TOPIC:

Hi

A quick check shows

Dryden, Warby, Emerton, Harvey and Seymour were also at the Relief of Ladysmith.

Interesting....

Kind regards

Munroe

Brett gave me a copy of the intitial post of this topic as he knew that I would be interested as I have the QSA to H F Francis ILH ( ROM, DOL, Tvl, 01). I acquired the medal about 8 years ago on a tip from an Estate Agent friend who had just been to value a local property. While there, he saw a very grubby framed picture of an old soldier in the garage. There was a medal pinned to the picture. Clearly it wasnt too highly prized.
I contacted the owner , who showed me the picture, and I guessed that it was ILH from the bar combination. The owner told me that picture and medal was of a distant relative who was a lion hunter and he was named in Jock of the Bushveld ( Yeh right ! Another family legend ) The deal was done and I took the pic home and retrieved the medal.I was happy, but got a lot happier when research revealed just who Francis had been ( and that , the family legend only scratched the surface of Farmer Francis' achievements) .
It was interesting that Francis was killed while a Captain in Steinaecker's Horse but his medal was issued off the ILH roll.
Regards
Mike

Hi All,

Justin, a very nice piece to have, you should be pleased.

It was men of the Composite Regiment, led by Major Gough, who were first into Ladysmith, a troop of Natal Carbineers and A troop of the ILH.
Majors McKenzie and Mackay, Captains Bottomley and Reggie Barnes, Lieutenants Tom Bridges, Douglas Gilfillan and Currie. Troopers Baker and Hall of the NC and Corporals EW Warby and AB Duirs of the ILH. Others mentioned are Troopers Hubert Gough and Christian.

Iain

The conventional account of the entry into Ladysmith of men of the Composite Regiment is often repeated. Below I quote from an eyewitness account written by Miss Bella Craw, a young resident of Ladysmith, whose diary was published by the Ladysmith Historical Society in 1970.

"Wednesday Feb. 28th 1900
........... We heard great cheering at Indombi Camp, the town in a few minutes was all excitement, people running from all quarters, so we ran out and joined the crowd at Inman's Corner. They told us the flying column was to be seen coming past Indombi Camp, so we immediately turned down the street in the direction of the cheering. We got so excited we actually ran at all times through pools and puddles that were too big to jump (there had been a heavy rain during the afternoon). We only got as far as Mrs Hayden's when we met a squadron of Imperial Light Horse headed by Major Karri Davis, 80 so I believe were there. Then came a small number of Natal Police, twenty or thirty, then Natal Carbineers headed by Major Duncan McKenzie looking beaming, his left arm in a sling (they say he is hoarse tonight with cheering). The General and his staff met them just by our gate."

Miss Craw is mistaken about Karri Davis' presence. It was Captain Bottomley of A Squadron, who led the ILH. The leader of the Natal Police troop was Sub-Inspector A G Abraham, whose medals are shown in my avatar.

There is no reason to doubt Miss Craw's observation on the order of entry into Ladysmith and I wonder if the conventional account of the sharing of the honour between the ILH and NC was concocted later to forestall any bickering about which of these two regiments should claim the honour. The emphasis on the ILH and NC is most subsequent accounts omits mention of other elements of the Composite Regiment that were also there, although in smaller numbers - Natal Police, Natal Mounted Rifles and Border Mounted Rifles. The company of King's Royal Rifle Corps Mounted Infantry was held back by a direct order from Lord Dundonald, so only Colonial troops under Major Gough took part in this famous event.

Brett

Hi Brett,

you could well be right about the sharing of honours but you dont think perhaps they may have separated in into separate units at this stage. This is only conjecture on my part.
Surely Major Gough led the the column or at least the ILH?
I had read somewhere {?) that there were other units in the Composite Regt that took part in the relief. You'll have me checking through all my other books now,

regards, Iain

Iain

You are right. Major Gough did lead the whole column, while Bottomley led the ILH. It must have been Gough that Bella Craw mistook for Karri Davis.

Regards
Brett