TOPIC:

Canadian earthworks at Belmont.

One of the disadvantages under which the British forces labour in attacking and overpowering the Boers is that when once a strategical position is gained it must be retained, and sometimes a large force is necessary to hold it, in case of re-attack, who would otherwise be in the fighting line with the advancing army. On the Boer side this is not yet the case, and will not be so until the British Forces attack Bloemfontein. Te battlefield of Belmont has been occupied by the Royal Canadian Regiment, who, with a view of resisting any further attack, have constructed a trench and parapet, as shown in the above picture.

Edwards - ABW Album 072 - Canadian earthworks at Belmont - detaillr.jpg[/attachmen Source: https://www.angloboerwar.com/forum/11-research/32346-photographs-from-dennis-edwards-the-anglo-boer-war-1899-1900#88756[attachment=38641]Edwards - ABW Album 072 - Canadian earthworks at Belmont - detaillr.jpg[/attachmen

Source: www.angloboerwar.com/forum/11-research/3...-war-1899-1900#88756

5336 PRIVATE HENRY EMIL SCHULTZE: 3RD BATTALION GRENADIER GUARDS.
WOUNDED AT BATTLE OF BELMONT 23/11/1899.
DIED OF WOUNDS AT FRASERBURG ROAD 24/11/1899.

AN AUSTRALIAN GRENADIER AT BELMONT

While researching men of the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards who were killed in action or died of wounds resulting from the Battle of Belmont, I was pleasantly surprised to find an Australian born man in their number!

Henry Emil Schultze was born at St. Arnaud, Victoria, Australia on 12th September 1875.
I will quote some local newspaper articles in order to shed more light on this soldier of the Queen:

"A letter has been received by Mrs. Schultze, from Colonel Ricardo, the officer commanding the Grenadier Guards, announcing the death in South Africa,on 25th November, of her son, Henry Emil Schultze, from wounds received in the battle of Belmont, two days before. Deceased was 24 years of age, unmarried and a native of this town. He trained for the militia in the Victoria Permanent Artillery, and some four years ago proceeded to London and served a term of three years with the Grenadier Guards in England and Gibraltar. On leaving the ranks he was occupying an important position in the Hotel Cecil, London, when the call to arms was made. He was one of the three biggest men in the British army, his size and bearing securing for him a prominent position at the royal functions. General regret is felt for the deceased's widowed mother and family. Today (Saturday) flags were flying at half mast on the town hall and fire brigade station out of respect to the late Private Schultze."
Age (Melbourne), 8th January 1900.

"A VICTORIAN KILLED."
Great regret was expressed at St. Arnaud on Tuesday, when it became known that Mr. Emil Schultze, a native of St. Arnaud had died from wounds received in the war with the Boers in South Africa. The deceased served 3 years with the Grenadier Guards in England and Gibraltar, and afterwards held an important position at the Hotel Cecil, in London, until the present Transvaal war broke out, when he rejoined the colours for the front on October 18th, and joined the 3rd Grenadier Guards at Gibraltar for active service. In a letter to his mother, who lives at Windsor, Melbourne, on November 18th, he says he landed in South Africa on November 15th and took the train to Cape Town for the Orange River without any stoppage. At that time he was in splendid health, and said the only thing that would prevent him from coming back would be a bullet. The letter concluded with wishes of "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year" to all his relatives.
Deceased was a great man and was a man of splendid proportions.
From "Examiner," Launceston, dated, Friday, 5th January 1900; page 2.

St. Arnaud, Wednesday. Mr. J. B. Jones, head teacher of the local state school, has ordered from a Melbourne firm of monumental masons a tablet to be placed in the wall of the school building, as a memorial to the late Private Schultze, of St. Arnaud, the first Victorian to fall in battle. The stone will bear the following inscription: "We remember our brave dead, Henry Emil Schultze, Grenadier Guards, a native of St. Arnaud, wounded at Belmont, South Africa; died November, 1899, aged 21 years. Dum Tacent Clamant."
From "Argus"(Melbourne), 11th October 1900.


The memorial tablet honouring Private Schultze located at 40 Napier Street, Town Hall, St. Arnaud, Victoria, Australia.

Private Schultze was a member of No. 1 Company at the battle of Belmont. No doubt he would have been a big pal of 6027 Private Dai St. John, the giant Welsh boxing legend from Resolven, also of No. 1 Company and killed in action at Belmont. At 6'3" tall, Schultze would have been almost as big as Dai. An imposing pair of blokes!


Private Henry Emil Schultze was wounded at Belmont on 23rd November 1899, and succumbed to his wounds the following day at Fraserburg Road. His remains were interred at Leeu Gamkes and commemorated there on monument 40.

He was posthumously awarded the Queen's South Africa medal with the single clasp BELMONT.

Leeu Gamka

To continue from Elmarie’s image of the gravestone I copied this paragraph from
Rose’s Round-up February 1997 No 43 | Ancestors Research South Africa

THE TALLEST OF THEM ALL
Two guardsmen who died at the beginning of the Anglo Boer War share a grave at Leeu Gamka. Both were wounded early on at the Battle of Belmont, and died while being transported southwards on an ambulance train. One Private Henry Emil Schultze was the first Australian to die in this war, and was the tallest man in the British forces. He was a member of the 3rd Battalion of the Grenadier Guards and he stood 7ft tall in his stockinged feet. At Royal functions he was said to be a real crowd-stopper. “He was also, obviously, an east target for the Boers,” says the researcher Garth Bennyworth, who says there is a memorial to Schultze at the high school in his home town, St Arnaud, Victoria, South Australia. Schultze is buried next to Private Lynn of the Scots Guards. They also share a headstone erected by their colleagues. (My emphasis)

Private Lynn’s medal has been with me for a few years

Pete

Pete,

Thanks for your post. I have seen Schultze's height quoted in metric as 191cm, which converts to a touch over 6'3". If that is wrong and he was 7 feet tall he would have been an optimal target for the Boer marksmen!

And a very nice Belmont casualty to a Scots Guard. QSA with single Belmont clasp to casualties are very scarcely found on the market.

Cheers Steve

6889 CORPORAL HENRY ALFRED HONEY: 3RD BATTALION GRENADIER GUARDS
KILLED IN ACTION AT BELMONT ON 23RD NOVEMBER 1899.

I was in something of a quandary when trying to decide whether to post the biography and medal pics for Corporal Honey here on "Belmont" or "Medals to the Grenadier Guards.' I decided that it would be appropriate to post on both!

Henry Alfred Honey was born in around 1879 at Stamford, a village in Lincolnshire right on the border with Northamptonshire. He was baptized on the 2nd November 1879 at Stamford - Baron, Northampton, England.

The great Census of 1881 tells us that Henry was the son of Charles Honey, a 30 year old Foreman Carpenter, and his 32 year old wife Annie (nee Leaver) who lived at Burghley Pilsgate Lodge, Pilsgate (Northampton), Stamford, Northamptonshire.
The one year old Henry was the youngest child of the family which at the time comprised of, Mary E (9), Ada A (7), Lizzie M (5), Edith (4), Frederick C (2).
The profession of Foreman Carpenter obviously provided well for the Honey family as they were able to afford the services of Sarah J. Crane (16) a General Domestic Servant.

1891 finds the family residing at Burghley Lodges, Stamford Road, Barnak, Stamford, Northamptonshire. Father Charles was now Manager of Estate Works, Carpenters etc.
Henry was now an 11 year old Scholar, sisters Mary and Lizzie were both Dressmakers. The family was also expanded with the addition of William J (9) and Edward E (1). No mention of Ada, who would be of eligible age for employment and so maybe fledged the nest, nor Frederick.


Passenger list for "Rakaia"

On the 8th December 1898, the Honey family were on a 90 day voyage aboard the ship "Rakaia" (under Master J. A. Sutcliffe) a ship of The New Zealand Shipping Company bound for Cape Town in South Africa. An artisan with Charles Honey's skills would have been in much demand in building the empire in South Africa, especially as he had project management experience from working on a large English estate.
Henry Alfred Honey's name does not appear on the passenger manifest as shown above, so I consider it safe to assume that he was already serving Queen, Country and Empire with the Grenadier Guards. However, the fates were at play, and it would not be long before there was a poignant family reunion on South African shores.

As we know the maelstrom of conflict was set in motion in South Africa between the two Boer republics and the mighty British Empire. Henry, as part of the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards embarked for the war at Gibraltar on 25th October 1899 aboard the ship "Ghoorka." The battalion arrived at the Cape on 15th November 1899, little knowing that within eight days 23 of their number would be dead, killed in action or would die from their wounds.

It was when the ship entered the Cape Town docks for disembarkation of the troops that those about to be moved up to the front had the cherished opportunity to meet with relatives who were already in"in-country". 6889 Corporal Honey was lucky enough to be one of these men as detailed in the following extract from a newspaper as referenced below.


Taken from a New Zealand publication "Evening Sta," dated 13th January,1900; page 3.

"A PATHETIC INCIDENT"
Just one week before the Grenadier Guards landed at the docks at Cape Town and we're entrained for the front , notice to that effect had been published in the morning papers, and, there being a very near relative of mine in the Grenadiers, (writes an "Old Soldier" in the Sydney News), went down to the docks to see him. Only those having relatives amongst the officers or men were allowed to pass the line of sentries posted at the end of the wharf, so there were not many mingling with the men. While talking to my friend our attention was drawn to a little group just inside the door of a coal shed. An old Englishwoman and her daughter had their arms around a smart, well set-up young corporal while an old man was looking on proudly at the young fellow, who was over 6ft. I found out that the old couple with their daughter, had travelled down from a back block town to see their son, whom they had left behind them in England. Their meeting only lasted about fifteen minutes, when the bugles sounded the fall in, and the mother parted with her boy for ever in this world, for the other day in the obituary list of the Cape 'Argus' appeared the following notice:-' Killed in action at Belmont, Corporal Henry Honey, Grenadier Guards, in his 21st year, the beloved son of J and H Honey of Stamford, england.'

And so we see the poignancy of that final family reunion as Corporal Honey was one of the 25 men of the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards to have been killed in action or died of wounds at the battle of Belmont on 23rd November 1899. At least they got to say their farewells, albeit all too briefly, and so were fortunate in that respect.

Henry was a member of No. 4 Company at the time of the battle. Other comrades who were in the same company and lost their lives at Belmont as follows:

KILLED IN ACTION
6697 Lance Corporal C. Drury
3135 Private W. Griffith's
6801 Private E. Mansfield
5899 Private J. Stevenson

DIED OF WOUNDS
Lieut. W. B. H. Blundell (died 23/11/1899)

I will not enter into an account of the battle of Belmont here, but would refer the reader to the threads on this forum detailing the Grenadier Guards in the Unit Information section and also previous posts on this thread. Also the account "First or Grenadier Guards 2nd and 3rd Battalions in South Africa 1899-1902" is most informative and still available at a reasonable cost from Naval and Military Press.

The Army Register of Deceased Soldier's Effects (100149) lists 6889 Honey as a Lance Corporal (as do the above mentioned book). A sum of just 7 shillings was retained for his father Charles. Payment had not been effected by 27th October 1902. One can assume that his poor father may have been too heartbroken to want to claim such a paltry amount.


Queen's South Africa medal with single clasp Belmont awarded posthumously to 6889 CORL H. A. HONEY:GREN: GDS:


A very pleasing darkening tone to the medal and possibly original ribbon.


The medal would, of course, been forwarded to the Honey family in South Africa where they were resident.
It came into my possession from a dealer with connections in S.A., so maybe this has not been on the market previously. I am very pleased to be it's custodian for a while.

MEMORIALS TO 6889 CORPORAL HENRY ALFRED HONEY

KIMBERLEY, WEST END GR

Watt(2000) tells us that he is commemorated along with his comrades on the monument at Kimberley West End where he was finally reinterred from the battlefield burial site.

THE GUILDHALL, NORTHAMPTON

There are four memorials commemorating the men of Northamptonshire who died during the Anglo Boer War located within the entrance porch (centre of building with the three open arches) of the town's Guildhall as can be seen above.


The tablet showing the Grenadier Guards about halfway down the second column from the left.


Close-up of names.

PETERBOROUGH
I believe that there may be another memorial bearing his name here, but I have yet to visit the site, if one exists. Will update in future.

AND WHAT OF THE FAMILY?



It would appear that they remained in South Africa. The above Death Notice for Henry's widowed father who passed away at the age of 71 in the Transvaal testifies to this.
The children named on this document include Ada and Frederick C who were absent from the 1891 Census back in England. So they were just not at home on census day!

This has been a most interesting man to research. With the absence of any extant attestation papers, I assume that the QSA with single clasp Belmont was his sole medal. An unusual surname and the lucky find of the newspaper clipping from Oz-trove have certainly helped.

Does anyone have any more information on this proud Grenadier? I would welcome and be extremely grateful for any further input.

Cheers Steve