had the honour to work up for you; it is superfluous to mention how invaluable to me will be an expression of Opinion from the Attorney-General, Natal.

Thanking you in anticipation etc. etc.

B.W. Bates”

The reply, dated, 9 October 1902, was, as far as brevity goes, decidedly less effusive than that from Wainwright:-

“Mr B.W. Bates was the detective employed by the Military authorities to investigate the charges made in the case of “Rex v. Mann and Stainbank,” in which I prosecuted, involving extensive thefts of Military stores, and I have pleasure in testifying to his energy and ability with which he worked up the case.”

Yet another letter of commendation was directed at him, on this occasion by Colonel H.G. Morgan, Director of Supplies and his old boss, from Pretoria on 30 October 1902:-

“Dear Mr Bates

Many thanks for your letter and kindly expression therein contained. Please convey to all those who have served with you in the Investigation Department my high appreciation of their work. It is with the greatest regret that I am leaving you all, and I shall ever remember the loyal support I have received.

I hope this new department you propose to organise will be a very great success. With you at its head its future will be assured. I attach a chit as to your capabilities etc. as far as I can judge. I wish you all best of good luck and wishes.”

The “chit” referred to read thus:-

“Mr B.W. Bates has served with me for a considerable time in various capacities, latterly as Superintendent, Director of Supplies’ Investigation Department. I cannot speak too highly of his capabilities, energy and the good services he has rendered generally.

He leaves only because the Department is being abolished. I wish him the good luck he deserves in his future and strongly recommend him to anyone who may want a thoroughly trustworthy and reliable man.”

Armed with all these letters singing his praises Bates formally applied for a government position in a letter for the Governor’s attention dated 4 May 1904 from Pretoria.

Addressed to Colonel Carr-Glynn, D.S.O., the Private Secretary to the Governor, it read thus:

“Dear Sir

The favour of your consideration is respectfully requested for the following. Herewith please find documents pertaining to my work as Superintendent of the Director of Supplies’ late Investigation Department, etc.

I can also refer you to:- The War Office Auditing Commission, Superintendent Alexander, Durban Boro’ Police, Sir George Farrar, to whom I recently communicated information of importance, etc.

I can furnish ample proof of my consistent loyalty to British interests during some fourteen years I have been in South Africa.

Prior to the late war I acted as Confidential Agent to Mr Halle, Editor of the “Critic” (African Critic), and others in political matters and my letters and information during the Kaffir Wars in Zoutpansberg in regard to the Boer Atrocities had a distinct influence on the situation. I am still in touch with Boer political feeling, particularly in the Zoutpansberg, Lydenburg and Pretoria Districts.

In view of the coming Asiatic Labour, I may mention that I have a thorough political knowledge of the condition obtaining on the Rand Mines. No doubt measures will be taken to control crime, amalgam theft etc., inseparable from the employment of Asiatics and I respectfully ask you to bear me in mind when the necessary Police appointments are made.

In my case I am desirous or re-entering Government Service in such capacity as may be deemed suitable and I respectfully beg for your favourable consideration of this application.”

Despite the fawning tone and serial name-dropping employed, Bates’ application was met with a polite. “I have the honour to inform you that it is regretted there is no vacancy to which you could be appointed and I can hold out no hope of an opportunity of meeting your wishes in the direction indicated.”

Where to now for Bates? Despite his obvious worth there was to be no official employment for him in post-Boer War South Africa. There was nothing for it but to return to England and seek his fortune there. Accordingly, he boarded the Minnetonka in Durban and set sail, disembarking at London on 1 November 1904. He was 36 years old and had described himself as a Miner by occupation.

Prior to leaving African shores, he had married Cornelia van Os , a widow, in 1902 and had a son, Cecil Charles Webster Bates who stayed on with his mother in South Africa. In this instance, distance didn’t lend enchantment and, by 1907, the marriage had broken down although no record of a divorce can be found in South Africa.

Bates, meanwhile, reignited the flame with an old acquaintance from his youth, marrying Josephine Bates on 6 May 1907 in St Peters Church, Dublin, Ireland. Josephine Bates was born on 7 April 1864 in Gorey, Wexford, Ireland and was the daughter of William Bates (a coachbuilder) and Anna Stedman. She was described as being of fair complexion, with fair hair and grey eyes.

Benjamin and Josephine Bates visited 3613 Fisk Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, in June 1907. Apparently Benjamin had previously been in the USA from 1897, for about 3yrs. They were back in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England for the birth of their daughter, Irma Josephine Bates in the last quarter of 1908 and she was baptised on 9 March 1909 at St Thomas, Church of England, in Birmingham but subsequently died soon after the same year.

The old saying goes that you can’t keep a good man down and this was true in Bates’ case - after a period where he disappeared from the public eye he re-emerged in a publication called “The Bioscope.” On page 45 of their August 25, 1910 edition appears an Application for Patents wherein “Benjamin William Bates” (his full names used), 75 New Street, Birmingham, applied for a patent “Improvement connected with cinematographs and target for use therewith.”

The patent applied for was for a system he had perfected for moving target shooting using a method of projecting the target onto a multiple thickness paper screen, it could be anything from birds and wild animals to enemy soldiers, the clever part was that on the crack of the shot a telephone earpiece picked it up and a relay stops the film in motion for three seconds. A bright light behind the screen illuminates the hole to allow for scoring, the film then starts again and one of the rolls of paper moves up to obscure the hole made by the previous shot.



The equipment was trialled by the British Army School of Musketry at Hythe, plus various Barracks. The device was originally called Kinema Moving Targets, but around 1913/14 became Life Targets Ltd., with its Head Office in Wardour Street, London and with £50,000 of share capital, it was no small venture. It appears that franchises were offered (and taken up) in most major cities in the UK. The Sheffield one alone started with £1,500 of capital. Selfridge's had one on their rooftop in London.

This concept went global very quickly with the Remington Arms ammunition catalogue offering special ammo for the Life Target system. According to the 1911 England census, Bates had married and was living at 128 Great Colmore Street, Birmingham with his wife, Josephine. He was described as the Inventor of the Cinematograph Target.

Benjamin William Bates, adventurer, detective, spook, inventor, passed away in St Pancras, London in 1946 nothing is known of his death. Perhaps he wanted to exit this world as he came into it – an unknown entity.

Acknowledgements:
- Gary Westermann
- Various newspapers credited in the article
- Ancestry for census, birth data

Excellent research and article. Thank you for posting it!
John

Thank you Rory
Absolutely fascinating . a great life full of very interesting aspects
Clive

Collectors and research buffs should never overlook QSAs with no clasps.
Here is a prime example of why!
Thanks for sharing Rory, a fascinating story.
Cheers Steve

Rory
Well done on that one. I did see that medal on a list and did some digging in Buxton re the"Laing's Nek" clasp - to no avail. Should have dug further.
The "Life Targets" set up looks very much like a precursor to the 1960's indoor training system that was used in my last year of service.
Regards
IL.