TOPIC:

Just curious to know: the LF soldiers who surrendered at Spioenkop are on the NFF casualty roll; all the POWs below are from 2nd Bttn Lancashire Fusiliers: but can anyone tell me which Companies of 2nd LF these men were from? Or even a sample of these men would be helpful, if the process of checking all 144 is laborious.
Thanks!
Rob

Allen, J, 3321, Private
Allen, J, 3609, Private
Andrews, R, 2626, Private
Bainbridge, T, 5216, Private
Bamber, E, 3358, Private
Banks, J, 5321, Private
Banks, JE, 3861, Private
Bannister, W, 3971, Private
Barrett, W, 3823, Private
Birtwistle, R, 3899, Private
Blackstock, J, 4046, Private
Blomfield, Charles James,  , Lieutenant-Colonel
Blood, JE, 3053, Private
Bowers, W, 4226, Private
Boyers, John, 4414, Private
Bridge, W, 2621, Private
Broderick, John, 5151, Private
Brown, B, 2918, Private
Burley, J, 3080, Private
Butler, J, 4812, Private
Caldwell, J, 2468, Lance-Corporal
Carbury, J, 6430, Lance-Corporal
Carroll, T, 3571, Lance-Corporal
Clamp, T, 5302, Lance-Corporal
Clarke, J, 4651, Private
Clucas, AC, 3382, Lance-Corporal
Connolly, Frank, 5289, Lance-Corporal
Council, A, 4633, Private
Crane, J, 4682, Lance-Corporal
Creed, J, 6398, Lance-Corporal
Dermott, George, 3414, Private
Eales, G, 5266, Private
Edwards, A, 3315, Private
Edwards, J, 2564, Private
Ellis, E, 3368, Private
Ellison, J, 2458, Private
Elmslie, Wilmot Foster,  , Major
Escritt, Harry, 5684, Private
Evans, W, 2184, Colour-Sergeant
Fleming, A, 4247, Private
Fletcher, J, 2474, Private
Flood, B, 3644, Private
Foley, J, 5063, Private
Ford, L, 4927, Private
Fothergill, J, 4966, Private
Freeth, George Henry Basil,  , Captain
Gainley, M, 4214, Private
Gallagher, F, 4541, Private
Gough, T, 5329, Private
Graham, J, 6376, Private
Grimshaw, P, 3532, Private
Groves, H, 4562, Private
Hamer, A, 4598, Corporal
Haran, J, 4838, Private
Harrop, J, 5365, Lance-Corporal
Hartley, D, 5345, Lance-Corporal
Hawkley, R, 2818, Colour-Sergeant
Hayward, F, 3207, Corporal
Healey, E, 4217, Lance-Corporal
Henry, J, 4883, Lance-Corporal
Hickey, W, 3444, Sergeant
Hobgen, G, 4676, Lance-Corporal
Hodgkinson, J, 2618, Lance-Corporal
Hoe, J, 4343, Private
Holmes, JA, 4737, Company Sergeant-Major
Holt, W, 2519, Lance-Corporal
Houghton, L, 4507, Lance-Corporal
Hurst, W, 2913, Private
Ingham, J, 5327, Private
Jackson, R, 3517, Private
Jones, W, 4909, Private
Jordan, A, 3182, Private
Kay, WH, 3334, Private
Kershaw, R, 4891, Private
Killion, M, 5174, Private
Kilroy, James, 4249, Private
Kirby, F, 4992, Private
Leigh, W, 5111, Private
Levett, T, 4057, Private
Lewis, W, 5161, Private
Little, J, 3567, Private
Lloyd, J, 3324, Private
Lloyd, J, 3782, Private
Marr, P, 5040, Private
Marrion, J, 2518, Private
Marry, J, 4128, Private
Marshall, William, 4702, Private
McDermott, J, 1809, Private
McIntyre, E, 4769, Private
McNulty, T, 2069, Private
McWhinney, S, 5060, Lance-Sergeant
Midgley, J, 2646, Private
Mitchell, T, 2634, Private
Moore, J, 3511, Private
Morris, J, 4576, Private
Morrison, J, 2578, Private
Nicholls, E, 5685, Private
Nicholson, J, 2661, Private
Noble, AE, 3369, Private
O'Shea, T, 5328, Private
Owen, T, 3292, Private
Parker, J, 4616, Private
Pedley, E, 3260, Private
Pemberton, O, 3239, Sergeant
Pepper, C, 993, Private
Powell, FT, 3384, Private
Powell, G, 4388, Private
Quinn, S, 2557, Private
Ramsden, W, 3703, Private
Reece, J, 2453, Private
Reeves, Charles, 3651, Private
Reynolds, T, 2659, Private
Rigby, E, 5295, Private
Riley, J, 4920, Sergeant
Rothwell, H, 4996, Private
Rowbottom, Thomas, 5234, Private
Ruth, P, 2799, Private
Salisbury, William, 3162, Private
Scholes, W, 3133, Private
Scully, E, 4346, Private
Shepherd, J, 4655, Private
Shipperbotham, J, 3556, Private
Simmonds, R, 3571, Private
Singleton, C, 4261, Private
Smith, J, 2549, Private
Smith, J, 4229, Private
Smith, J, 4354, Private
Smithson, H, 5271, Private
Stephens, J, 4159, Private
Stephens, J, 4470, Sergeant
Tabner, R, 3946, Private
Taylor, A, 3929, Private
Taylor, S, 3277, Private
Taylor, S, 3297, Lance-Corporal
Thompson, J, 3070, Private
Thornton, F, 3072, Private
Tobin, R, 3992, Private
Townley, J, 5023, Private
Tracey, W, 5280, Private
Unsworth, C, 5053, Private
Walsh, A, 4244, Private
Wood, G, 4445, Private
Woodford, H, 5064, Private
Yates, E, 4430, Private

Here's what I am researching: On the east of the main trench, and in a separate small trench east of the trench, Woodgate posted 4 companies of the Lancashire Fusiliers: from south-east to north-west were C, F, A and G companies. The other 4 companies lay in support in schantzes, behind the main trench: B, D, E and H companies.
All the outlying trenches have long since disappeared, their loose stones re-used for the three communal graves, and for the monuments on the summit. By knowing which companies surrendered, I may be able to locate the part of the trench in which the surrender took place.

Rob,

This sounds like very interesting and very worthwhile research. I wish you the very best with your endeavours. I'm sure that you will post your findings here and look forward to reading more.

Ian

Rob,

I don't know if you've read this or even if it will help, as I've only just found it.

Sir Charles Warren and Spion Kop

www.gutenberg.org/files/63356/63356-h/63356-h.htm#Page_159

Ian, yes, "Sir Charles Warren and Spion Kop - A Vindication" by "Defender" is a superb source! There has been a suggestion that it was written largely by Warren himself.

I am really impressed by archive.org who seem to be digitising the dusty shelves of every library in the world!

Buller had two biographies written, the later one in 1923. Have a look at it and see if you can find anything about Spion Kop in it. Clue: you'll need a microscope...
archive.org/details/lifeofgeneralrig01melvuoft

To give the forum the conclusion to this thread. Ian has v kindly been in contact with the Lancashire Fusiliers museum, and POWs by company are not known.
The disposition of companies in the trench is documented by Ernest Blake Knox's account:
"General Woodgate had placed his troops, in reference to this trench, as follows : The Lancashire Fusiliers were given the right; Thorneycroft s Mounted Infantry occupied the centre, the left centre, and obtuse angle ; and the Royal Lancasters and South Lancashires the left. The exact situation of the companies of the Lancashire Fusiliers from right to left— or, roughly, from south-east to north-west — was C, F, A and G Companies, then Thorneycroft's. In rear of these, in a sort of rough echelon from the left, came B, D, E and H as supports to the forward companies. The troops, as soon as they had been allotted sections of the defence, proceeded to improve their positions as best they could."
From all I have learned, I think it very likely that the surrender just after noon took place in this outlying trench, which no longer exists. I believe the parapet was dismantled to build up the communal grave, which was oriinally just at ground level. Thus bones were appearing through the soil after rains in the 1960s.
I'll add photos to show my reasoning in the next few posts.
Rob