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A very average QSA with bars Cape Colony and Orange Free State ..





William Croucher West joined the Prince of Wales Light Horse as Trooper (but was quickly made QMS) 20386 on 4 / 12 / 00 and discharged 30 / 06 / 02 (per the roll – but he was serving on 10 July 1902 so not sure?). The unit was a local unit raised in Cape Town. He was 24 when he joined and gave his occupation as journalist which probably explained why he was in Cape Town – letters to his mother during the war were addressed to Cheverells, Markyate, Dunstable (near Luton in UK). The unit joined Bethunes forces and were engaged at Colesburg on 12 February 01 and subsequently pursuing De Wet. Thereafter they saw action in the ORC. His QSA thus has the bars Cape Colony and OFS.

It seems he stayed in the Cape after the war – I’m not sure what his profession was but his passion became climbing (apparently he had done none before arriving in South Africa). In 1911 he climbed Toverkop (Witches Head) near Ladismith in the Swartberg mountains. This peak was first climbed in 1885, then 1906 and then 1911 when a party including West climbed it.

West is well documented in Lawrence G. Greens book “In the Land of Afternoon” (published 1949) where he is said to be one of the veteran Cape climbers and still to be found on a mountain summit every Sunday even though past seventy. In this book (about the Cape) there is a chapter on “Challenge of the Mountains” and various claims are made of West;

1) First British subject to reach the top of Kilimanjaro (this appears to have been in 1914 before the outbreak of WW1. The first climber was a German – Meyer – in 1898 (Kilimanjaro being in German East Africa at the time). It is elsewhere documented that he, on 18 July 1927, accompanied the first woman (an English lady Sheila McDonald) to the peak (the two other women before this “only” reaching the rim).

2) First South African member of the prestigious Alpine Club and was one of the most famous mountaineers of his day and knew Mallory (lost on Everest in 1924) Whymper (first up the Matterhorn in 1865) and corresponded with Meyer (first up Kilimanjaro in 1889 – it would be 20 years until the next ascent in 1909).

3) He often climbed with General Smuts who called him “Kilimanjaro West”

4) De Waal (Administrator of the Cape) asked him to survey the route for Chapman’s Peak drive. He traversed the route from Noordhoek to Houtbay and marked the course of the current route with white strips which guided the builders (it took 7 years 1915-1922). Chapman’s Peak drive is generally regarded as one of the world’s most scenic routes.

So what looks a very average QSA has a lot going for it!

That sounds like a really good medal, If I were you I would check WO126/101-104 to see if his original attestation an discharge have survived, I like the South African Welsh, a very good body of men.

Great Story Jon.....

Fantastic piece of research.....

Thanks for posting.....

Mike

Hello Jon,

Great story - a very interesting man.

He served on the HQ of Col Capper's column and was entitled to SA01 and SA02 clasps of course. By my calculations he missed out on a KSA by a matter of days - he served for 17 months and 27 days.

Regards
Meurig

Now that would be nice, a KSA to this unit is very rare indeed!

SWB wrote: Hello Jon,

Great story - a very interesting man.

He served on the HQ of Col Capper's column and was entitled to SA01 and SA02 clasps of course. By my calculations he missed out on a KSA by a matter of days - he served for 17 months and 27 days.

Regards
Meurig

Jon,

A great post - thank you. You demonstrated the benefit of dismissing QSAs with state clasps.

Many thanks
David