TOPIC:

Many of those casualties of the Imperial Light Infantry were typical of Henry’s life story. Ordinary men who by chance or fortune ended up in South Africa and who, like their Boer foe, were not professional soldiers yet fought with courage and distinction in a cauldron like firestorm at a moment when it mattered most.


BIRTH: Jan 1876 (baptised 17 March 1876)
Plympton, Devon, England

DEATH: Unknown

Early Life:

Father: Alfred McDonald Graham (1835 - 1887)
Mother: Matilda Jessie Way (1845 - 1893)

Henry was born in 1876 in England to a Scottish father and Irish mother; the eldest of three children with Edith Maria (E.M. Graham) and Gertrude the younger two sisters.

According to the 1881 Scottish census 5-year-old Henry was school student with his father working as an Analytical Chemist. The family had a comfortable life with his grandmother and servant living with them at the time.

Unfortunately, his father passed away in 1887 when Henry was only 11 years old.

By 1891 the family had moved to Blackheath in England with his mother living on her own means with Henry, now 15, working as Boy Clerk in Trinity House with his 2 younger sisters maintaining their studies.

An interesting note is that the houses in Dartmouth Terrace were inhabited with widows and their families.

Unfortunately tragedy was to strike again with Henry’s mother passing away in 1893 when he was only 18 years old.

Following the death of his mother Henry travelled to South Africa either to find his fortune or simply out of necessity.

2nd Anglo Boer War:

Henry, like so many other uitlanders at the time, found themselves displaced by the outbreak of war in South Africa in October 1899.

Henry enlisted with one of the South African colonial unit’s raised at the time; namely the “Imperial Light Infantry” on the 23rd November 1899.

Courtesy of the Anglo Boer War Website:

This corps was raised in Natal and was largely re­cruited from those who had lost their employment through the outbreak of hostilities. The command was given to Lieutenant Colonel Nash (Border Regiment).

By the end of December 1899 the regiment was ready for active service, and it was inspected by General Sir C Warren on 2nd January 1900.

The Imperial Light Infantry saw comparatively little training and no fighting until they were thrown into the awful combat on Spion Kop on 24th January 1900.

The Imperial Light Infantry, about 1000 strong, was paraded at 10 pm on 23rd January, and, as ordered, they took up positions from which they could reinforce General Woodgate, who commanded the force detailed to capture the hill.

Sir C Warren visited the regiment early on the morning of the 24th, and asked the officers if they had seen anything of a mountain-battery which he was expecting. They had not. He requested that 2 companies be sent forward to a specified point to be ready to escort the battery to the summit.*

The companies of Captains Champney and Smith moved out at 6 am and waited as ordered for the battery, but about 9 am a staff-officer told them to reinforce immediately on the summit. The 2 companies advanced and reached the top shortly after 10 am*.

* "With the Imperial Light History Through Natal, p30".

.......the honour of being first in the firing line belonging to F and H Companies, who gained the summit at eleven o'clock......

At this hour the enemy's fire was appalling, the hail of bullets and shells being ceaseless, but these untried volunteers are said to have pushed up to the shallow trench and the firing-line beyond it without flinching.

They at once commenced to suffer very severe losses. These 2 companies were the first reinforcements to enter the firing-line, and their arrival proved most opportune, some Lancashire companies being very hard pressed at this time and at this part of the position.

About mid-day Colonel Nash was ordered to reinforce on the summit with "every available man". About 2 pm he reached the top with his remaining companies, who at once bolted out from the rocks at the head of the ascent and fed the firing-line, pushing forward fearlessly across the open.

Throughout the afternoon and evening the firing was unceasing, and often at very close quarters; after dark it had died away. A field-officer of the Imperial Light Infantry, formerly a regular officer, who was present, has stated to the writer that about 8 pm it was whispered a retirement was contemplated, and that about 9 o'clock Colonel Nash intimated that he had got a message to get ready to move off the hill.

At some point during the day Henry was captured by the Boers and would spend the next 5 months as a Prisoner of War in Pretoria.



An analysis of the casualty list of the Imperial Light Infantry on that infamous day was completed by Meurig Jones in his blog from 2015:

theangloboerwars.blogspot.com/2015/10/th...fantry-at-spion.html

From his analysis there were the following casualties:

• KIA – 33
• DOW – 2
• POW – 28
• MIA & Released – 1

Pretoria Waterval POW Camp:
Courtesy of Ians1900 of the Anglo Boer War Forum


The POW’s from the ILI were released on the 6th June 1900.



Spion Kop Memorial Courtesy of Brett Hendy (Anglo Boer War Forum):






After Waterval POW Camp:

Following his release from Pretoria in June 1900 Henry returned to the Imperial Light Infantry and continued to serve with them until the 2nd April 1901.

Following his discharge Henry attested with the Corps of Cattle Rangers on the 12th April 1901 and given the rank of "Ranger" and Number D2.

In his attestation papers he is described as 25 years old, dark complexion and 5ft and 8” tall with no distinctive marks.

His sister E.M. Graham of 22 York Place, Oxford in Manchester England was listed as his Next of Kin.




Unfortunately Henrys time with the Corps was short lived as he was discharged for “misconduct” on the 31st July 1901; we will never know the circumstances but given the Terms and Conditions of the contract it could have been for a variety of reasons.

Following his release from the Corps of Cattle Rangers Henry then joined the “Director of Supplies – Native Labour Corps”, was assigned the rank of “Overseer” with number 494.

It’s not known when he left the Native Labour Corps but it must have been before the end of 1901 as he was not issued with the “South Africa 1902” clasp.
 
After the War:

In 1920 Henry, now 44, married 29 year old Emmie Elizabeth in Whitwick, Leicestershire, England.

Following their marriage they returned to South Africa and their first daughter, Barbra Elizabeth, was born in Durban on the 6th March 1921.



Medal with "upside down" naming

Any additional information on Henry or that of the Imperial Light Infantry is most welcome.

His sister when he gave her as NoK was a nurse residing at the Manchester Nurses Institute - she is twelfth on the attached 1901 Census Return for said Institute but perhaps you knew this already.

Hi Smethwick,

I didn't have that piece of information; thanks for your contribution.

Regards,
Sturgy