TOPIC:

Located within the North Transept of St. Mary's Church, Old Square, Warwick is a memorial plaque commemorating Major J.A.Orr-Ewing who fell during the Boer War.




The memorial plaque is of brass with black lettering with no backboard. It bears the following inscription:

"IN LOVING MEMORY
OF MAJOR
J.A.ORR-EWING
WHO WAS KILLED IN ACTION
AT KHEIS CAPE COLONY
ON 28TH MAY 1900
WHEN IN COMMAND OF
THE 5TH CO. (WARWICKSHIRE)
IMPERIAL YEOMANRY
AGED 43
ERECTED BY HIS FORMER
BROTHER OFFICERS OF THE 16TH LANCERS."

James Alexander Orr-Ewing was born on the 22nd February 1857 at Anderson, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland. He was the younger son of his parents Archibald Orr-Ewing of Balliikinrain, 1st baronet,(born 1857) and Elizabeth Constance Lindsay Reid.
James received a privileged education, attending Harrow and later Trinity College, Cambridge becoming MA in 1879.
His military career commenced when he joined the 16th Lancers in 1880. His rise up the promotional ladder began with the rank of Lieutenant in 1881, then Captain in 1888, and finally Major in 1896.
He joined the Reserve of Officers on his retirement from the 16th Lancers and was gazetted Captain in the Warwickshire Yeomanry in 1898., a company he commanded at the time of his death.
James was reportedly an excellent sportsman and fisherman as would befit a gentleman of the day.
He married Margaret Frances Susan Innes Kerr (1875-1930) in 1898. A lady befitting his social status, for she was the daughter of the 7th Duke of Roxburghe and Lady Anne Emily Soencer- Churchill.
The union produced one daughter Millicent Lilian Elizabeth Orr-Ewing (1899-1931).
At the commencement of hostilities in South Africa, James was mobilised for the voyage to the seat of war aboard the SS Erie on 1st February 1900. His cohort of the Imperial Yeomanry consisted of 5 Officers and 116 men.
Orr-Ewing was commanding his company of the Imperial Yeomanry at the time of his death, he was reported as trying to help a brother officer who had gotten into difficulties in the river. No less than three Distinguished Conduct Medals were awarded during this action.

James was interred at Boegoeberg District Cemetery, Brandboom and commemorated there on monument 3.

James was posthumously awarded the Queen's South Africa medal with the single clasp CAPE COLONY (Capt. J.A. Orr-Ewing.5/Co.2/Imp Yeo.)
His QSA was offered at Dix Noonan Webb in their March 2014 sale with an estimate of £2000-2500.

Interestingly, his service revolver was sold at Bonham's on 12th May 2016 for £1500 including fees.
A brief description thus:

".455/.476 '1900' Model revolver by Wilkinson no. 12083 in it's leather case with lid stamped 'J. Orr-Ewing, 16th Lancers.'

Putting a face to a name (courtesy Warwickshire Yeomanry Museum) :



and as part of the photo was used, without the grain, in the Illustrated London News, 9th June, 1900:

Boegoeberg near Winburg

Courtesy of the British Empire website another photo of Major Orr-Ewing - this time in Imperial Yeomanry uniform - also from the same source some more info on him:







From The Sphere of 21st July 1900:



Surprising for the son of a "Fish Salesman" to get his photo in The Sphere, but he was obviously a very successful fish salesman who expanded into farming oysters.

Trooper William Flower Lane:



This photo appeared in a two page spread in the Coventry Evening Telegraph of 1st May 1977 with the following title:



He was 47 years of age when he died! His mother's maiden name was Flower.

He is commemorated in London Road Cemetery in Coventry:

www.findagrave.com/memorial/143665767/william-flower-lane

William Flower Lane was a well known citizen of Cov, as the following passage sourced from the website of "The Definitive Guide to the History of Pubs and Beerhouses in Coventry," testifies:

"This pub stood on Cross Cheaping, facing Broadgate, by the entrance to Butcher Row.
The first directory to record the name The Royal was Kelly's in 1896, who still listed Bradley Keen as licensee, although he'd handed that over to Edward Townson in October the previous year.
For fifteen years from April 1896, The Royal Hotel was run by William Flower Lane (whose name was famously emblazoned on the side facing Broadgate) and then from 1900 his widow, Emily, after William was sadly killed in action on the 28th May 1900 in the Boer War, aged only 47 years. He had served in the army for 23 years."