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Taylor is a bit of a mystery man - he was most decidedly a Scot but seems to have had a bit of "American" thrown in.

James Homer Taylor

Private, Imperial Light Infantry – Anglo Boer War

- Queens South Africa Medal with clasps Tugela Heights, Relief of Ladysmith, Transvaal and Laing’s Nek to 777 Pte. J.H. Taylor, I.L.I.

James Taylor was born in New Parish, Greenock in Renfrew, Scotland on 11 October 1865 the son of James Homer Taylor and his wife Sarah. Other than the fact that his middle name has a distinct American flavour to it there is mention on his death notice that he was an American “born in Scotland” – this could imply that the family or his forebears had lived there at some stage.

The 1881 Scotland census reveals that a 15 year old James was liv ing with his parents in Walker’s Land, Bothwell, Lanarkshire. He was employed as a Tailor (probably by his father who had the same occupation) His 4 year old sister, Margaret completed the family circle.

Of Taylor’s early life very little is known with his story commencing almost in tandem with the outbreak of the Anglo Boer War in 1899. That conflict got underway in earnest on 11 October of that year when war was declared and the Boer forces invaded Natal via the Drakensberg range of mountains and through Northern Natal.

The British Regular Army men stationed in Natal were woefully inadequate in number to counter the threat and a call was made for locals to either enlist with one of the few Colonial regiments such as the Natal Carbineers or enlist with others newly created for the purpose.

One such regiment was the Imperial Light Infantry. The I.L.I. was raised in Natal and was largely recruited from those who had lost their employment through the outbreak of hostilities and it was to their ranks that Taylor turned enlisting at Durban on 17 November 1899. According to the Attestation form he completed he was 33 years of age, 5 feet 7 inches in height with a fair complexion, brown eyes and light brown hair. He had a boot size of 7 and this was also the size of his head (for hat purposes)

The command of the I.L.I. was given to Lieutenant Colonel Nash (Border Regiment) and by the end of December 1899 they were ready for active service. They had comparatively little training and no fighting until they were thrown into the awful combat on Spioen Kop on 24th January 1900. About 1000 strong, they paraded at 10 pm on 23rd January, and, as ordered, took up positions from which they could reinforce General Woodgate, who commanded the force detailed to capture the hill.

Sir C Warren visited the regiment early on the morning of the 24th, and asked the officers if they had seen anything of a mountain-battery which he was expecting. He requested that 2 companies be sent forward to a specified point to be ready to escort the battery to the summit when it arrived. The companies of Captains Champney and Smith moved out at 6 am and waited as ordered for the battery, but about 9 am a staff-officer told them to reinforce immediately on the summit. The 2 companies advanced and reached the top shortly after 10 am.

At this hour the enemy's fire was appalling, the hail of bullets and shells being ceaseless, but these untried volunteers are said to have pushed up to the shallow trench and the firing-line beyond it without flinching. They at once commenced to suffer very severe losses. These 2 companies were the first reinforcements to enter the firing-line, and their arrival proved most opportune, some Lancashire companies being very hard pressed at this time and at this part of the position.

About mid-day Colonel Nash was ordered to reinforce on the summit with "every available man". About 2 pm he reached the top with his remaining companies, who at once bolted out from the rocks at the head of the ascent and fed the firing-line, pushing forward fearlessly across the open.

Throughout the afternoon and evening the firing was unceasing, and often at very close quarters; after dark it had died away. The regiment having been collected, fell in and marched off. They had barely gone 200 yards, however, when an officer said to Colonel Nash, "Where are you going?" The latter replied that he had been ordered to take down the regiment. The other officer then said, "I am Colonel Hill of the Middlesex; not a man or regiment is to leave the hill". The officers of the Imperial Light Infantry then said to their men that a mistake had been made, and the column 'about turned', marched back to the place they had come from, put out pickets, and lay down among the dead and wounded. The worst feature of this very trying experience was the ceaseless crying of the wounded for water: there was none on the hill. During the night a staff-officer informed Colonel Nash that he had better bring down his men before dawn if no fresh troops or orders came up. Between 3 am and 4 am the regiment was again collected and finally left the hill. No Boers had ventured on to the hill up to that time.

One can only imagine from where we sit today just how dreadful it must have been for Taylor and his comrades – in among the dead and the dying without water for themselves let alone those parched throats for whom death was around the corner. Justifiably then the Imperial Light Infantry are credited with having played a very significant role in the fight for Spioenkop.

Having survived that bloodbath Taylor went on to the Relief of Ladysmith and beyond to take part in the battle of Liang’s Nek which saw the effective end of a Boer presence (for the moment) in Natal. From there it was on to the Transvaal before he took his discharge from the regiment on 16 November 1900 having earned the Queens Medal with the requisite clasps.

At some point in his life he met and married a Jeanette Lilian Ventom Day. This lady had been married previously to a Sergeant Henry Fuller of the Yorks and Lancs Regiment. This marriage had taken place in Pietermaritzburg, Natal on 14 February 1894 when she was a mere 18 years old. Whatever the reason the marriage didn’t last and Taylor married Mrs Fuller nee Day in Johannesburg.

Taylor passed away at the comparatively young age of 50 on 20 April 1915. It wasn’t the fact that he had died but rather where that made him a bit unusual for James Taylor died in the Folokara District of Morondava on the island of Madagascar – a very primitive place in 1915. What was he doing there? He was employed as an Oilfield Manager but one whose primary residence was South Africa where he owned property in the Winklespruit area just south of Durban.

A wealthy man – he left an estate in excess of £1000 and had an interest in the Rietspruit Diamond Syndicate Ltd. He left everything to his wife and sister, Margaret Gilchrist of Glasgow in Scotland. A codicil to the will left an amount to his step son, Charles Henry Taylor.

Good heavens Rory, another one, how many have you got now?

Frank Kelley wrote: Good heavens Rory, another one, how many have you got now?

Rory has a built in magnet..... They are all attracted to him......

Nice posting......

Mike

Now if I could only get my Strathcona and Canadian Scouts magnet to work......

You're closer to the North Pole than I am Mike - your magnetic field should be in top form

Thanks for your positive comments - yours too Frank. And to answer your question - I've picked up 3 to the I.L.I in the last 6 months all of them early joiners which makes them more interesting.

Regards

Rory