HarrisBoerWar

KINGSTEIGNTON AND THE BOER WAR

Contributed by Richard Harris

Richard Harris has sent us some interesting information, taken from Kingsteignton Parish Magazines dated April and May 1900, relating to participation in the 2nd Boer War by men of the village.

The first extract lists local men who are believed to be serving in the war - men connected to the village by marriage are marked *:

NAME	NUMBER/RANK	REGIMENT
G. H. ALMOND	167	Mounted Infantry
R. BOVEY	1754	2nd Devons
W.BELLAMY	8136/ Corporal	2nd Coldstreams
*? BROAD	-	9th Lancers
L. .C BEARNE	-	Lumsden's Horse
G. COCKERHAM	2556	2nd Coldstreams
R. COCKERHAM		2nd Coldstreams
W. FURZE	259	2nd Devons
*F. FURZE	1378 (wounded)	2nd Devons
J. HARRIS	2113	2nd Devons
W. LEGGE	5335	1st Coldstreams
*F. MIDDLETON ("Paul")	54	-
J. NEWMAN	2758	2nd Coldstreams
J. PHILLIPS	-	1st Devons
T. T. SANDERS	4789	2nd Devons
RICHARD SCOTT	4680/Colour Sergeant)	2nd Coldstreams
H. SMITH	3885	1st Devons
C. SMITH	1711/ Colour Sergeant	2nd Devons
H. SWEETLAND	4803	1st Devons
JOHN THORN	-	2nd Coldstreams
T. WARD	4670/Pioneer Sergeant	2nd Coldstreams
ERNEST WILLIAMS	4511/ (of "A" Squadron)	18th Hussars
*S. WARREN	3697	2nd Devons
G. WELSH	4788 (wounded)	2nd Devons
F. WEEKES	2113	2nd Devons

The second extract gives a brief diary of the progress of the war, adds another name to the above list and suggests items which might be included in comfort parcels sent out to the troops:

DIARY OF THE WAR

March 30th - Battle near Brandfort

April 1st - 6 guns and 350 men taken in a trap by the Boers

April 25th - Relief of Wepener

ANOTHER KINGSTEIGNTON MAN TO THE FRONT

G. W. Stentiford, No.36103 in the 43rd Howitzer battery, Royal Field Artillery.

PARCELS TO THE FRONT

The War Office has issued instructions about the despatch of parcels to the troops in South Africa. They can be sent, carriage paid, to the Embarking Staff Officer, Empress Dock, Southampton, whence they will be forwarded without further charge to their destination. They advise the use of wooden boxes where possible.

As winter in South Africa is drawing on, the War Office has issued a memorandum mentioning the articles which will be useful to the troops:

Knitted socks ( good quality only)

Worsted night caps

Cardigan waistcoats

Flannel shirts

Woollen drawers and vests

Cholera belts*

Slippers or canvas shoes

Shoelaces

Neck mufflers.

Parcels containing matches of any kind cannot be received.

The British Consul at Funchal, Madeira and the Vice-Consul at Las Palmas have undertaken the distribution to home-coming troops of clothes or comforts sent to them for that purpose.

*Cholera belts were cummerbunds made of flannel and were first distributed to troops in the Crimean War in the vain hope of reducing the incidence of cholera. Even though they were eventually seen as ineffectual, they were still being worn by troops in the early 1900s. They were believed to maintain the bowels in good working order and to protect against dysentery and were widely worn among Brits abroad, civilian as well as military, particularly in warm climates.