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Gellender of the Frontier Light Horse & Railway Pioneer Regiment 6 years 5 months ago #56323

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Ernest Henry Gellender

Private, Frontier Light Horse
Corporal, 1st Battalion, Railway Pioneer Regiment – Anglo Boer War

- Queens South Africa Medal with clasps Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal and South Africa 1901 & 1902 to 838 Pte. E.H. Gellender, Frontier Light Horse

Ernest Gellender must have been a man who thrived on status! Why else would he tamper with the rank on his medal in an attempt to obliterate the “Pte.” appellation as it was initially impressed. Of course there would have been no need should the medal have been issued off the Railway Pioneer Regiment roll where he was a Corporal but such was not to be.

So who was Ernest Gellender? Born in about 1870 in the Parish of Elswick in Newcastle On Tyne he was the son of James Gellender, an Iron Monger by trade and a native of the island of Jersey, and his wife Mary, born Aubin. Tragedy struck the small family in January 1880 when Ernest was 10 years old when his father passed away. This was reflected in the 1881 England census a year later when an 11 year old Ernest was at home with his widowed mother at Wingrove Villas in Elswick. Mrs Gellender was now running a Fruiterers and Florist business with her oldest son John William. Next came Florence (17), Francis (16), Ada Amy (10), Louisa (7) and Charles (6). Bringing up the rear was the Servant, Sarah Scott and John Aubin, Mrs Gellender’s brother who was visiting.

Having lost his father at a young age Ernest was to be further disappointed by the loss of his mother in 1885. He was thus an orphan by the age of 15. This didn’t appear to have dampened his enthusiasm as, according to the Jarrow Express of 6 July, 1888, he was participating with a measure of success in the Jarrow Amateur Bicycle Sports meeting.

The 1891 England census revealed that a 23 year old Gellender was a Boarder at 30Townwall Street, St James, Eastry in Kent. He was a Tailor Journeyman by occupation. With no parents and only siblings remaining Gellender took the decision at some point to move to South Africa where he found himself at the outbreak of the Anglo Boer War in 1899.

Initially he joined the ranks of the Frontier Light Horse – although only on 3 January 1901 when the war had been raging for more than 15 months – and was assigned no. 836 and the rank of Private.

Based in King William’s Town in the Eastern Cape the Frontier Light Horse’s area of service was No. 1 Division, Cape Colony. There was no individual attestation forms to complete; there was in its stead a form where “We the undersigned severally agree to join the Frontier Light Horse on the following terms.” These terms were for a period of 6 months (or less if not required); Trooper’s pay of 5 shillings per day and an allowance of 2/6 per day for those bringing their own horses and saddlery.

Rations for man and horse were free. As a unit this corps, called at first District Mounted Rifles, were 3 squadrons strong, and were commanded by Lieutenant Colonel E O Hutchinson. They operated in the Cape Colony during the second phase of the war, and were in numerous little engagements and many pursuits, frequently suffering casualties, as in the Maraisburg district in August and September 1901, and at Wilgekloof in February 1902 and about Somerset East and Jamestown districts in March and April.

Gellender served with them until taking his discharge on 15 July 1901. After a brief respite he completed the attestation paper to join the 1st Railway Pioneer Regiment at Queenstown on 3 September 1901. This form provides us with more details of the man – aged 33 he was an Electrical Engineer by profession married to Martha Gellender and resident in Queenstown. He confirmed service with what he termed the “D.M.R.” from 4 January 1901 until 15 July 1901 and asked that £5 of his pay be remitted to his wife monthly. Assigned no. 26467 and the rank of Trooper he was with the R.P.R. until 5 May 1902 where he attained the rank of Corporal. Gellender was deployed mainly in the Transvaal earning that clasp along with the Cape Colony one he earned with the F.M.R. His medal also sports the Orange Free State clasp but there is no record of his being awarded it.

The Railway Pioneer Regiment came into being on 18 December 1899 when recruiting for this corps was opened at Cape Town. Before Lord Roberts commenced his advance from Bloemfontein to Pretoria the first regiment had already been organised, its work being to assist in protecting the railways and to repair bridges, culverts, and lines when broken. Without outside assistance the corps of Royal Engineers could not have faced the enormous amount of work naturally falling to their department. From the Railway Pioneer Regiment they received very valuable help.

Of such value was the work of the Railway Pioneer Regiment that before the close of the war a fourth battalion had been organised. The battalions were employed chiefly on the Cape-Pretoria railway, but they were also on the Krugersdorp line, and sometimes operated as a fighting force a considerable distance from railways. The regiment also did admirable service on the armoured trains which did so much to make railway traffic possible during the guerilla stages.

In his evidence before the War Commission, Lord Roberts said: "An enormous amount of reconstruction was carried out by the Railway Pioneer Regiment and the Railway Companies Royal Engineers. The Pioneer Regiment consisted almost entirely of civilian refugees, mostly mechanics from Johannesburg, and it rendered excellent service. To its aid and that of the Royal Engineer officers and men we were indebted for the fact that the railways very seldom lost touch with the fighting portion of the army, and that we were able to seize Johannesburg and Pretoria, distant about 1000 miles from our base upon the coast, and 260 miles from Bloemfontein, our advanced depot, with such rapidity that the enemy were unable to concentrate their resources and offer a strongly organised resistance". High praise indeed came the way of the R.P.R. and Gellender doubtless played his role effectively.

After the war was over he continued as an Electrical Engineer moving, at some point in time, to Natal which is where, on 10 October 1940, he passed away at 202 Currie Road in Durban (he was living in Pietermaritzburg at the time) aged 72 years and 4 months. He had married Aimee Maude Bennett in Glasgow before moving to South Africa (this doesn’t explain why he claimed his wife’s name to be Martha on his R.P.R. attestation paper). She had predeceased him dying at Volksrust on the Natal/Transvaal border in 1923.

He was survived by his wife and children Florrie Pearson; Ada Roper; Louis Gellender; Charles Gellender; Frank Gellender and Willie Gellender.