TOPIC:

The inscription ended up not being the original proposal.





HOW CALMLY SLEEPS THE BRAVE TO REST,
WHO FOR HIS COUNTRY DONE HIS BEST
WITH LOYAL HONOURS ONCE DID STAND
THE WELSHMAN HERO OF HIS BAND
AND ON THE BATTLEFIELD DISPLAYED
THE BRITISH SOLDIER IN HIS PRIDE.
THOU AFRICA'S BREEZE WHEN YOU ROLL ON
GREEN THE SOD WHERE LIES "DAI ST. JOHN."




Part of the 1997 repair?

The name of David St. John is also on the village war memorial.

MORE ABOUT DAI ST. JOHN


IMAGE 1: The front cover, featuring Dai St. John, of a book by Lawrence Davies published in 2012, and now out of print.

David Jones was born in Resolven, Glamorganshire, Wales on 1st April 1871. He was better known as Dai St. John, the name he boxed under.
By the average of the day, Dai was a man of huge stature, being 6'4" in height and powerfully built. The average man at the time was around 5'5".

I will use newspaper articles written by those that knew him to enlighten the reader to his boxing experience and the sad demise of this giant folk legend.

First of all, I will visit his military career prior to South Africa. 6027 Private Dai St. John served with the 1st Battalion of the Grenadier Guards on the Expedition to Khartoum and received the silver Sudan Medal with the clasp "KHARTOUM" (WO100/80).
It was with the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards, that he went to South Africa and fought in the battle of Belmont where he was killed in action. For his all too short service he received posthumously, the Queens South Africa medal the single clasp BELMONT.

His name is commemorated on the Welsh National Boer War Memorial at Cathays Park, Cardiff and at the Holy Trinity gallery panels of the Household Cavalry and Guards at Windsor, England. As Berenice posted earlier, he is also named on the village war memorial at Resolven and on his mother's gravestone.
Additionally,his name is to be found in South Africa on the memorial to the men who lost their lives in the battles of Belmont (23/11/1899), Enslin (25/11/1899), Graspan (25/11/1899), Modder River (28/11/1899), and Magersfontein (11/12/1899).


IMAGE 2: Monument in South Africa.


IMAGE 3: Panel showing Dai's name.

From the South Wales Daily News dated 27th November 1899; p.5:

A WELSH PUGILIST KILLED.
"The Belmont casualty list includes the name of a native of Resolven, near Neath, who was well known throughout South Wales by those interested in pugilism, Vic, "Dai" St. John.Standing 6'5" high, with a huge frame, this burly man was for years employed as a collier at Glyn-Neath,at which place he resided with his mother and stepfather. As a local champion in the ring bSt. John fought and defeated Tom James,of Aberdare, on two occasions, but was subsequently beaten in a fight with John O'Brien, of Cardiff, after a contest extending to the sixth round. It will be remembered also that he was acquitted with a number of others who had been committed to the assizes with the death of a man in a boxing booth at Aberdare.
The other casualties include A.F.M.Hall,1 Wood Street, Penarth: Thomas Griffiths,46, Tonna Road, Spelter, Maesteg: E.T.Parker, 59, Little Madoc Street, Swansea."

From the South Wales Daily News dated 28th November 1899; p.5:

LOCAL CASUALTIES
DEATH OF DAI ST.JOHN.
RHONDDA CONSTABLE WOUNDED.
"Our Pontypridd correspondent writes:- "The news that Dai St.John was killed during the gallant charge of the guards at Belmont was received with deep regret on Monday by the sporting fraternity in Pontypridd and the Rhondda Valley, where he was well known for many years as an able exponent of the'noble art.' He was about 26 years of age, and the cutting down of one so strong and in the prime of life brings home very keenly the horrors of war among his many admirers. Dai as he was familiarly kno, had spent 3 years with the colours---those of the Grenadier Guards---and had only been home about two months before he was called out as a Reserve for active service."

From the South Wales Daily News dated 30th November 1899; p.5:

BELMONT.
VICTIMS FROM SOUTH WALES.
4 KILLED AND 2 WOUNDED.
"It will be observed that the official list of killed and wounded at Belmon, which has now been issued, confirms the news published previously by us that Privates Mordecai Watkins (Abertillery), Thomas Griffiths (Penarth), Mortimer Whelan(Briton Ferry), and Dai St. John (Resolven), all of the Grenadier Guards were killed, and that Private D. Bowen (Treorky) and Private A.F.M.Hall (Penarth), of the same regiment have been wounded.
ANALYSIS OF THE LOSSES.
The Exchange Telegraph Company wires the following details of the losses:-
Grenadier Guards-19 killed--124 wounded--2 missing.
9th Lancers-0 k--4w--0m.
18th Field Battery-0k-4w-0m.
Northumberland Fusiliers-10k-36w-0m.
South African Reserves-1k--3w--0m.
2nd Northamptonshire Regiment-0k--15w--0m.
1st Coldstream Guards--7k--20w--9m.
2nd. Coldstream Guards--0k--6 w--0m.
1st Scots Guards--8k--35w--0m.
2nd. Yorkshire Light Infantry--0k--5w--0m.
TOTAL= 45 killed 249 wounded 2 missing."

Dai St. John died a true warrior's death at the battle of Belmont. He was definitely a man you would want on your side in a scrap!

REGISTER OF DECEASED SOLDIER'S EFFECTS

Entry 100148 of the above mentioned record shows that 6027 Private Dai St. John left the meagre sum of sixpence in his Army account. No recorded benefactor or claimant (see below).




Perhaps a good thing he left some money over the bar back at The Rock Inn, Neath before he departed for South Africa. Maybe he had a premonition that he wouldn't be coming back and wanted his pals to have a jar or two in his memory?

QUEEN'S COMPANY GRENADIER GUARDS

There cannot have been many of us who did not watch the funeral of Queen Elizabeth the Second last year, and no doubt, few that could fail to be impressed by the soldiers chosen to be the bearer party for their late monarch.
These men were of the Queen's Company Grenadier Guards. The Queen's Company are the men responsible for the close protection of the monarch and are at the forefront of state events such as funerals.
To qualify for the Queen's you must be over six feet tall and only the very best recruits from each intake are accepted. They may be considered the epitome of the Grenadier Guardsman.
6027 Private David St. John was just such a man.
Please find below a newspaper article describing an event shortly after the Battle of Belmont in which the fallen from Queen's Company are mentioned.

From "The People," Sunday, December 3,1900; page 11:

"THE QUEEN AND SOLDIER'S WIVES.
PARADE OF THE LIFE GUARDS AT WINDSOR.
SPEECH BY HER MAJESTY."
" A scene of unusual brilliance took place at the Victoria Barracks, at Windsor on Wednesday, where the 1st Batn. Grenadier Guards are quartered, when her Majesty, who was accompanied by Prince Henry of Battenburg and Princess Charlotte, inspected the battalion, and commanded the attendance of the wives and families of the soldiers in the Windsor district, under orders for South Africa, or actually at the front. It may be remembered that the Grenadier Guards already, figure in the casualties. To the 1st battalion at Windsor there belonged five who had been killed, 16 wounded and 2 missing. Three of those killed belonged to the Queen's Company (Corporal) Fraser and Privates David St. John and Bryne O'Beirne. The remaining two killed were also of the 1st battalion (Privates Hickling and Goodson). By 12 o'clock the entire battalion turned out on parade, facing the south of the barracks square.
The Queen's Company every member of which stands OVER SIX FEET IN HEIGHT being on the right facing the officer's quarters........"