TOPIC:

Charles William Seager (or Seagar/Seagur) was something of a mystery, volunteering from the town of Bega, NSW, but not a local man. Upon reaching South Africa, he was immediately sent back to Australia in disgrace.


....The South African contingent movement has been taken up In the country districts with the greatest possible enthusiasm. The call for volunteers has met with a hearty response in every locality where there Is a volunteer corps, and the residents have joined In the general outburst of enthusiasm. In most of the towns those who have been selected to come to Sydney to undergo examination, with a view to their final inclusion in the contingent, have been farewelled, and in every Instance the proceedings have been marked by the singing of patriotic songs. The names of those who have been ordered to Sydney for examination are [including]: —
....Bega.— Staff-Sergeant Daly, Sergeant T. Manning, Lance-Corporal Hawes and Schafer, Farrier-Sergeant Wilson, Privates Wm. Klrkland, James Simmons, Edward Bull, Louis Waterson, Horace Young, Henry Maples, Wm. Abrahams, John M'Donnel, and Seagar.
The Australian Star [Sydney], Wednesday 25th October 1899




....HOBART (TAS.), Tuesday.— The N.Z. Shipping Company's steamer Waiwera brought from the Cape, as a prisoner, Sergeant-Farrier Seager, of the N.S.W. Mounted Rifles. While proceeding in the Aberdeen to Capetown Seager, it is alleged, drew his bayonet towards one of the contingent, said to be a captain. He was promptly arrested, and on arrival at South Africa court martialled and reduced to a private. It was aiso decided to send him back to New South' Wales, and he was given into the hands of the master ofthe Waiwera, with instructions to hand him over to the military authorities at Hobart, with a view to sending him to Sydney. The police here have him in custody, and he proceeds home by the Oonah to-night. At the police station here Seager informed the police that they had.no power to hold him, and was going to walk off, but was prevented. Seager, to an interviewer, appeared anxious to reach Sydney in time to see the second contingent off. He further stated that he was not anxious to continue in the service, as the authorities had treated him badly.
Evening News [Sydney], Wednesday 3rd January 1900


The report in Truth (below) has to be taken with a pinch of salt. Oddly, after its closure Truth's shares ended up being bought by a Rupert Murdoch-owned company.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_(Sydney_newspaper)







By the Union S.S. Coy's steamer Oonah there arrived in Sydney, on January 5, Private, formerly Farrier-Sergeant Seager. Seager had come from Cape Town to Hobart in the Waiwera, and is the first of the boys who left here for service in South Africa, to return.
....Every one is familiar with the few short pars, that have appeared from time to time, announcing that some trouble had occurred on board the transport Aberdeen, that a court martial had followed, and that Seager had been reduced to the ranks and ordered back to Australia. But very few know the whole of the story. It is a tale of cruel injustice, contumely and wanton degradation of a man, not calculated to make Australians take to soldiering or to rush off to a foreign country at tbe call of England.
....But the story Truth now proposes to tell.
....Seager was born at Bangalore, India, 43 years ago. He is a fine specimen of manhood, standing 6ft. 1in. in his socks, and weighing I4st 4lb. He comes from a military family, his father and uncles all having been military men. They fought with distinction through the Crimea and the Mutiny, and were awarded all the medals of those stirring and bloody wars.
....Young Seager joined the 1st Madras Lancers, and soon became a shoeing smith. There was not much for him to do in India, but the Afghanistan campaign gave him his opportunity, and in that struggle during the years 1878, '79, and '80, Seager was engaged. He came out of the trouble with distinction, and the medal of the campaign is worn by him.
....After serving his time he took his dischargc and came to Australia, where he settled down. He adopted blaeksmithing as his trade, and as he had passed through the Army Veterinary Schools at Poonah, this knowledge stood greatly to his stead. His brother, however, and the sons of his uncles remained in the army. They were ordered to South Africa, took part in the Boer war, and, at the fearful Majuba Hill, fell — all four of them victims to Boer bullets.
....This was something Seager could never forget. Ever since, he has burned to avenge his brother and his cousins, and when the opportunity offered, he was one of the first to volunteer. The troopship Aberdeen took him away. His veterinary and general horse knowledge made him a very useful man, and he soon received appointment as farrier-sergeant. This rank he prized, and he made every effort to faithfully discharge the duties it involved. To him was given the absolute care of the horses. But he was not allowed to exercise such control. A fussy person named Holman, a warrant officer, who never was popular among the men of the New South Wales Mounted Rifles, whatever he may have been anong those officers found fault with everything he did. And he did more. He arrogated to himself the duties that were Seager's, and frequently countermanded his orders. Seager reported Holman to the Officer Commanding, but nothing came of it, and matters became gradually worse. At last the rupture came.One day Seager insisted positively on his orders being carried out, and Holman took extreme measures. He reported Seager and charged him with wilful disobedience of orders, using obscene language to a private, breaking from his arrest, and resisting the provost. ....But it was destined to take a most appreciable shrink. On being brought before the C.O. in the morning Seager was asked if he would like to be tried by him (Captain Antill). "No," was the reply, "let my case go before the Officer Commanding at Cape Town." "No," said the officer, "I intend to have you tried by Regimental Court Martial." Accordingly a court was appointed, consisting of Major Bridges (president), Major Bayly, and Captain Dangar, members. A pretty sort of "Regimental" Court, truly, seeing that not one of them belonged to the regiment; not one, indeed, belonged to the same arm of the service. This was a great surprise to Seager; but a greater one was awaiting him. When presented before the Court he found that the big quadruplex charge against him had been reduced to on duty, and resisting the provost. The hand of the ex-policeman is here discernable. It is the common '"righteous" of the average bobby. And Holman once was a trooper. Seventeen witnesses were called, and 16 of them swore that Seager was sober. The Chief Engineer of the Aberdeen was one of these, and his evidence was most positive. Three witnesses for the prosecution — the honor of the army! Yah ! — swore that he was sober. So Holman was left alone to stick to his tale and swear Seager was drunk. And right valiantly he did so. The charge was dismissed, that is the charge of drunkeness, but by one of those peculiar vagaries which sometimes assail judicial personages, and particularly military judicial personages, he was found guilty of assaulting the provost. Now if he were not drunk, the provost had no right to lay hands on him. Such an action constituted an assault, and Seager was perfectly justified in resisting them to any reasonable extent. But this never seems to have struck the chuckle-headed military chumps who presided. Being found guilty of such, of course exemplary punishment must be given, and the sentence of the Court was that Seager should be reduced to the ranks and that the degradation take place publicly. Accordingly before all the troops on board, Mounted Rifles and lnfantry, before all the ship's company, and the few passengers, on Sunday, November 18, at sea between Albany and East London, his stripes pulled off, and he put to work at the dirtiest and most menial occupation that could be found for him. He appealed to Captain Antill for a new trial. He was curtly refused, the Captain saying: "Take your discharge, and I'll give it to you now." "No," replied Seager; "I am no coward and I mean to fight. I'll never show myself a cur in the face of New South Wales and the send-off they gave us." But the ever-ready Holman was standing by. Regiment Sergeant-Major Holman, who is much more the officer commanding than "Jack" Antill, and at his own sweet will, he chipped in. "It's no use, old man,'' he said, "you can't come with us. You're far too much of an Imperial man for us." Thus he spoke, and so it was decided. There was no more mention of his taking out a discharge. The men aboard sympathised with him, and openly expressed their sympathy, making no secret of their opinion that he had not been fairly treated. The Rev. Mullineaux, who will be remembered here as captain of spoke in terms of strong indignation, and added, "Seager, if I had any sort of a commission, I would not allow the matter to rest here." But so it was decided, and so it fell out. On arrival at Cape Town, Seager did his duty for one day, and then was packed on board the Waiwera and shipped off to Australia. On arrival at Hobart he was not allowed ashore till a policeman came and brought him, and a military posse brought him aboard the Oonah, by which he came to Sydney. Here he was met by the military authorities, who took him a prisoner to Victoria Barracks. There he was released and sent out into the world with nothing but what he stood up in — his military clothes. was in his pocket; he had nowhere to turn. He had previously lived at Bega, and once there could manage to get on. But he has no way of getting there. Not that he wants to very much, for he is anxious to go to the front. He is desirous of fighting for the Empire. But he won't go without his rank. Under all the circumstances Truth thinks ....If Seager's story be true, and Truth sees no reason to doubt it, particularly knowing what a fussy, tiresome, and dictatorial martinet this Holman is — the writer has come into collision with him on more than one occasion — it constitutes a gross scandal and one eminently demanding a full and complete investigation. It is a nice encouragement for young Australians to volunteer when they find themselves subject to the caprice of such jacks-in-office as the man Holman, who seems to run things and the officers just as he likes. If Major-General French desires to do something good, he might look into this matter, give it his fullest attention, and see what can be done to remedy what palpably has been a gross wrong to a willing and competent soldier.
Truth [Sydney], Sunday 14th January 1900


....Private Seagur, the volunteer who was sent back from South Africa, reported himself to the officer commanding the Bega Mounted Rifles on Friday. He denies that he drew his bayonet on his officer on board the Aberdeen. Seagur returns as a private, and no charge against him has been made to Major Bland, of the Bega Company.
The Wagga Wagga Express, Thursday 18th January 1900


....Quite the most important event that has happened since the races has been the return of Private (erstwhile Farrier-Sergeant) Seagar from South Africa. This individual, who is a bit of a mystery, evidently belongs to the itinerant brigade; for he asserts that he tramped from the Illawarra District in order to join the Bega detachment then proceeding to South Africa. Anyhow he succeeded in enlisting and was despatched with the contingent, ranking as Farrier Sergeant on account of previous knowledge supposed to have been acquired in India. His blatant " skite" on the occasion of the send off failed to impress tbe people, and they are not greatly surprised at the turn events had since taken. He succeeded in enlisting tbe sympathy of Truth, which has taken up his case and makes him out to be a martyr to that domineering martinet, Sergeant Major Holman, whom the Bega boys too religiously detest. It is a very common saying among the members of the local company that if any of their number incur the displeasure of Antill or Holman it is on account of the fact that they have the misfortune to belong to the Bega Company. Certain it is that a great number of them readily believe Seagar's stories of Antill and Holman's oppression and favoritism. He also asserts that another Bega man was degraded for a very trivial offence, Seagar is now armed with a copy of Truth, and, if a sympathetic audience can be found, descants upon his wrongs and vows vengeance against the authors of his degradation, but very few take him seriously, as his style and appearances do not beget him the necessary sympathy.
The Cobargo Chronicle, Friday 19th January 1900


To make a living, Seager then became a travelling veterinary surgeon and farrier in New South Wales.



Mudgee, December 1900 - January 1901
Kempsey, September 1901
Taree, October 1901 - fined 5/- for being drunk, and £2for using obscene language.
Cundleton, December 1901 - fined £2 or a month for using obscene language.
Armidale, February 1902
Camden, May 1902
Nowra, June - July 1902. By now Seager was claiming that he too had served at Majuba.


Narromine, August 1902
Peak Hill & Parkes, September 1902
Molong, May 1903 - drunkenness, cautioned and discharged.
Yass, August - November 1903
Crookwell, December 1903
Yass - March, July 1904, January 1905



The sequel to the above letter was that Seager attacked Campbell's solicitor in the street, using a steel whip across his arm, for which he was fined £3 with costs, and bound over to keep the peace for six months.


The final reference to him that I've found was visiting Queanbeyan in at least February and March 1909.

That is very thorough research, Berenice, and very nice to see a drawing of him too.

I just wish I could have found his date of death and where he was buried.

Hello Berenice,
Is it possible your Mr Seager could have gone to New Zealand?
I found a Mr Charles William Seager who died in1917 and is buried at Linwood Cemetery New Zealand.
1911 Electoral roll Christchurch East
322 Armagh Street Charles William Seager ....profession, Veterinary Surgeon
Lived with his wife Mary.
Died 21st August 1917....as above for location.

Brilliant, Dave. I'd done a search for him on Find A Grave, but had limited it to Australia.




....Amongst the callers upon the Mayor of Christchurch yesterday afternoon was Mr C. W. Seager, an Afghanistan veteran, sixty-five years of age, who offered his services to King and country as "a farrier or in any other capacity." "I can stop a bullet," he told the Mayor, "and I think I can shoot, too."
....Mr Seager was through the Afghanistan campaign, including the march to Kabul, under Lord Roberts (then Major-General Roberts). He belonged to the 12th Lancers, Colonel Cherry. He has also seen service in South Africa—Majuba Hill 1881, and the Boer War. He went as a farrier-sergeant with the First New South Wales Contingent, and being a veterinary Surgeon (though not an M.R.C.V.S.) with practical knowledge of horses he was put in charge of those on board the transport Aberdeen. He comes of fighting stock. His grandfather took part in the battle of Waterloo, and his father and two uncles saw service in the Crimea and during the Bengal mutiny.
....Despite his sixty-five years, Mr Seager is keen to see more service. He stands soldierly erect and seems as active as any man half his age.
...."A splendid spirit to show," was the comment of a gentleman who heard of Mr Seager's willingness to again take up arms for King and country.
The Star [Christchurch],8th August 1914

He'd also placed an advert in the same paper on the 28th of August 1909, giving his address as 15, Carter's Lane, off Kilmore Street, Christchurch,and describing himself as a veterinary surgeon.

I've now got a copy of his death certificate, and, as I expected, there's nothing about his parents. He died in Christchurch Hospital, of heart failure after apoplexy (a stroke?) two years earlier.

His age at death was given as 78, and he'd supposedly been in New Zealand for 15 years, having moved there aged 63. He'd married Mary Garton in Australia when he was aged 33, and they'd been married approximately 45 years (circa 1872). Her age on his death certificate was given as 65, so when they got married he was approx. 33 and she was approx. 20. They had no living children in 1917.

So if he was 78 in August 1917, that means he was 75 when he tried to volunteer in August 1914 (giving his age as 65), and approximately 60 when he sailed for South Africa with the New South Wales Mounted Rifles in October 1899 (age given as 43).

The death certificate says he'd been in New Zealand for 15 years (1902), yet he was working in New South Wales for several years after 1902, up to 1909.