TOPIC:

The QSA to 4127 Pte. W. Pell, A. & S. Highrs. who was wounded at Modder River, 28 November 1899.


Picture courtesy of DNW

Hi

I've compared the casualty list extracted from The Times set out above with the service records for the 1st Battalion Scots Guards set out at pages 211-251 in the illustrated record of The 1st Battalion Scots Guards in South Africa 1899-1902 edited by Captain J H Cuthbert. I have found that the following casualties suffered by the 1st Battalion were not mentioned in The Times list, but are referred to by Cuthbert: Surgeon Major S G Moores, slightly wounded; Lieutenant W J M Hill, wounded; 614 Pvt. A Nicholson, wounded; 989 Pvt. W Parsons, wounded; 9124 Pvt. W Simson, wounded; and 1259 Pvt. R Webb, died of wounds on 13 December 1899 received at Modder River on 28 December 1899. It seems that The Times refers to two men not mentioned by Cuthbert: 8957 Cpl. J Mitchell and 9745 Pte D Walmsley.

This indicates that there may be more legitimate single clasp medals and medals to casualties than first meets the eye.

By the way, Cuthbert sets out a detailed chronology of the movements of the 1st Battalion during the war, which some may find useful.

Best regards

Peter Jordi

Hello Peter

That's very useful, overall there are many "missing" casualties. The Times does publish supplementary lists as they arrive from the War Office so some of these men maybe tucked away in a later issue. Moores maybe listed under RAMC, his parent regiment.

Webb appears in the The Times Nov 30 1899 as wounded at Belmont.

Regards
Meurig

Group to H F Stevenson, from BidorBuy.


Seller's description:

An extremely rare QSA / WW1 medal group with single clasp Modder River and Army Long Service and Good Conduct medal all named to Sgt H.F.Stevenson, 62 Battery RFA.

According to the records, he was not wounded but if one reads the history, the 62nd Battery was held in reserve at the Orange River Bridge during the battle at Belmont. When the Boers attacked at Modder river, the 62nd Battery were forced matched to Modder river to assist in the battle. In twenty-eight hours the 62nd battery had covered sixty-two miles, at the expense of six horses which fell dead in their tracks, and of about forty more, which never recovered from the fatigue of this forced march. The weather was extremely hot and a large number of men fell due to fatigue. It is possible that Sgt Stevenson was amongst them as this could be one of the reasons that he only earned the single clasp (see his medical file).

This medal group was awarded to ABSM Henry Francis Stevenson. He attests as a Driver on the 14th June 1892. He is promoted to Corporal on the 31st October 1898 and Sgt in 1900. He receives his single clasp Modder river while serving with the 62nd Battery RFA. He also serves in France during WW1 for 250 days as part of the British Expeditionary Force and earns the 1914 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal and the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. This combination is very rare and the fact that the single clasp is confirmed in his records makes this group highly collectable. All other medals are confirmed in his records and the medals are correctly inscribed. He is invalided during the Boer War (1901) and returns to England. He is discharged from the Army on the 21st September 1917. It is interesting to note that his medical file clearly indicates that he was affected by the adverse climate in Africa, liver and spleen became enlarged and he suffered some damage and this caused his disability.

Hello David,
Where were these particular lists you show actually published?
Regards Frank

djb wrote:

They were from The Times, Frank.