TOPIC:

'Red Roses On The Veldt' has this man being killed at Smaldeel, on 17th September 1900., but a contemporary issue of the Burnley Express newspaper, in reporting ELR deaths, has him dying of wounds at Cape Town.

Can anyone shed any light on this discrepancy? And where was he from in the UK? A local paper may give a clearer account of his death, and if he was from the north of England, I may be able to go check it out..

A glance at Watt, suggests Matthew Leeming, an 18 year old from Burnley, was killed at Theunissen on the 17th of September 1900 and shows that he was interred at North Road Kroonstad, interestingly, he had fraudulently enlisted into the Lancashire Fusiliers Militia just a few weeks after joining the 3rd East Lancashire's for which he was placed before a courts marshal, WO96 does not record his death.

Thank you, Frank. The 'Burnley Express' was good at reporting the deaths and actions of individual soldiers from the town and surrounding area, so I should be able to find a report of his death in the town library.

The Times for Sept 20 reports he was "accidentally shot" and in critical condition in hospital at Smaldeel. No date is given for when he was shot, no doubt a few days before the 20th, perhaps on the 17th - the date from SAFF Casualty Roll (and Watt).

The Burnley Express for 27 Oct reports his death and quotes from a letter to his mother written by Leeming's company commander dated Sept 21: "accidentally shot at a place called Smaldeel, and he has died of his wounds". They also print part of Leeming's last letter home, "I like soldiering very well". Poor lad.

Theunissen was the name given to Smaldeel in 1908.

Regards
Meurig

Yes, the 17th seems likely. I went through the Burnley Express for September 1900, and photographed every mention of individual soldiers, so next time I'll go through October 1900.

DEATH AMONG THE EAST LANCASHIRES.
In the 3rd East Lancashire Regiment, Private E. Williams died on September 17th at Brandford, of wounds. - At Cape Town, Private M. Leeming, of the same regiment, has also died from wounds.

(Burnley Express, 26 September 1900)