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A recent acquisition from Gary Neate Auctions (the last one they were to hold0

Augustus Turner

Private, 2nd Battalion, Manchester Regiment – Anglo Boer War
Drill Instructor (Sergeant), Manchester Regiment & East Yorkshire Regiment – WWI

- Queens South Africa Medal with clasps Cape Colony, Transvaal & Wittebergen
- Kings South Africa Medal with clasps South Africa 1901 & 1902

With names like Gustavus Augustus one can be forgiven for thinking that here was someone with a classical background whose family had a liking for Latin but this was not to be the case with the more commonplace surname of Turner being added to his moniker. Researching Augustus proved to be a challenge because, with the exception of his army career, he was known in most quarters by the name of Gustavus.

Born to James and Rose Turner in Pimlico, London in 1867 he was, according to the 1871 England census, a 4 year old living at home, 10 Princes Row, St. Georges, Hanover Square along with his older siblings James (10); Fanny (8) and Edward (5) along with his maternal grandmother, Susan Yeats. James Turner was a Coach Trimmer by trade.

The 1881 England census found Gustavus a strapping lad of 14 employed, after what must have been a rudimentary education, as a Telegraph Messenger. The family still resided at 10 Princes Row in Pimlico and seemed to have grown in number with the addition of a number of boarders. Fanny (18); Edward (16) and now a Clerk were all there as was Arthur Cheal, Frederick Winkcloth and Robert Geeson. This made for a rather full household and it was small wonder that, at the age of 19 years, he took himself off to the recruiting office at Aldershot on 18 August 1887 to join the ranks of the Manchester Regiment.

His Attestation papers revealed that he was now a Plumber’s Mate and that he had seen service with the 20th (Artists) Rifles Brigade. He was 5 feet 4 inches in height and weighed 115 pounds with a fresh complexion, brown eyes and light brown hair. Having been found Fit for the Army he was assigned no. 1993 and became the 1st Battalion, Manchester Regiment’s newest recruit.

The full 12 years of service he saw with the colours were in their entirety, home-based with Turner never having occasion to step out of England (with the exception of being stationed at Tipperary in Cork, Ireland in April 1888). He used the opportunity provided to gain a 3rd and then 2nd Class Certificate of Education the first on 16 October 1889 and then on 19 June 1891.

He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant on 8 June 1892 but was reduced to the ranks on the back of a General Court Martial on 4 July 1894 after being found guilty of “Neglect to the Good Order and Prejudice of Military Discipline” and “When a Prisoner under arrest escaping” On 18 August 1894 he was transferred to the 1st Class Reserve having completed his initial 7 years. The Section D Form completed in respect of Turner on this occasion gave him a Character rating of Good and he confirmed, as he was required to, that he was aware that the Army could call him out for Permanent Service at any time. These words would prove to be prophetic.

Turner had found time for romance whilst in uniform and had married, whilst stationed at Ashton-Under-Lyne, Mary Buckley in 1893.

The Baptismal records of the Parish of Hurst in the County of Lancaster tell us that Gustavus Edward was born to the happy couple on 23 August 1897. Turner, now part of the Army Reserve, was referred to as a Store Keeper resident at 70 Mossley Road, Aston-Under-Lyne.

The Short Service Attestation forms that Turner later completed revealed that he was recalled to the colours on 7 September 1899. What was the reason for this? In short the world had been holding its breath for quite a while over a potential armed conflict between Great Britain on the one hand and the two Boer Republics in far away South Africa on the other. This was to develop into full-blown war in October 1899 and Turner had been recalled in anticipation of this.

Turner sailed for South Africa aboard the H.T. “Bavarian “on 16 March 1900 and was deployed immediately on landing in the Cape on 6 April. To give one an idea of what the 2nd Battalion, Turner had been transferred to them, got up to I must turn to an official account of their movements,

“The 2nd Battalion, Manchester’s along with the 1st Worcestershire, 1st South Staffordshire, and 2nd Royal West Kent, formed the 17th Brigade under Major General Boyes, and part of the 11th Division under Lieutenant General Sir Leslie Rundle. The battalion was not in any big battle, but did consistently good work.

Between the 20th and 24th April 1900 they were engaged in operations for the relief of Wepener; thereafter they marched north where, in May, they were operating between Thabanchu and Senekal in the Orange Free State. On 4 June they occupied Ficksburg and held it until the 20th being frequently shelled by the enemy.

From the 20th June to the 29th July they were holding Hammonia and part of the line from Ficksburg westwards to keep in Prinsloo's Boers. They were also involved in the fighting around Wittebergen in July which is where Turner earned his clasp of that name.

From 29 July to 4 August they marched to Harrismith doing 115 miles in seven days. Thereafter they moved to first Reitz and then to Vrede and on to Standerton in the Transvaal arriving ther on the 30th.

During these four months the division was on very short rations, their boots and clothing were worn out with many of the men wearing sacks. A hundred men of the battalion were sent back from Reitz to Harrismith as they had no boots. At Standerton the men received fresh boots and clothes, and after that time supplies were more regular.

From Standerton the troops marched, via Vrede and Bethlehem, to Senekal. They had fighting there, and near that town some waggons, a gun, and 17 prisoners taken. On 30th September they reached Reitz again and, on 14th October occupied Harrismith. Te Regiment left on 3rd November as escort to a convoy which entailed daily fighting.

These interminable treks and constant skirmishes, sometimes developed into quite fierce actions, as at Reitpan on 6th January 1901. At times the battalion got a spell of garrison work, as at Bethlehem between 30th January and 27th April, during which time no mails got in.

During May and June 1901 half the battalion went out with a column under Lieutenant Colonel Reay of the regiment. This column, working in the Brand water basin, had fighting every day.

During August to November the battalion was on column work, pursuing Boers or taking out convoys. The enemy got numerous and daring in November, and the skirmishes were frequent and fierce. From the end of November 1901 till the declaration of peace in May 1902 the battalion was constructing and occupying blockhouses on the line between Harrismith-Van Reenens and Harrismith-Oliver's Hoek. That they held them well is proved by the largeness of the captures in the drives to that corner in February and March 1902.”

It must be remembered that Augustus Turner was, in 1900/1901, no longer in the first flower of youth. He was now 35 years old and had undergone a change in career before being recalled – he was now a Sanitary Inspector had grown an inch and was now 5 feet 5 inches. All told he served for a period of 2 years and 149 days in South Africa before being repatriated for England arriving home on 14 October 1902. He had passed for Corporal on 16 June of that year.

On 6 September 1908 he was discharged on completion of 21 years service and returned home as a Sergeant in rank. But what home was he coming to? A memorandum entitled “Separation Allowance – Motherless Children” from the O.C. 2nd Battalion, Manchester Regt. to the Officer i/c of Records of the Lancashire Grouped Regional District, Preston written from Portsmouth on 14 November 1907 read,

“Sir

I have the honour to request that authority may be given for the marginally named Non-Commissioned Officer (Turner) to continue to draw a separation allowance. I consider that the issue of separation allowance for his motherless children is preferable to his retention on the married establishment, as he has two boys in a school at Ashton-Under-Lyne and a girl under a guardian at Frimley, Surrey.”

So there it was – Mary Turner had departed this life and left Augustus to raise three young children on his own. The consequences were almost immediate – the 1911 census shows a 13 year Gustavus Edward Turner living with John Street and his wife in Ashton-Under –Lyne and being described as their “son” Could this mean that Turner had been obliged to have his children placed for adoption?

Returning to Turner’s discharge papers, he was intent on living at Fort Gower in Gosport and pursuing his career as a Sanitary Inspector. That he moved there is not in dispute but no trace of him can be found in the 1911 census. On 4 August 1914 the Great War erupted and a 47 year old Turner stood ready to do his bit. On 6 October 1914 at Gosport inn Hampshire he completed the Army Reserve (Special Reservists) One Year’s Service Attestation forms and was accepted with no. 35085 and the rank of Sergeant into the East Yorkshire Regiment for service in the United Kingdom only and as a Drill Instructor.

According to his forms he was now a Rivetter by trade and had become smaller in stature coming in at 5 feet 3 ½ inches in height. He had now “acquired” a small scar above each buttock and was pronounced as Fit for the Reserve. As his next of kin he provided the name of Rose Ann White of 91 Upper South Street, Gosport with whom he seemed to be boarding at the time.

All told he served until 23 May 1917 starting out with the Manchester Regiment and ending with the East Yorkshire Regiment before being discharged – no longer physically fit (rheumatism and Gout, general debility and age) He had service of 2 years and 230 days.

Augustus Turner passed away in September 1933 at the age of 66 in Gosport. His son Gustavus passed away 20 years later, in 1953 in the same town.

Now what made you buy that I wonder?

A combination of price and novelty value Frank.

Or, put otherwise, it was looking for a home and I had a room for it.

Regards

Rory

Great Research as usual Rory.....

Picked up a couple of pieces in the last auction as well, ones that I really needed....... (11th Hussars and 21st Lancers)

Will miss his auctions, used to get a couple of pieces a year from him......

Mike

Well Rory,
I think there are very many worse ways of spending money these days and I'd be quite happy with medals like that one, it is a pity about the KSA, if it still exists, I hope that you will find it in due course.
I was initially confused by the title of your thread, as Turner was not a Manchester man, but this was perfectly normal for the particular period in question.
I wonder if, after, certifying Turner as a suitable gentleman to be appointed into the battalion, Tony Hudson, in his capacity as Adjutant actually spoke to Charles Church with something along the lines of "another wretched cockney, Colonel Sir"
Of course the Army were pleased to take all they could find back then, in fact conditions were so poor, that just getting men who were fit enough with good teeth was a real issue.
When Turner joined the battalion it had just moved from Shorncliffe the year before, but, crucially, in that year, Church was ordered to increase the establishment by the War Office in June, the battalion then moved to Aldershot in October and the recruitment began.
I very much doubt if it was too difficult a task given that they played an important role in the royal review that took place in July 1887 to mark the occasion of Queen Victoria and her fiftieth year as sovereign.
Members of the battalion not only mounted the Guard of Honour, but, actually provided her Royal Guard whilst she was in the Royal Pavilion at Aldershot during her stay.
Who knows, perhaps Turner was one the many who saw this special day in person and was suitably impressed and thought that's for me.
From memory, the battalion left Aldershot in April 1888, over to Portsmouth and embarked on HMS Assistance for Queenstown and then down to Tipperary by train, although a company was detached to Clonmel and there they stayed for nearly three years.
I see Turner went over to Kinsale in 1891, I wonder if he actually saw Fort Camden before he was posted back to the Manchester's depot, I wonder why that was, the rest of the battalion stayed in their new headquarters for another three years before their next move.
I also wonder what the circumstances were that led to his regimental courts martial and the loss of his chevrons which he had only had for a little over a year!
Regards Frank

Rory wrote: A combination of price and novelty value Frank.

Or, put otherwise, it was looking for a home and I had a room for it.

Regards

Rory