TOPIC:

It's pronounced 'Brewed' as in tea. Or beer!

A most unusual plaque in St Mary's Catholic Church, Brewood, combining South African War and Great War casualties, the only one I've ever seen like that. Offhand, I can't even think of another SAW memorial in an English Catholic church.

This Window is dedicated to the Honour
of God and in undying memory of those
who gave their lives for their Country and their
Souls to God in the Great War 1914-1918
......

Also in South African War
James Egan
John Hitchcott

R I P





I assume the window is primarily in the memory of the Great War casualties but to be complete here it is...

Hello Berenice,

Here are the memorials to both the men that died in South Africa. Egan is in Kroonstad in the Free State and Hitchcott is in Winburg also in the Free State.

Regards
Adrian

A rare memorial indeed! I have only recorded two other memorials in Roman Catholic churches, both in Arundel Cathedral. For whatever reasons catholics didn't go for memorials.

Adrian - I am not sure about J Egan Kroonstad - I can't find that name and number. Five men named 'J Egan' died in the war in south Africa. It maybe Pte 5233 J Egan 1st South Staffs KIA 09-04-1901, buried Springs.

Intriguingly there are militia papers for John Hitchcott and James Egan both South Staffs Rgt and both born in Brewood. But nothing to connect these men to the dead men in South Africa.

Regards
Meurig

Meurig I agree with you regarding James Regan but do you know anything about what happened in the vicinity of Springs on 9 April 1901 that resulted in James and four of his comrades in the 1st South Staffs Mounted Infantry Company being killed in action and a sixth dying as a result of wounds received:



The above from the Morning Leader of 13 April 1901.

You could say all eight men named were in the 1st South Staffs MIC as Lieutenant Alick E C Hamilton went to South Africa as a Lieutenant with the 5th Royal Dublin Fusiliers, was then transferred to the 1st Worcesters and then seconded the 1st South Staffs MIC.

2789 Private Rathbone (definitely no second r) was a Black Country man being born and raised in Walsall. Brewood (where my sister first lived when she married) is north of Wolverhampton and hence not Black Country.

5693 Private John Hitchcott was mainstream 1st South Staffs and died of disease at Winburg. When he attested for the 3rd (Militia) Battalion of the South Staffs in January 1899 he was living at Oak Cottage, Kiddemore Green Road, Brewood, with his mother, stepfather and half siblings. Oak Cottage still stands and is on the market, asking price nearly three-quarters of a million, mind you it was a tad smaller when John lived there:



Both James Egan & John Hitchcott gave their religious denomination as Roman Catholic when they attested for militia service.

British Memorial - Primrose Cemetery, Germiston

Thanks Elmarie – that rather brings home the carnage on 9 April 1901 of which I can find absolutely no mention of except in casualty lists. It was actually an even worse day for the 1/ South Staffs as they had another man die of disease at Ficksburg. Also note the newspaper has Watson’s regimental number wrong it should be 3486 – you have it correct in your casualty database.

Your database is missing some info for C Dale, 1/South Staffs who died on 12 March 1901 at Ficksburg. Medal Rolls and his entry in the “Record of Deceased Soldiers’ Effects” give his regimental number as 5194 and the newspaper clipping below, from the London Daily News of 15 March 1901, shows he died of enteric. Additionally he was born in Bilston (Staffordshire & Black Country) and his father was called Charles, so I suspect he was as well.