Personalities, Surname N

Nash, Lieutenant Colonel W F

Entered 1881; Lieutenant Colonel, South Africa, 1899.  War Service —Burmese Expedition 1889-90; Boer War, 1899-1900.

Nathan, Emil, JP

Born at Graaff Rcinet, Cape Colony, Dec 23 1859; second son of Ed. Nathan, merchant, of that town, and was educated at Graaff Reinet College. He was Registrar of the Supreme Court, Cape Colony, in 1880-81; was admitted as Solicitor and Notary Public of the Supreme Court in 1881; practised at Port Elizabeth until 1889, and during the last five years of his residence there was Deputy Sheriff of the town. From 1889 he practised at Johannesburg until 1895, when he proceeded to London, joined Gray's Inn, and was called to the Bar in 1898. Returning to Johannesburg, Mr Nathan continued his law practice until the war, in which he served as Lieutenant, and afterwards as Captain in the JMR. Subsequently he was a member of the Permit Committee. He married, Feb 27, 1884, Lizzie, daughter of Henry Godfrey.

Ndube

A white Zulu chief, whose original name was N Duby, was formerly a hooligan in the village of Schupfer, in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland. After a particularly brutal attack on a cavalryman, in 1893, he was forced to leave the country, and he worked his way to South Africa. After being concerned in some transactions which demanded the attention of the police at Durban, he went into the interior to escape arrest. He mastered the Zulu language and finally married the daughter of the chief of a small tribe. On the death of the chief, Duby was appointed in his place. He fought with the Boers during Boer War, and when Bambata revolted in the spring of 1906, Duby induced his tribesmen to join the rebel forces.

Nesbitt, Captain R C, VC Mashonaland Mounted Police

This officer, who was taken prisoner early in the war, saw a considerable amount of irregular service in Mashonaland and Gazaland.  He was decorated for rescuing a party at the beginning of the Mashonaland rebellion in 1896.

Newport, Viscount

He was born in 1873, and is son of the 4th Earl of Bradford. He was educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge. From 1902-5 he acted as Private Secretary, to the Right Hon Arthur Balfour. Lord Newport served with his regiment, the Royal Scots, throughout the Boer War, 1900-02. He married the eldest daughter of Lord Aberdare.

Nicholson, Major General Sir William G, KCB

Entered RE 1878; Colonel, 1891.  Staff-Service: AAG for RE, Bengal, 1885-90; Military Secretary to Commander in Chief in India, 1890-93; employed in Military Works Department, India, 1893-95;.  DAG, Punjab, 1895-98; Adjutant-General in India, 1898-99; Military Secretary to Field-Marshal Commander in Chief, South Africa, 1899-1900; Director of Transport Major General South Africa, 1900.  War service: Afghan War, 1878-79 (Despatches); 1879-80 (Despatches; medal with 3 clasps; bronze star; Brevet of Major); Egyptian Expedition 1882 (medal with clasp; bronze star; 4th class Osmanieh); Burmese Expedition 1886-87 (Despatches; medal with clasp; Brevet of Lieutenant Colonel); Tirah, 1897-98 (Despatches; KCB; medal with 2 clasps); Boer War, 1899-1900; on Staff. When Lord Roberts left England for South Africa at the end of 1899 he at once telegraphed to Sir William Nicholson offering him employment on his staff, and, the offer being accepted, he reached Cape Town in time to go forward with the main column, and was thus able to take part in the operations in the Orange Free State (Feb to May, 1900), the actions at Paardeberg, Poplar Grove, Driefontein, Vet River, Tina River, and those subsequently in the Transvaal, including Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Diamond Hill. He was twice mentioned in despatches, and besides obtaining the QSA with five clasps was specially promoted to the rank of Major General. After the Boer War, Sir William proceeded to the Far East as Military Attache with the Japanese Army in Manchuria, and in 1905 was appointed Governor and CIC of Gibraltar in succession to Sir George White.

Noble, Major

He was born in 1859, and is the eldest son of Sir Andrew Noble, Chairman of the great Elswick works. He was educated at Harrow and Sandhurst, joined the 1 3th Hussars in 1880, and served with that regiment in Afghanistan, India, and Natal. When the Boer War broke out Major Noble volunteered for active service, and went out with the remounts in March, 1900. In 1905 he unsuccessfully contested North Westmorland in the Unionist interest at the by-election.

Norbury, Inspector General Sir Henry Frederick, KCB, MD

He was born at Wool, Haversham, Dorset. He was educated at St Bartholomew's Hospital and the University, Malta; he was Inspector General of Hospitals and Fleets in the RN, and was for several years Director General of the Medical Department at the Admiralty; was Staff Surgeon of the Active Flagship on the Cape of Good Hope and West Coast of Africa stations from 1876-9, and served on shore with the Naval Brigade during the Kaffir War in 1877-8 (twice mentioned in despatches). During the Zulu War in 1879, he was Principal Med. Officer of Sir C Pearson's column, and of the garrison of Fort Eshowe during the time of its investment by the Zulus, and after its relief by-Lord Chelmsford, was PMO of the Naval Brigade and advanced a second time into the Zulu country (several times mentioned in despatches, both naval and military; created a CB (military), and promoted to the rank of Fleet Surgeon; medal with three clasps). In 1879 he was awarded the Blanc Gold Medal. General Norbury was Inspector General of the Royal Naval Hosp., Plymouth, from 1895-98, is Honorary Surgeon to HM King Edward VII, a Knight of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, and an honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons; he has received the Jubilee and Coronation medals and was created KCB in 1897. He is the author of The Naval Brigade in South Africa, and married in March, 1868, Mina, daughter of E G Wade Brown.

Norman-Lee, Reverend Frederic Bethune Norman

Born in London, Sep 14, 1855, and was educated at the City of London School and St John's College, Cambridge, where he graduated MA Mr Lee (as he was before his father, the Reverend Thos. Lee, prefixed his wife's name of Norman in 1881) joined the Victoria Rifles in 1872, and the Cambridge University Volunteers (now attached to the Suffolk Regiment) in 1875, shooting in intervarsity rifle teams in 1876-7, when he won the NRA bronze medal as the best shot in both universities in 1876. He was ordained in 1882 by the Lord Bishop of Rochester, and received a commission to her late Majesty's Land Forces, Jan 19, 1884, serving variously at home stations, Novembera Scotia, and afterwards in the Boer War, 1899-1900, as senior Chaplain to the VI division, when he was present at the relief of Kimberley, the operations at Paardeberg, and the actions at Poplar Grove and Driefontein (QSA and three clasps). In Aug, 1903, the Reverend Norman-Lee arrived in Alexandria as Senior Chaplain (C of E) in Egypt. He is a freeman of the City of London, and took up his freedom by patrimony in the Leathersellers Company in 1878, and will in due time become its worshipful master, He is an enthusiastic Freemason; has been Grand Chaplain to all the Grand Bodies in England, as well as Past Grand Officer of Canada, and is at present District Grand Chaplain of Egypt and Sudan. Mr Norman-Lee has travelled in the USA, Canada, Europe, Turkey, and Asia Minor, etc., besides in countries already mentioned, and has taken a great interest in the work of the St John Ambulance Association, both in Nova Scotia and in England. He married, in 1888, Margaret Corestine, daughter of the Reverend Wm. Coates, MA, of Company Meath, and granddaughter of Lt. General Sir Edmund de Gonville Bromhcad, Bart., CB.

Norreys (Lord), Montague Charles Townley-Bertie, Imperial Yeomanry

Lord Norreys, born in 1860, is the eldest son of the 7th Earl of Abingdon.  He married the daughter of the 4th Lord Wolverton.

Notcutt, Henry Clement

Was born at Cheltenham in 1865 He was educated at the London University; went out to Cape Colony in 1895, and was appointed Assistant Professor at the South African College, Cape Town, which appointment he held for four and a half years, subsequently becoming Headmaster of the Boys' High School, Kimberley. During the siege of that town he served in the Cycle Corps of the Town Guard, and published an account of it, entitled How Kimberley was held for England. He was elected President of the South African Teachers' Assn. in 1902; became a member of the Council of the University of the Cape of Good Hope in 1903, and was appointed Professor of English Language and Literature in the same year; has published editions of Macbeth, and England in 1685 (the third chapter of Macaulay's History). He married, in 1904, Lilian, daughter of Geo. Healey, of Kimberley.