A
Short History of Active Service Company
of Suffolk Regiment Volunteer Battalions
Compiled
and Copyright © Cliff Brown 2001
The
Suffolk Regiment's Active Service Company of Volunteers included
28 men from each of 1st (East Suffolk) Volunteer Battalion, 2nd
(West Suffolk) Volunteer Battalion, 3rd (Cambridgeshire) Volunteer
Battalion & 4th (Cambridge University) Volunteer Battalion.
Three officers (Captain George Frederick Whitmore, Lieutenant Percy
Hudson & the Reverend William Thomas Rupert Crookham) and 43
other ranks of the 3rd (Cambridgeshire) Volunteer Battalion served
with the Volunteer Section of the Suffolk RegimentThey left Bury
St Edmunds on March 3rd 1900 and returned from Cape Town in April
1901, arriving in Southampton May 3rd, 1901. They saw service at:
Action at Six Mile Spruit, Pretoria, 4-6-1900; Witpoort 11-7-1900;
Vlakfontein 24-7-1900; occupation of Middelburg 27-7-1900; Witkop
9-9-1900; Nelshoogte 12-9-1900; occupation of Braberton 18-9-1900;
Vereeniging 22-1-01.Colonel Dowse, commanding 12th Regimental District
presented their Queen's South Africa medals on October 10th 1901
at Cambridge. Captain Whitmore had already received an Honorary
MA degree from Cambridge University for services rendered. The men
were created Honorary Freeman of Cambridge.
1900
February
Left
Bury St Edmunds 11-2-1900, arriving in Southampton at 2pm. Arrived
Madiera 16-2-1900.
March
Arrived
Table Bay 5-3-1900. Disembarked 7-3-1900 and sent to Green Point
Camp. 9-2-1900, climbed Signal Hill. 12-2-1900, left Cape Town &
reached Beaufort West on 15-3-1900.
May
1-5-1900
left for Bloemfontein, arrived 3-5-1900. Ten days of fatigues. 12-5-1900
joined battalion at railway station. 13-5-1900, travelled to Vet
River. Employed in making a deviation owing to bridge being blown
by Boers. 17-5-1900, began march to Kroonstad, arrived 20-5-1900.
Then marched for Vereeninging and entrained for Johannesburg, arriving
1-6-1900.
June
Left
Johannesburg on 3-6-1900 (Whit Sunday) and in action six hours on
4-6-1900 (Whit Monday) at Six Mile Spruit. 5-6-1900, marched for
two days to Pretoria. 8-6-1900, split up for duty on lines of communication.
Half company to Zuurfontein and half to Meyerbon. 23-6-1900, first
half to Vaal River.
July
6-7-1900,
to Irene, arriving 7-7-1900, next day to Tyerpoort. 11-7-1900 in
action from 4am to 6pm at Whitpoort. 18-7-1900, march to Ditpoort
and joined General Hutton's Brigade (Mounted Infantry). Ordered
to Middleburg, which was reached on 27-7-1900. After one week, relieved
by Scots Guards. At Pan for 10 days.
August
14-8-1900,
started march to Wonderfontein, but ordered back to Middleburg for
three weeks.
September
3-9-1900,
started for Pan and Wonderfontein, en-route for Carolina, arriving
6-9-1900. 9-9-1900, left for Braberton, engaged with Boers from
11am to 6pm. The volunteers captured various Kopje, including Silver
Tip, the highest point on the Transvaal. 12-9-1900, attacking again
16-9-1900, rejoined battalion and marched to Braberton, arriving
17-9-1900. 19-9-1900, by rail to Avoca, employed in making deviation
after a bridge had been blown up. Then marched to Machadorp to repair
roads for General French's convoy.
October
Arrived
at Machadorp in October. After three or four days they were ordered
to Pretoria in advance of being sent back to England.
Left
Regulars at Machadorp on 11-10-1900, marched to Pretoria with 28
PoWs, arrived 13-10-1900. The different companies of volunteers
were made into battalions, the Suffolks were in 2nd Battalion. Left
Pretoria for Oliphantfontein in expectation of an attack which did
not happen.
November
& December
Remained
at Oliphantfontein until 17-12-1900. 23-12-1900, ordered to Vereeninging
to relieve Northumberland Fusiliers.
1901
January
& February
Made
various moves and on 23-2-1901 moved to Elandsfontein.
March
& April
Good
Friday, moved back to Vereeninging station. Next day to Kroonstad,
then Elnsgavonden. Then from Springfontein to De Aar, and a day
later ordered to proceed to Cape Town in coal trucks. This was a
journey of 950 miles, which took eight days. They arrived on 13-4-01
and boarded the Templemore, arriving at Southampton on 3-5-01.
The
men went by train to Gunnersbury then via Cambridge to Bury St Edmunds.
The Cambridge & district contingent, numbering 47, remained
at the depot at Bury St Edmunds for several days.
Sources
Cambridgeshire
Times 19-1-1900, 10-5-1901, 17-5-1901 & 28-10-1901.
3rd
Battalion Cambridgeshire Volunteers presented with the Queen's South
Africa medal (transcribed by Dave Edwards)
This
list is from the Cambridgeshire Times 18th October 1901:
Men
of the 3rd Battalion Cambridgeshire Volunteers presented with the
Queen's South Africa medal, after returning from active service,
at the Corn Exchange, Cambridge on 15/10/1901:
Captain
Whitmore |
Cambridge
|
Chaplin
Crookham |
Haddenham
[later Vicar of Wisbech] |
Colour
Sgt Loader |
March
|
Sgt
Pitstow |
Saffron
Walden |
Sgt
Pooley |
Cambridge
|
Cpl
Oldfield |
Whittlesey
|
Cpl
Wilkinson |
Ely
|
L
Cpl Haynes |
Whittlesey
|
L
Cpl Lilee/Liles? |
Cambridge
|
L
Cpl Rudd |
Whittlesey
|
L
Cpl Ryan |
(now
of Connaught Rangers), Saffron Walden |
L
Cpl Stafford |
March
|
L
Cpl Swann |
Cambridge
|
L
Cpl Westley |
Cambridge
|
Pte
Andrews |
Cambridge
|
Pte
Barnard |
Ely
|
Pte
Billing |
Cambridge
|
Pte
Bowyer |
Cambridge
|
Pte
Chapman |
Ely
|
Pte
Collings |
Cambridge
|
Pte
Cullum |
Ely
|
Pte
Dellan |
Cambridge
|
Pte
Elborn |
Cambridge
|
Pte
Halls |
Cambridge
|
Pte
Hunt |
Cambridge
|
Pte
Linsdale |
Saffron
Walden |
Pte
Measures |
Cambridge
|
Pte
Moore |
Cambridge
|
Pte
Richardson |
Ely
|
Pte
Stoakley |
Cambridge
|
Pte
Warrington |
Cambridge
|
Pte
Waters |
Cambridge
|
Pte
Bacclus? |
Cambridge
|
|