TOPIC:

Here is one for your list Rob....... Has been posted earlier in forum......

Mike

NEWBIGGING, P.C.E. (PATRICK CHARLES ERIC)

REG. NO.: N/A
RANK: COLONEL
REGT: 7th BRIGADE, ROYAL FIELD ARTILLERY
BARS: CAPE COLONY

REMARKS / HISTORY:

1. BORN - May 21st, 1850
2. APPOINTED AS GENTLEMAN CADET THE ROYAL MILITARY ACADEMY, WOOLWICH, August 11th, 1868.
3. COMMISSIONED AS LIEUTENANT IN THE ROYAL ARTILLERY, August 2nd, 1871.
4. 1880 to September 1881, "A" BATTERY ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY, WOLLWICH.
5. CAPTAIN, ROYAL ARTILLERY, June 11th, 1881.
6. September 1881 to December 1882, CAPE COLONY.
7. January 1883 to November 1884, "L" BATTERY, ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY, 2nd BRIGADE, ALDERSHOT.
8. November 1884 to August 1885, BECHUANALAND WITH MOUNTED RIFLES.
9. MAJOR, ROYAL ARTILLERY, December 21st, 1886.
10. November 1885 to 1889, OFFICER COMMANDING, 10th BATTERY, 1st BRIGADE, LONDON DIVISION.
11. 1889 to 1897, OFFICER COMMANDING, 63rd BATTERY, ROYAL FIELD ARTILLERY, COLCHESTER.
12. LIEUTENANT-COLONEL, February 15th, 1897.
13. APPOINTED, LIEUTENANT COLONEL ARTILLERY FOR INDIA.
14. WOOLWICH, ROYAL FIELD ARTILLERY, 1898.
15. COMMANDING, VII BRIGADE, ROYAL FIELD ARTILLERY, SOUTH AFRICA, 1899 - 1900.
16. TOOK PART IN OPERATIONS IN CAPE COLONY SOUTH OF THE ORANGE RIVER 1899 - 1900.
17. COLONEL, ROYAL ARTILLERY, February 15th, 1901.
18. OFFICER COMMANDING XXVIII BRIGADE WOOLWICH.
19. RETIRED, February 15th, 1902
20. NO W.W.1 SERVICE FOUND SO THEREFORE THE Q.S.A. WITH CAPE COLONY BAR IS ONLY SERVICE MEDAL.

To Bernice, Adrian, Arthur and the two Mikes.

My thanks to all of you for entering the fray !

My interest in the Warren Expedition is partly motivated by the fact that my paternal great grandfather was one of those who accompanied the Expedition. At that stage he was already well known to CJR and it was the events of those years which brought together many personalities who played leading roles in the later events in Mashonaland and indeed the Jameson Raid. In my view the political role played out by the British in their decision to send Sir Charles with such a large force has been down played in understanding the events which eventually led to the real War with the Transvaal some 15 years later. The names of most of the British military officers who served with the Expedition are well known and as there was no actual fighting this period of South Africa’s late 19th century history has been largely ignored.

For the Colonial or South African medal collector it is noteworthy to be able to confirm whether or not a local lowly ranked medal recipient served under Sir Charles. Clearly there were many “locals” who took part but nowhere have I ever come across a listing or part listing of the names of the many South African volunteers. For instance, it has been recorded that some 50 members of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Volunteer Rifles served but I have only come across the odd individual entry which confirms one of their members as being a participant.

As a keen Dukes Regimental collector, I am fortunate to have the group of three (SAGS – Lonsdales Horse, CGHGS – DEOVR, QSA - C.M.R.) awarded to Henry Frederick Joseph Greetham who was one of those members who apparently served in 1884 as a member of one of the Cape Volunteer Field Batteries which accompanied the Expedition. Greetham was a pre Zulu War member of Dukes and was seemingly at the forefront in Cape Town in the appeals for volunteers for service with Lonsdale’s Horse at the start of the Zulu War. It was the reports of his excellent and competent service that led to Frank Johnson being selected by CJR to lead the Pioneer Column into Mashonaland in 1890.

I am aware of the research done in years past by researchers Otto Reitz and Arthur Davies but as far as I am aware no reasonable listing of particularly the Cape Volunteers has been unearthed in either the Cape Town or UK Archives or elsewhere. As a result collectors seemingly only have the odd service record or biographical entry to add spice to some of our medal recipients.

RobM
Cape Town

....A Cape Rifle Team for England.—ln accordance wilh a requisition received by the commanding-officer, a special general meeting of the Duke of Edinburgh's Own Volunteer Rifles has been held at Capetown, for the purpose of considering the following proposition, viz.:— "That it is advisable that the sum of £100 sterling be contributed from the funds of the Regiment towards sending a team to the forthcoming Wimbledon meeting of the National Rifle Association." Sergeant J. H. Orchard (formerly of the 1st Hants Artillery Volunteers) moved—"That the Regiment agrees to contribute the sum of £100 from its funds towards sending a team to the forthcoming Wimbledon meeting of the National Rifle Association."—This was seconded, and agreed to with two dissentients.
The Southampton Herald, Saturday 23rd April 1887

....The team of Volunteers from the Cape which is to compete at the next Wimbledon Meeting arrived in England yesterday. Several of them are members of Prince Alfred's Guards, the regiment with which the Exeter Rifle Volunteers last year had a competition. The following are the names of the team:—Major Inglesby, Prince Alfred's Own Volunteer Artillery; Captain Aart, Duke of Edinburgh's Own Volunteer Rifles; Captain Gracie, Duke of Edinburgh's Own Volunteer Rifles; Lieutenant Webster, Duke of Edinburgh's Own Volunteer Rifles; Sergeant Orchard, Sergeant Menzies, Capetown Highlanders; Private Campbell, Capetown Highlanders; Sergeant Grant, P.A.O.V. Artillery; Gunner Bosenber, N.P.A.O.V. Artillery, all of Capetown; and Sergeant Clarry, Prince Alfred's Volunteer Guard, of Port Elizabeth. Lieutenant Searle, Sergeants A. Menzies and McAllister, and Corporal Lea also proceed with the team at thei own expense.
The Devon and Exeter Daily Gazette, Wednesday 2nd June 1887

I recognise that I am entering a conversation that took place some 4years and 2 weeks ago.
I too have a great grandfather who, according to family verbal history, was a volunteer in Warren's BFF. His name was William Thomas Whelan. I have, only recently discovered that he was awarded SAGS in service of the Griqualand West Volunteer Artillery. This may have been in the BFF. in 1884-85
I also think that he may have served as a volunteer in earlier Colonial conflicts from about 1872, perhaps in the volunteer artillery unit of the Cape Armed Frontier Police e.g. Cape Town Volunteer Artillery. I'll be grateful to anyone who has names of the volunteers in these units or who can advise where such information can be obtained.
Mark Skelton, Cape Town

Mark,

The following books may be helpful to you :

* D.R. Forsyth, The South Africa Medal Roll 1877-1879;
* H.H. Curson, The History of the Kimberley Regiment.

Forsyth's book is a unit-by-unit listing of recipients of the SAGS, and shows the clasps issued with each medal. That would enable you to find out in which campaign your GGF served. It wouldn't have been the 1884-85 Warren Expedition, though, as the medal covered only campaigns between 1877 and 1879 (and no medal was issued for the expedition anyway).

Curson's book covers not only the Kim R as such, but other early Griqualand West volunteer units too, and may provide some background to whichever campaign your GGF served in.

You should be able to consult these books in the National Library in Cape Town.

The Frontier Armed & Mounted Police and the Cape Town Volunteer Artillery which you mention were two entirely different units. The FAMP (renamed 'Cape Mounted Riflemen' in 1878) was a permanent force unit based in the eastern Cape, while the CTVA (later 'Cape Field Artillery', now 'Nelson Mandela Artillery Regiment') has always been in Cape Town. The FAMP/CMR's artillery battery was formed in 1874, and was the forerunner of the present 4 Artillery Regiment.

If you think there's a possibility that your GGF served in the CTVA, you could try contacting the regiment to see if they still have any records from the 1870s/80s.

Mark
According to "Forgotten Heroes - Zulu and Basuto Wars" by Roy Dutton, in the listing for Griqualand West Volunteer Artilley is shown Gunner Whelan W.T. ; earning the SAGS with clasp 1878. It appears the medal was "returned". Could be your GGF.
Regards
IL.