TOPIC:

Another example of why we shouldn't ignore the Natal clasp.

Private Underwood, Gloucester regiment, injured at Rietfontein so didn't qualify for the usual clasps!




Nice addition to the collection, even bearing in mind why the Gloucester's got a little slaughtered on this occasion!

Doug.

Hello Doug,
I don't think anyone on here has ever ignored the Natal clasp, I certainly have not, nor, do I think that the Gloucester's were in anyway slaughtered on the 24th of October either, from memory, they only lost less than a dozen men actually killed.
It is important to remember what they were actually doing in the first place, they had set out for Jonono's Kop to cover General Yule and his remaining force by drawing the enemy away.

Certainly, for Henry Underwood, being wounded in the foot would have been
unpleasant, but, it did save him from the more disastrous event just six days later.
Regards Frank

Frank

I think I was using the royal we, not specifically us, but in general.

When you think that not one of the Gloucester's should have been killed or injured on that day, even if you look at the reason as good as it was, it was a little slaughtered to me:( I suppose what you evaluate as slaughtered, for whatever reason and I wouldn't like to put a number on it. I was thinking that because of one man in charge panicked, it could have and should have been avoided.

I bet Henry was hopping mad or as you say, not!!

Doug.

Hello Doug,
Sorry I don't understand, when you say "not one of the Gloucester's should have been killed that day" are you suggesting that the enemy should not have fired on them?
I suggest that as soon as they left Ladysmith, they should certainly have expected to receive casualties, all the more so given their particular route, far to close to the enemy on Intintnyone!
Regards Frank

Doug wrote:
When you think that not one of the Gloucester's should have been killed or injured on that day, even if you look at the reason as good as it was, it was a little slaughtered to me:( I suppose what you evaluate as slaughtered, for whatever reason and I wouldn't like to put a number on it. I was thinking that because of one man in charge panicked, it could have and should have been avoided.

I bet Henry was hopping mad or as you say, not!!

Doug.

Frank

No, not at all. I am referring to the fact that had the man in charge not panicked and charged the Boers, then the casualties would not have been anywhere near as severe. Yes they were close, so were many others, but the fact someone decided to charge, that was the fatal bit.

After all said and done, it did get the job done.

Doug.

Hello Doug,
I really don't think the casualties were at all severe and I would say that Edmund Wilford made a simple error of judgement, I don't think he panicked and I would have said that he may well have been acting under orders anyway, if he was not, he had taken a single company of his regiment too far forward and had come under enfilading fire, if he did merely make a mistake, he paid with his life, thankfully, only a few of his men had to pay with him.

It is important to bare in mind that this whole thing was carefully conceived,
The very moment George White left with his staff down Newcastle Road and out of Ladysmith on that morning, he would have fully expected to have to take casualties, he knew that OFS forces had to be very close indeed, he had heard the rumours amongst the local Boers and then had these confirmed by the Natal Police.
He knew exactly what he was doing and I am very confident that he, along with Hunter and French had made sure that every officer of field rank knew what was expected of them and of all the men under them.
I think it was all fair give and take really and it worked to an extent, Yule returned on the 26th with his men alive.

Regards Frank