TOPIC:

Am trying to trace the history of my great-uncle George Clarke of the 3rd Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps.
He died on 22nd February 1900 at Wynne's Hill, I believe. I am interested in finding where he might be buried or where there is a memorial to him in South Africa.

dwbell
Welcome to the site. "5516 Pte.G .Clarke" of 3KRRC is shown in Palmer as Killed in Action at Ladysmith on 22/2/1900. There is considerable detail in the Annals of the Kings Royal Rifle Corps (Vol.IV) regarding the circumstances and reality of the attack on Wynne's Hill on 22/2/1900. As well, the Times History (accessible in the "Books" heading of the Main Menu) covers it, too.
It is highly likely that your GU is commemorated in South Africa and one of our regulars may be able to assist with a picture of his grave.
Good luck with your research.
Regards
IL..

Many thanks for the very quick response. I noticed that the records you refer to have the wrong regimental number for Pte. G. Clarke.
According to his medals his regimental number was 6516, which might cause problems in any search. I'll check the Annals reference when I am in England in October as I shall be visiting the Hampshire Record Office to check what there is on the K.R.R.C. in SA and the Rifle Brigade in WW1 in France.
I have downloaded the relevant chapters of the Times History- much appreciate it being available online.

Do you by any chance know if soldiers of the K.R.R.C. were in South Africa or Rhodesia prior to the Anglo-Boer war? My GU served in the KRRC from 1891 - 1898 and his local newspaper obituary mentions that he was in SA with the 1st Battalion KRRC.
Best
David

David
The Palmer reference unfortunately does perpetuate errors found in the South African Field Force Casualty list and the Natal FF Casualty list. A slightly deeper probe usually corrects the error made at the time by some harassed telegraph operator..
According to British Battles and Medals (7th edition), KRRC men (4Bn.) were on service in Mashonaland during 1897. I had a quick look in the Owen roll of the BSACM and did not see your GU. Regards
IL.

Welcome David...…

From Find My Past and notes on memorials.....

Mike

First name(s) G F H
Last name Clarke
Service number 5516
Rank Private
Regiment 3 Battalion The King's Royal Rifle Corps

Memorials
Town Hall porch. Tablet. County & Peterborough, Northampton, Northamptonshire, England; Castle Meadows. County Memorial, Norwich, Norfolk, England; Disappeared. Cathedral. Plaques. King's Royal Rifle Corps, Winchester, Hampshire, England


Biography
-
Event detail Killed on 22/02/1900 at Ladysmith
Event unit 3 Battalion The King's Royal Rifle Corps
Event source NFF

Gazetteer
[2828: 2834-2949] a town in Natal Colony (Klip River district; KwaZulu-Natal), 25 km north of Colenso. Strategically located on the junction of rail and road routes to the Orange Free State and northern Natal, the town was selected as a location for a garrison of regular British troops in the event of war. On 11 October 1899 Lt-Gen Sir G.S. White, commanding troops in Natal, arrived in the town. The column retreating from Dundee* under Maj-Gen J.H. Yule arrived in Ladysmith on 26 October. Four days later, a naval brigade with two 4.7 in, three long 12 pdrs, one short 12 pdr and four maxims arrived. That day White moved to attack the laagers of the Boer forces which had advanced from northern Natal and down the Drakensberg passes. This action is referred to as the battle of Ladysmith, Lombards Kop* or Modderspruit*. The British retired to the town and on 2 November telegraph comunications were cut and the garrison isolated. Gen Sir R.H. Buller arrived in Durban on 25 November to lead the effort to relieve the besieged town himself. The Boer forces were commanded by Cmdt-Gen P.J. Joubert until 30 November when he left, because of ill-health, and then by Asst Cmdt-Gen S.W. Burger. Both the siege and the defense were relatively passive except for exchanges of artillery fire. From 7 December, permanent heliograpic communications were established with Buller. On 22 December a shell from the Boer Creusot gun nick-named 'Long Tom' killed 9, mortally wounded 2 and wounded 6 men from the Gloucester Regiment. The Boers made a determined attack on 6 January 1900 on the town's southern defences at Caesar's Camp* and Wagon Hill*, but were repulsed. After a series of reverses, Buller's Natal Army eventually broke the Boer lines on the north bank of the Thukela Rive and after success at Pieter's Hill*, Col Lord Dundonald with 300 men of the Imperial Light Horse, Border Mounted Rifles and Natal Carbineers entered the town on 28 February. The siege had lasted for 120 days. Buller arrived on 1 March and established his headquarters there on the following day. At the close of the siege there were over 2,000 sick in the hospital at Intombi Camp*. Not until 11 May did the Natal Army move against the Boer positions now along the Biggarsberg*. It was the location of a white concentration refugee camp. HMG I pp.44, 47, 120, 151, 262 and 456 (map no.4), II pp. 527-530 and caps.XXX, XXXI (map no.31), III pp.249-251, 259 (map no.45), IV p.669; Times III caps.VII and VIII (maps facing pp.200 and 216), IV pp.165-169 and cap.XV (map facing p.196); Breytenbach I caps.XIII and XIV (maps facing pp.340 and 384), II cap.XIII (map facing p.412), III pp.557-567 and caps.I and II (map facing p.62); Cd.819; Burnett pp.47-84 (map no.II); Griffith. CR.

Country Great Britain
Record set Anglo-Boer War Records 1899-1902
Category Military Service & Conflict
Subcategory Boer Wars
Collections from Great Britain, UK None

DWBell,

Welcome to the forum. There are two accounts of the 3rd KRRC on the unit page which might provide useful background:
angloboerwar.com/unit-information/imperi...gs-royal-rifle-corps