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Methuen's officers
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Methuen's Naval Officers.  It will be noticed that the photographer has painted numbers upon the breasts of certain of these gallant officers. They are numbers of sad and honourable significance. No 1 is Commander A P Ethelston, No. 2 Major J H Plumbe, RM, No 4 Captain Guy Senior, RM, and No 5 Midshipman Huddart, who were all killed at Graspan on November 25 1899 while No. 3 is Lieutenant Jones, RM, who was wounded at the same place.

Naval squadron off the Cape of Good Hope
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Naval Squadron at Simon's Town.  Simon's Town is the headquarters of the fleet in South African waters, and the place from which the operations of the Naval forces in the war were primarily directed, and from which the Naval Brigade set out to join Lord Methuen. Normally the squadron is not a very powerful one, Admiral Harris's flag-ship, the "Doris," being only a second-class cruiser, but the ubiquity of the British Navy soon enabled it to be reinforced. It is useful to remember that the squadron represents that engine of world-wide Sea Power without whose protecting influence our operations in South Africa would have been impossible.

4.7 to the front
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A very suggestive scene is this of Bluejackets hauling along to the railway a 4'7-in. gun on the new wheel-mounting ready to discharge its lyddite at the front. The dockyard at Simon's Town has turned out many wheel gun-mountings upon Captain Scott's principle, which have withstood the heaviest work of the hard campaigning, and Lord Roberts remarked of one mounting he saw that it was "worthy of Woolwich." Captain Scott worked out his idea with the assistance of Lieutenant Ogilvy (now promoted to commander for his services in Natal) and Assistant-Engineer Roskruge. The stresses were carefully calculated, and the strain was distributed so that every bolt and bit had its proportionate share. Waggon wheels and a heavy balk of timber for a trail led to more finished construction, and the 47-in. gun, weighing more than two tons, became almost as mobile as the 12-cwt. 12 pounder. Finally, when Captain Scott was commandant at Durban he superintended the construction of a mounting for a 6-in. gun which was sent up for the use of Sir Redvers Buller. The whole work of preparing the Naval guns: for field work was a triumph, and won the unstinted praise of the Commander-in-Chief.

Inspection by Lord Roberts
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Lord Roberts inspecting a Naval detachment.  When Lord Roberts arrived at the Cape he displayed the greatest interest in the work at Simon's Town, and has expressed generous admiration for the work done by the Naval Brigades. It was with the satisfaction of a good soldier that he examined the new gun-mountings, of which he was to learn the practical value in the field, and inspected the men of the contingents. During the period he spent in Cape Town, making preparations, and ordering fresh dispositions for the campaign, he saw much of the Naval forces. In this picture the gallant field-marshal is seen inspecting a contingent from the fleet in company with Admiral Harris and Captain Prothero of the "Doris," then convalescent from the wound he had received at Graspan. The Naval Brigades have suffered heavily in the course of the war. The death of Commander Egerton, after having had both legs amputated in consequence of a wound received when bringing the Naval guns into action at the critical time at Ladysmith, was peculiarly sad. The tale of loss at Graspan was also mournful—Commander Ethelston of the "Powerful," Major Plumbe and Captain Senior of the Royal Marines, and promising young Midshipman Huddart, with many other gallant men. All had gone to the front with the full flush of patriotism; they displayed courage, resource, dash, and bravery before the enemy; they accomplished their task, and many of them found honoured graves on the veldt.

Marines at Simon's Town
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These pictures have relation to the Naval forces which went up to join Lord Methuen. November was a busy month on board the ships in Simon's Bay and in the dockyard at Simon's Town. A week after the Boer ultimatum orders were issued for the formation of a Naval Brigade. The men were equipped in khaki and organised, and everything necessary for their service was prepared, and field-pieces and machine guns were sent ashore, while heavy guns were hoisted out of the ships and mounted on the wheel carriages which had been devised and made. There was practice-firing and testing of the mountings and much else to be done. Sir Robert Harris addressed the men before they left, and said he knew they would do honour to the Navy. One detachment went to Stormberg and then to De Aar early in November, and on the 19th Captain Prothero left Simon's Bay and proceeded with the brigade to Lord Methuen's headquarters. When Captain Prothero was wounded at Graspan, Commander De Horsey of the " Monarch" was for a time in command, and the Brigade took part in Lord Roberts's operations under Captain Bearcroft of the "Philomel."

Harris and his staff
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Rear-admiral Sir Robert Harris, KCMG, and his Staff.  The Commander-in-Chief on the Cape of Good Hope and West Coast of Africa station, who has held that appointment since April, 1898, has had the duty of organising the Naval Brigades which have taken part in the war. He is well known as a highly accomplished officer, who has shown many-sided capability, and who has had long experience. He is the author of several professional works, and has enjoyed special opportunities as inspector of boys' training ships and in command of the Training Squadron, and from May, 1896, to January, 189S, he was a rear-admiral in the Mediterranean. His service of over forty years and his intimate knowledge of all that concerns the personnel of the fleet pre-eminently fitted him to direct the formation and organisation of the Naval Brigades. The rear-admiral it represented in the picture with Flag-Captain Prothero, Flag-Lieutenant Kennard, and his secretary, Mr WooIIey.

 

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(204 Records)

 Surname   Forename/inits   Regimental no   Rank   Notes 
ArmstrongMidshipmanMID LG: 30 March 1900, page: 2127. Source: Lieutenant General Methuen. 25 November 1899. Re: Naval mentions
This page contains all the London Gazette pages for the Boer War
AshleyThomas140045Petty Officer 1st ClassMID LG: 17 March 1901, page: 1741. Source: Captain Bearcroft RN. 9 June 1900. Re: Pretoria
This page contains all the London Gazette pages for the Boer War
AshleyThomas WPetty Officer 1st ClassMID LG: 17 March 1901, page: 1759. Source: Captain Bearcroft RN. 17 October 1900. Re: Final despatch
This page contains all the London Gazette pages for the Boer War
BaconReginald Hugh SpencerCommanderHe was born in 1863, son of the Reverend T Bacon and Emma, daughter of George Shaw.  He was educated in HMS Britannia; entered the Britannia, 1877; received a silver medal from the Italian Government for saving life at the wreck of the Utopia in 1891; Commander HMS Theseus; Chief of the Intelligence Department, Benin Expedition, 1897; received the Medal and Clasp; was mentioned in Despatches, and created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order [London Gazette, 25 May 1897]: "Reginald Hugh Spencer Bacon, Commander, Royal Navy.  In recognition of services during the recent Expedition to Benin".  Commander Bacon started the submarine boat service in the Royal Navy; was Naval Assistant to the First Sea Lord of the Admiralty, 1905; created a CVO, 1907; Captain of HMS Dreadnought during her first commission; ADC, 1909; Director of Naval Ordnance and Torpedoes, 1907-9.  He retired in November 1909, to take the post of managing director of the Coventry Ordnance Works, 1910-14; resigned the appointment, and was gazetted Colonel, Second Commandant, RMA, 1915; commanded Heavy Howitzer Brigade, RMA, with Expeditionary Force in France; appointed to command the Dover Patrol, 1915 to 31 December 1917; promoted Vice Admiral; created a KCB and a KCVO, 1916; promoted Admiral, 1918.  From February 1918, to March 1919, he was Controller of the Inventions Department of the Ministry of Munitions.  Sir Reginald Bacon was the author of 'Benin, the City of Blood', and of 'The Dover Patrol, 1915-1917'.  His favourite recreation was shooting.  He was a Deputy-Lieutenant for Hampshire.  He married, in 1894, Cicely, daughter of Henry Surtees, of Redworth, and they had one daughter. 
Source: DSO recipients (VC and DSO Book)
BarlowCharles JamesCommanderBARLOW, CHARLES JAMES, Commander, Royal Navy, was born on 11 August 1848.  He entered the Royal Navy in 1862; served in Egypt as First Lieutenant, HMS Inflexible, in the bombardment of Alexandria and ashore, 1882 (Medal); Alexandria Clasp; Khedive's Star; 4th Class Osmanieh).  He became Commander in 1884; served in Burma as Second-in-Command, Naval Brigade, during Annexation War, 1885-86; was mentioned in Naval and Military Despatches, and created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order [London Gazette, 13 January 1887]: "For operations in Burma, Charles James Barlow, Commander, Royal Navy".  He became Captain in 1888, and married, in 1892, Elizabeth Hume Dight, daughter of Arthur Dight, of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia.  He was Second-in-Command of the Home Fleet in 1905, and was Admiral Superintendent of Devonport Dockyard, 1905-8.  Admiral Barlow retired from the Service in 1911.
Source: DSO recipients (VC and DSO Book)
BarrettF S194373Petty Officer 1st ClassMID LG: 17 March 1901, page: 1741. Source: Captain Bearcroft RN. 9 June 1900. Re: Pretoria
This page contains all the London Gazette pages for the Boer War
BarrettFrancisPetty Officer 1st ClassMID LG: 17 March 1901, page: 1759. Source: Captain Bearcroft RN. 17 October 1900. Re: Final despatch
This page contains all the London Gazette pages for the Boer War
BeadnellSurgeonMID LG: 30 March 1900, page: 2127. Source: Lieutenant General Methuen. 25 November 1899. Re: Naval mentions
This page contains all the London Gazette pages for the Boer War
BearcroftJCaptainCommanding the Naval Brigade. MID LG: 16 April 1901, page: 2604. Source: Field Marshal Roberts. 2 April 1901. Re: General mentions
This page contains all the London Gazette pages for the Boer War
BearcroftJCaptainCommanding the Naval Brigade. MID LG: 8 February 1901, page: 845. Source: Field Marshal Roberts. 31 March 1900. Re: Orange Free State
This page contains all the London Gazette pages for the Boer War
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