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To assist future researchers who may be interested in 2 large brass memorial plaques, now housed in the Old Gaol Museum, King's Lynn, Norfolk, England, here is a clipping from the town newspaper, Lynn News & Advertiser,, 31 October 1902.

Best regards.

On 25th May 1901, the Mayor of King's Lynn proposed that the returning Volunteers and Yeomen should receive the Freedom of the Borough. After some debate over whether Regulars should be included, an amendment the Mayor rejected, the motion was carried by members of the Council by 16 votes to 2.

The ceremony took place on 10th July 1901, when five of the seven men to be enrolled received their parchments from the Mayor. The final two (Private Harry Lambert and Trooper David Warnes) were still in South Africa, and were presented with their certificates on later dates. David Warnes, who had elected to remain in South Africa, was not enrolled as a Freeman until he returned to the borough in 1907.

Although the Mayor proposed that the second batch of volunteers should be rewarded in a similar manner, the Council was unable to pass the motion, as a two-thirds majority of all Councillors was required, and not enough members attended the meeting. The register of Freemen shows that the Council never overcame this impasse.

Between 1901 and 1976, King's Lynn only conferred the Freedom of the Borough on 17 individuals. Since the formation the "Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk" in 1976, a further four people/organisations have been recognised in this way.


The 1901 resolution read:






Those who received the Freedom of the Borough were:

1st Volunteer Active Service Company, Norfolk Regiment –
5389 Sergeant Harry LAMBERT (absent; received on 04/11/1901)
5414 Lance-Corporal Walter Harry RUTTER
5408 Private Charles Ernest AYRE
5412 Private John David FRANKS
5407 Private John Leaf WRIGHT

34th (Middlesex) Company, 11th Bn. Imperial Yeomanry –
6298 Trooper George William WEBSTER

28th (Bedfordshire) Company, 4th Bn. Imperial Yeomanry –
14995 Trooper David WARNES (absent - in S.A.; received on 09/05/1907)

The presentation was made by the Mayor (Mr J.T. Savage) during a meeting of the Town Council.

The resolutions were inscribed on sheets of vellum and enclosed in leather caskets.


At a smoking concert, held on the evening of the enrolment (10 Jul 1901), the five Volunteers also received a silver cigarette case and matchbox each, subscribed for by fellow-members of the Lynn Detachment, 3rd V.B. Norfolk Regiment. These were presented by Colonel Cresswell.
The cigarette cases were inscribed [1902 example]: "Presented to / Priv. Frank Brittain / by the Officers, N.C.O's & men / of the 3rd V.B.N. Reg. Lynn / Det. on his return from the / S. African War / 1902".

Two Lynn members of the 3rd Volunteer Active Service Company received similar cigarette cases on 17th November 1902, presented during the Lynn Volunteers' annual prize distribution. However, they did not receive the Freedom of the Borough. Their omission from the Freedom Roll was viewed poorly, with one correspondent noting "everyone must agree that nothing short of this [the granting of the Freedom] will be fair and equitable".


The men of the second Lynn contingent were:

3rd Volunteer Active Service Company, Norfolk Regiment –
6912 Private Frank BRITTAIN [Britton]
6902 Private George Henry LUSHER




Framed illuminated address, with the seal of the Borough of King's Lynn. Printed by "WATERLOW BRO'S & LAYTON LIM'TD, BIRCHIN LANE, LONDON E.C."
Five parchments were presented to Volunteers and Yeomen on 10th July 1901 (Eastern Daily Press, 19/07/1901). A further two were presented on 4th November 1901 and 9th May 1907.



Norfolk News, 25th May 1901

KING’S LYNN.

At a special meeting of the Town Council on Thursday morning, the Mayor proposed that the freedom of the borough be conferred on the five volunteers who have served in South Africa, and this was seconded by Mr W.H. Brown. Mr F. Miles proposed an amendment, that all Lynn men who have served in South Africa should be presented with medals and have their names inscribed on a brass plate in the Town Hall, but the Mayor ruled that this was out of order, the Town Council having no power to spend money in that way. At the same time he expressed himself as willing to do anything that was possible to recognise the services of reservists and other members of the regular forces. But he did not think the freedom of the borough should be conferred on them, holding the opinion that this honour should be reserved for the volunteers who went out of their own free will. Mr Jermyn proposed an amendment that the freedom of the borough should be extended to all Lynn men who had served in the war. This was seconded by Mr Green, who made the further suggestion that a brass tablet should be put up in the Town Hall to the honour of all Lynn men who had been to the front, including those who have fallen, and the Mayor said that on some future occasion he would be very pleased to vote for this. On the proposition to confer the freedom on the volunteers being put to the meeting it was carried by 16 votes to 2, Mr Jermyn remaining neutral.


Eastern Daily Press, 12th July 1901

KING’S LYNN.

On Wednesday [10th July] evening (after having received the freedom of the borough in the morning) the five members of the Lynn detachment of volunteers who have returned from active service in South Africa were entertained by their volunteer comrades at a smoking concert in the St James’s Room. Colonel Cresswell presided, and in the course of the evening he presented to each of the five men a silver cigarette case and a silver match-box, which has been subscribed for by the volunteers. The proceedings were of a hearty and convivial character, and the heroes of the evening had an enthusiastic reception.


Eastern Daily Press, 19th July 1901

KING’S LYNN.

THE RETURNED VOLUNTEERS.

The Town Council met on Wednesday week [10th July], the Mayor (Mr J.T. Savage) presiding, and the first business before them was to present the freedom of the borough upon seven Volunteers who had been on active service in South Africa. A good number of the general public, including several ladies, attended to witness the ceremony. The Mayor formally moved that the honorary freedom of the borough be conferred on troopers G.W. WEBSTER and D. WARNES, of the Imperial Yeomanry, Sergeant H. LAMBERT, Corporal W.H. RUTTER, Privates C.E. AYRE, J.D. FRANKS, and J.L. WRIGHT, of the 3rd Vol. Batt. Norfolk Regiment, and this was carried unanimously. Trooper WARNER has returned to South Africa, and Sergeant LAMBERT was also unable to be present, but the other five men attended. Each in turn took the oath of allegiance and signed the burgess roll, and then received from the Mayor the resolution of the Council inscribed on vellum and enclosed in a leather casket. Corporal RUTTER and Trooper WEBSTER returned thanks for their comrades. In the evening the five Volunteers were entertained by their comrades at a smoking concert in St James’s Rooms, Lieutenant-Colonel Cresswell presiding. Each of the men was presented with a silver cigarette case and match-box.


Lynn Advertiser, 7th March 1902

OFF TO THE WAR.

The Lynn detachment of Volunteers has contributed two members to the party of 60 Norfolk Volunteers that on Monday sailed for South Africa, being the third contingent of Volunteers that the county has sent to the war. The Lynn men, Private F. BRITTAIN, “A” Company, and G.H. LUSHER, “B” Company, bade farewell to home on Sunday afternoon, when, arrayed in their khaki outfits, they travelled by train to Norwich, in readiness to proceed to Southampton with the company next morning. One or two members of “H” Company (Heacham) who were accepted for service in South Africa journeyed to Norwich with the Lynn men, and the little party had a hearty send-off, a large number of friends assembling at Lynn Station to cheer them on their way.
LUSHER and BRITTAIN received several gifts, Colonel Cresswell presenting each of them with a pipe and a pound of tobacco and some underclothing, and the non-commissioned officers gave each of them £1 from the funds in hand from the Volunteer ball.


Eastern Daily Press, 24th July 1902

LYNN TOWN COUNCIL.

The Lynn Town Council met on Wednesday morning for the purpose of granting pawn-brokers’ and game-dealers’ licences, and the Mayor, who presided over a bare quorum, took occasion to refer to the expected return of the volunteers from South Africa, there being two Lynn men [Brittain and Lusher] in the Norfolk Company. The Mayor mentioned that when the men of the first company returned they were recorded a public welcome and the Freedom of the borough conferred upon them, and he thought the same should be done for these men. It was ultimately agreed that the Mayor and Corporation should welcome the men at the railway station, the question of the Freedom of the borough being of necessity deferred.


Lynn News, 26th July 1902

Two home-coming volunteers [Brittain & Lusher] are to be publicly welcomed by the Mayor and Corporation of Lynn when they return with the Volunteer Service Company of which they form a part. Doubtless, too, they will be met by the officers and rank and file of the 3rd V.B.N.R., of which they are members. The question of whether or not they will be rewarded with the freedom of the borough is yet an open one, for this cannot be decided in the affirmative without the sanction of a two-thirds majority of the Town Council, which it has not yet been possible to obtain. But everyone must agree that nothing short of this will be fair and equitable. They have been in the same kind of service as those who returned before them, they have exposed themselves voluntarily to the same risks and hardships, and they must have the same honour – not only the freedom of the borough but the enrolling of their names upon the tablet in the Town Hall, which records the names, rank, &c., of the men who have served their monarch and their country in a land and a time of warfare.

Note: according to the register of Freemen of the Borough, Brittain and Lusher were never enrolled.


Lynn Advertiser, 21st November 1902

THE LYNN VOLUNTEERS.

PRIZE DISTRIBUTION.

St James Hall presented quite a military appearance on Monday evening, when the members of the Lynn detachment of the 3rd V.B.N.R. assembled there for the annual prize distribution. The Volunteers mustered over 100, and were under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Cresswell, M.V.O.
……. Lieutenant-Colonel Cresswell then asked Colonel Hyde to present two members of the detachment, Lance-Corporal LUSHER (“B” Company) and Private BRITTAIN (“A” Company), who went to the front as volunteers, with similar gifts as other members of the detachment that had seen service in South Africa received. Colonel Hyde accordingly presented LUSHER and BRITTAIN with a silver cigarette case and match-box, the recipients being warmly cheered.








Bronze medallion issued by the Borough of Kings Lynn. Obverse with the civic arms of Kings Lynn over "GEORGE BRISTOW, MAYOR" and the legend: "A SOUVENIR OF SOUTH AFRICAN WAR 1899-1900. / KINGS LYNN". Reverse with portraits of GEN. BADEN-POWELL, LORD ROBERTS V.C., and GENERAL FRENCH, under the Royal Arms. Also the words: "S. AFRICA / 1899 / 1900". 32mm diameter.

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