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David Sparks - Siege Veteran and Oldest Living Carbineer 6 years 3 months ago #56882

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David Sparks

Lieutenant, Natal Carbineers – Anglo Boer War

- Queens South Africa Medal with clasps Defence of Ladysmith, Transvaal, Laings Nek and South Africa 1902 to Lieut. D. Sparks, Natal Carbnrs.

Much has been written about David Sparks – from the uniqueness of the clasps on his Queens Medal to the man himself and this work attempts merely to join the dots as it were with a focus on military life of the man during the Siege of Ladysmith.

The Sparks’ family story in South Africa began on 26 July 1850 when David Sparks senior, a young man from the city of London sailed into what passed for a harbour in Port Natal aboard the “Ballengeich”. Unlike many of those arriving in the colony of Natal at that time he was not a “Byrne” settler and thus had no grant of land to come to. His wife-to-be, Elizabeth Walsh, arrived along with her family a little later that year and, with the settler community being of necessity a small one, her and David met and later married with the rest, as the saying goes, being history.




Sparks was a resourceful young man and, ere long, he had leased land on nearby Springfield Flats where he, as part of a syndicate, grew sugar cane and built a sugar mill to process the fruits of his own labours as well as those of his neighbouring growers. All was well until the disastrous floods of 1856 when the entire countryside was awash with water and the cane crop failed. Settlers were hardy bunch though and, taking this setback in his stride, Sparks senior flourished and soon had enough money to erect a 7 roomed brick dwelling considered to be the finest in Durban at the time which he promptly named Sydenham. Sydenham as a suburb of Durban still exists today.

As was fairly typical of the times the Sparks family grew to be a large one – no brakes were placed on the ability to raise children and David Sparks and his wife took full advantage with eleven children born of their union. David junior, born in 1857, had no lack of siblings being joined at regular intervals by John William (the eldest) followed by Henry (Harry), Sara Ann, Benjamin, Joseph, Elizabeth, Mary Anne, Emily Ester, Abram and Lucy Hannah.

Prospects for gainful employment in Durban were low and David, having worked until the age of 22, decided to seek greener pastures. Along with younger brothers Benjamin and Joseph, he trekked up to Ladysmith in 1878 to start up a General Dealers business aptly named Sparks Brothers. The brothers initially lived in a house adjacent to the railway on the Guinea Fowl side of Alfred Street but before the end of the 19th century he had built a substantial residence he called “Roseneath” in Keate Street. The business thrived with David the Storekeeper; Joseph the Butcher and Benjamin a forwarding agent.

But there was time for romance amid the hustle and bustle of business and on 19 July 1882 at the age of 25 he wed a local Ladysmith girl – 19 year old Kate Mary Pinkney in a private house in the small town. His brother Benjamin was one of the witnesses to the union. Between them they were to have seven children.

From almost the outset of his stay in Ladysmith Sparks busied himself in the civic affairs of the town and when Ladysmith was proclaimed a borough in 1890 he was one of the first members of the Town Council, becoming first Deputy Mayor and then Mayor of the town. One of his first civic duties was to open the first proper dam on the Klip River which runs through Ladysmith –just above Thornhill’s Drift. All told Sparks was Chairman of the Ladysmith Town Council from 1890 until 1894 and again from 1897 to 1898. In 1899 Ladysmith he served as Mayor of the town as well as from 1902 until 1904 and from 1907 until 1908.




But what was it that interrupted his first term as Mayor? Nothing other than the Anglo Boer War which commenced on 11 October 1899 between the two Dutch Republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State on the one hand and the British Empire on the other. Ladysmith, so strategical placed on the route from the Transvaal to Durban, was, unsurprisingly, regarded by the Boers as of crucial importance to their war effort. It was also the most northern town in the colony of Natal where any troops were garrisoned. On 22 October the first real engagement of the war in the eastern theatre took place at Talana outside nearby Dundee. The British forces carried the day but, inexplicably to some, decided to retreat from Dundee and head for Ladysmith. In between, and en route, the battle of Elandslaagte took place – again a British victory – but still the order came to withdraw to Ladysmith.

In anticipation of the role Ladysmith would play in the war the Town Council was dissolved and replaced by a Siege Committee who were, together with the military, tasked with arranging the affairs of the town and its people. Sparks would normally have been part and parcel of the Committee but, having enlisted with “J” Squadron – the Ladysmith Squadron - of the Natal Carbineers on 1 March 1899 as a Trooper with no. 588 he was duty-bound and no doubt anxious to play a more hand-on role in the conflict to hand.

Already a Lieutenant from the day of enlistment he was to play a vital role in Ladysmith throughout the Siege. By 1 November 1899 Yule and the foot weary and exhausted British force retreating from Dundee under his command had reached Ladysmith where General Sir George White, the Officer Commanding operations in Northern Natal, had his Headquarters. The Boers had lost no time in surrounding Ladysmith, taking up positions with their artillery pieces, on all the prominent hills dotted around Ladysmith. The investment of Ladysmith – the Siege so often referred to had begun. Sir George decreed that those women and children who were able and willing should leave the town for Durban on the last few trains running before they too, along with all communications, were cut off by the Boer forces.




Sparks’ family left on the last train out for Durban freeing him of the anxiety of having to care for their welfare in a town that was to fast become devoid of any foodstuffs and under almost daily bombardment from the Boer guns who peppered the town on each and every day save the Sabbath which they respected. Being a prominent storekeeper in Ladysmith didn’t do any harm to Sparks as one of the first decisions made by the military was to requisition the total stock of his store Sparks Bros., General Dealer.

But aside from this Sparks showed his civic-mindedness by making his home, now empty of his family, available to be used as a hospital. Hospitals, as it turned out, were to be a major feature of a besieged Ladysmith – as the rations were first reduced and then began to run out so did the scourge of Enteric Fever and other illnesses begin to take their toll. As is often the case in war the casualties suffered on the battlefield were as nothing, number-wise, to those suffered from disease and Ladysmith was no exception.

George Tatham, a Major in the Natal Carbineers as well as a friend and compatriot of Sparks’ in Ladysmith before and during the siege mentioned in his diary on Friday, 2nd February 1900 as follows,

“93rd day of siege, 96th of bombardment. Still no news of Buller, all garrison getting down-hearted and miserable. Sick increasing daily in numbers in camp and want of food for convalescent patients much felt. Sparks is doing good work in this way. With the assistance of R. Cox and his sister, they are running a sort of convalescent home in Gorman’s house, which is a great help.”

The question on everybody’s minds and many people’s lips was ‘Where is Buller?” where was the relieving force that would ameliorate the troubles being experienced by the military and townspeople alike in the besieged town. They could hear the guns across the Tugela River but this sound ebbed and flowed along with Buller’s fortunes and the besieged town, desperate for any information, had to make do with rumour and the odd scrap obtained by natives who made their way through the Boer cordon.

Buller, in point of fact, was making rather heavy work of it. He was to experience two significant reverses on his way to relieve Ladysmith – the first was at Colenso on 15 December where he was taught a lesson by the Boers and the second was an altogether more costly part of his education with the disaster at Spioen Kop on 21 and 22 January. These setbacks, combined as they were with huge losses in manpower, effectively placed him on the back foot forcing him to decide on an alternate and longer route to approach the town.

In Ladysmith itself there were those who almost openly opined that Sir George White was a ditherer and that more could and should be done to get the garrison out of the hole in which it found itself. Where was White’s fighting spirit? - was a question frequently asked in low tones around the place. Instead he seemed content to wait it out until Buller eventually arrived. But when would that be? A few attempts were made to relieve the pressure on the one hand and show brother “Boer” that he wasn’t going to be permitted to stroll into the town when he felt like it on the other.

The first such incident which came to be known as “Mournful Monday” or the battle of Ladysmith was the battle of Lombard’s Kop, the first of two British defeats around Ladysmith which took place on 30 October 1899 – the day before the siege officially commenced.

White had decided to launch a pre-emptive strike on the approaching Boers before they could establish their lines. One force was sent north to guard Nicholson’s Nek. The main attack was to be launched first against Long Hill, north east of the town, and then turn left to attack Pepworth Hill, north of the town. He had assumed that the left wing of the Boer line was on Long Hill but he was wrong. The Boers were not on Long Hill. They were on Lombard’s Kop, to the east of the town. The British force would be advancing into a gap between two Boer positions.

Command of the attack on Long Hill was given to Colonel Geoffrey Grimwood. He was given the 8th Brigade (1st King's Royal Rifles, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, 1st King's Liverpool and 1st Leicestershires) to capture the hill. The 7th Brigade (1st Devonshire, 1st Manchester, 2nd Gordon Highlanders, 5th Dragoon Guards, 18th Hussars and the Imperial Light Horse) under Colonel Ian Hamilton was to act as a reserve until Long Hill was secure, then move directly against Pepworth Hill. The artillery was to advance between the two brigades. Finally Major-general Sir John French's Cavalry Brigade (5th Lancers, 19th Hussars and Natal Carbineers) was to guard the right flank of the advance. All of this was to be achieved after a night march.

Just about everything that could go wrong did. During the night march the artillery received new orders, and turned off to the right. Two of Grimworth’s battalions followed them. At dawn he found himself at the bottom of an empty hill, with half of his force missing. French had also got lost in the night, and was not in place to cover Grimworth’s right flank.

Grimworth’s men now came under fire from the Boers on Pepworth Hill and Lombard’s Kop, and from yet more Boers to the east. Grimworth seems to have panicked under fire, and lost control of the situation. Hamilton’s attack had to be diverted from Pepworth Hill to support Grimworth. French had finally caught up, and now made up the southern (right) flank of the British line. However, even the combined British force found it could make little progress against the Boer rifle fire.

To make things worse, the Boer’s 155mm Creusot gun on Pepworth Hill, known to the British as Long Tom, now opened fire on Ladysmith. Rumours began to reach the town of another Boer force approaching from the north. If true, then the tiny garrison that had been left in the town would have had very little chance of keeping it out for long enough for the main force to get back. The commander of the garrison sent an urgent request for help to General White. He was already aware that his plan was not working. At just after noon he ordered a retreat. This led to one of the great missed chances of the Boer War.

The British withdrawal threatened to descend into chaos. Only the artillery remained in place to cover Grimworth’s retreat. The Boer horsemen could have caused chaos, and Joubert’s officers begged him to let them attack. However, Joubert was one of many Boers who felt that it was un-Christian to attack a fleeing foe. The British pursuit of fleeing Boers at Elandslaagte had caused much anger amongst the Boers. Joubert stuck to his beliefs, replying with a Dutch saying – “When God holds out a finger, don't take the whole hand”. The British were allowed to retreat back into Ladysmith.




Another such sortie was that the night surprise on Gun Hill on 6 December 1899 in which Sparks was to play a pivotal role.

As has been mentioned White had resisted calls for offensive action, despite the apparent eagerness of the garrison. However, on, or shortly before, 1 December, the Boers created a gun emplacement on Gun Hill and transferred to it the Creusot 6-inch (Long Tom) gun Pepworth Hill. It was then closer to the British-colonial positions, and became a tempting target for a raid, especially after its bombardment of the Imperial Light Horse camp on 2 December.
Natal Volunteer Orders for 29 October 1899 revealed a plan for 200 Natal Carbineers to occupy both Bulwana and Lombard's Kop but this plan had never been put into effect. White's sanction for the raid was secured only with some difficulty, with the proviso that Major-General Sir Archibald Hunter, his Chief-of-Staff, lead the expedition in person, with a force of at least 500 men.

The Natal Carbineer component read like a 'who's who' of Natal colonial society. Apart from Major Addison, the officers present were:

Major G J Macfarlane; Captains F E Foxon, John Weighton; Walter Shepstone and Alexander Hair and Lieutenants W A Bartholomew, W A Vanderplank, C N H Rodwell, E Lucas, David Sparks (general dealer; Chairman, Ladysmith Town Board), W T Gage, A C Townsend and A W Smallie

But what was the plan? In Volunteer Camp Orders on 6 and 7 December there was no mention of the proposed Gun Hill operation. The Carbineers were also due to furnish the nightly guard on the commissariat store, and all Volunteer troops, mounted and dismounted, were scheduled to stand to, as usual, at 03.30. Hunter only met with Colonel William Royston, the commandant of the Volunteers, in the afternoon to arrange the details of the operation.

The briefing beforehand stipulated that gunfire was to be avoided to secure the element of surprise. This emphasis on stealth was well suited to the colonials, 'many of whom know by sporting experience on the veldt that silence is a virtue'

Estimates of the force's strength vary from 546 to 650, and comprised largely of the Natal Carbineers (200 to 270) and the Border Mounted Rifles (180) as well as 100 men of the Imperial Light Horse. The column moved off from Devonshire Post between 21.00 and 23.00 on 7 December, on the Helpmekaar road that skirted the northern slopes of Gun Hill and Lombard's Kop. Even at this late stage, the participants remained, literally and figuratively, 'in the dark'.

Nobody knew where to or what for. When well on the way it was whispered along the line that everybody was to be as quiet as possible as we were about to try and capture Long Tom'.

The column was guided to the foot of Gun Hill by scouts from the Corps of Guides. There were also three civilian guides. It was one of the few occasions when the largely unsung work of scouts, both enterprising and risky, was acknowledged at all.

The ascent of Gun Hill proper, after an approach across a stony plain dotted with dongas and Mimosa trees, was a daunting prospect being some hundreds of yards high, terribly rocky, and shifting gravely soil, and nearly as steep as the side of a house. An assault force of about 200 men was told off for the attack, while flanking and reserve contingents operated in support. Those remaining in reserve formed up in a semi-circle at the foot of the hill, where they had to lie in the rank grass, struggling to stay awake while officers patrolled the ranks.

The following account of the approach to Gun Hill of the raiding force was published in the Natal Advertiser:

'Shortly after 11 o'clock the little column was moving swiftly but silently towards where Lombard's Kop loomed dimly against the deep blue of the sky. The young moon set half-an-hour after the party marched out, but the night was brilliantly starlit. When at a point in line with the Boer gun, the attacking force left the road and made straight for the hill, and the gun. The force advanced in two portions, which met at the base of the hill right below the Boer gun. It was now 2.30 am, and preparations for the attack were at once concluded.'

The final approach over broken ground was difficult, a cause for concern if the men were exposed to Boer fire in daylight. The decisive phase of the attack was launched at 02.45. The Natal Carbineers contingent was on the right flank, opposite Lombard's Nek, with the Imperial Light Horse and others in the centre, and the Border Mounted Rifles on the left.

There were at least 100 Carbineers in the final assault party scrambling up the steep, boulder-strewn 500ft slope just behind General Hunter himself. The ILH and the Carbineers went up the hill ‘like cats noiselessly, and often on all fours.' A startled Boer sentry was encountered about halfway up the hill whose frantic warnings came too late, and the storming party was close enough to their objectives to rush the posts successfully, under the personal leadership of General Hunter. The defence 'crumpled up like tissue-paper' the moment the Boers realised that the assailants were practically at close quarters (Times of Natal, 20 February 1900). The gun-emplacement had been guarded by only sixteen men, with a further 25 in the immediate vicinity, and a laager of 250 men in the rear of the hill.

Once the Boer defenders were alerted during the final phase of the assault, the attackers faced volleys of Mauser fire, and they dropped to the ground for cover and replied with volleys of their own. This tactic was a novel one for the time, when the importance of seeking cover during an attack was not yet widely appreciated.

The focus of the daring sortie, the demolition of the artillery pieces on Gun Hill by a party of engineers, was completed in about ten minutes. 'It was a lesson in military expedition then to see Engineers going to work at gun destruction. Some of them whipped out the breech-block; others ran a charge of gun-cotton halfway down, plugged the muzzle and the breech, after first chipping away part of the screw, so that it could not be used again. Then they ran a necklace of gun-cotton around the outside of the barrel, and all was ready for Long Tom's funeral'

Once all the charges were in place, the detonator was activated: There was a dull roar and the whole mountain flamed up with a flash of light'

The Gun Hill raid was thought to be the first time in British military history that mounted infantry had stormed guns. Night attacks were also a rarity in the Anglo-Boer War, including the sieges, where an attack such as Gun Hill showcased their utility. The propaganda value and impact on morale was considerable, especially for the Natal colonial forces and civilians. 'Friday the 8th', commented James Bayley of the Ladysmith Town Guard in his diary was 'somewhat of a red letter day of the siege'.

Newspaper and popular accounts were generous with their praise. The Natal Witness in Pietermaritzburg described it as a 'dashing night attack' and similar sentiments were expressed in the Cape Argus Weekly Edition (10 January 1900). Pearse (1900, p111 ) recorded that the Natal Carbineers 'deserve full credit for an important share in the night's success'. Nevinson (1900, p 148) wrote that the main difficulty of the retirement of the colonial force was to persuade the men to leave the scene of their adventure: 'The Carbineers especially kept crowding round the old gun like children in their excitement.'

The Gun Hill raiding force arrived back in Ladysmith by 03.30 on Friday, 8 December, to the enthusiastic cheers of all the regiments it passed. A diversionary British operation to seize Limit Hill, which achieved mixed success, was largely ignored amidst the blaze of publicity surrounding Gun Hill.
At noon on 8 December, the Volunteers formed up on open ground adjoining the Volunteer camp for a congratulatory address by the garrison commander, Sir George White, in which the credit owed to them by both the Colony and the Empire was given special emphasis. There was also a large turnout of civilian spectators. On the same afternoon White telegraphed a brief report to Pietermaritzburg on the outcome of the sensational expedition:

'Last night I sent out General Hunter with 500 Natal Volunteers under Royston, and 100 Imperial Light Horse under Edwards, to surprise Gun Hill. The enterprise was admirably carried out and was entirely successful, the hill being captured and a six inch gun and a four-point-seven howitzer destroyed'

As for Sparks – he was fond of telling the story of the blowing up of the German Howitzer, located on Lombard’s Kop, which played havoc with reconnoitering parties if they so much as left the shelter of the banks of the Klip river. Volunteers were called for to blow up the gun. A moonless night was chosen and all volunteers donned “tackies”, no smoking, no talking and no clinking of rifles - the surprise was complete. Gun crews were overwhelmed, the Howitzer destroyed without loss and Lombard’s Kop descended before reinforcements could arrive.

Another story he told was that of a platoon of horsemen, led by him, to reconnoiter enemy positions when he was taken short and galloped off into the bush to obey the call of nature. He was just getting his pants down when two rifle bullets ricocheted perilously close – never did he join the main party as fast as on that day!

David Sparks saw out the remainder of the siege which ended on 28 February 1900 and was to resign his commission on 17 September 1902. His Queens Medal has the almost unique distinction of being the only one awarded with the combination of clasps received. There are only four medals issued with the SA 1902 clasp to the Carbineers as opposed to the SA 1901 clasp.




As mentioned he was back at the helm of the town as Mayor when he penned a letter to the Right Honourable Joseph Chamberlain, The British Prime Minster, as follows:-

Sir

We the Mayor and Councillors of Ladysmith on behalf of the Burgesses offer you and Mrs Chamberlain a hearty cordial welcome.

We admire the policy so consistently pursued by you relating to South Africa. We proudly hope and feel assured that your mission to the British Colonies in South Africa will promote the prosperity happiness and welfare of all loyal subjects of “His Most Gracious Majesty” in this portion of the Dominions.

We have Sir, watched with great interest the progress and events of your voyage from the shores of England and we trust that your return journey will be a pleasant one conducted with safety. We would beg you to convey to His Most Gracious Majesty the King and his Royal and Imperial Consort our expression of continued unswerving loyalty to their persons and throne.

Dated at Ladysmith this 1st day of January 1903. Signed on behalf of the Town Council and Burgesses of the Borough of Ladysmith.

Geo. W Lines, Town Clerk D. Sparks, Mayor

Post-war Sparks continued with his civic duties, finding that being Mayor wasn’t enough – he aspired to higher political office and, in the early 1900’s was Member of the Provincial Council representing Klip River (Ladysmith and environs). In the 1920’s he stood for parliament and was defeated by a single vote by Justice Carter.

Having led a full and successful life David Sparks passed away at the age of 92 on 14 June 1949. Quite naturally, as a man who had spent many years in the public domain, his passing was commented on in a number of publications – these I include verbatim as they add to the story of the man himself.
The first newspaper article appeared just a year prior to his death and read as follows:-

“Former Provincial Councillor 91 Yesterday

OLDEST LIVING CARBINEER

Ladysmith, Sunday.

I feel better at 91 than I did at 81,” Major David Sparks, of Ladysmith, told “The Natal Witness” when he attained his 91st birthday yesterday.
No one, to look at Major Sparks’ upright figure and dignified carriage, would dream that he is only nine years short of his century.

“I’ll be running round during the next few months,” Major Sparks added, “I must get about to visit my family, and then in the winter months I go down to Durban.”

He attributes his splendid health to moderation in all things. Up to a few years ago he drove his own car. He gets up when the sun wakes up and goes to bed early nowadays. He is still just as vitally interested in everything as he was in his young days, but takes no active part in public work, though all his earlier days were associated with the public life of his country.

Major Sparks was beaten by just one vote in a parliamentary election, his opponent being the late Mr Justice Carter. Major Sparks was born at Springfield, Durban. His father David Sparks, came to South Africa as a young man of 21. His mother, a Miss Walsh, left England as an invalid. She was carried aboard, and a sailor remarked, “Here’s one for the deep.” No one expected the invalid to reach South Africa. However after a voyage lasting five months, she was a strong young woman.

Mr David Sparks and Miss Walsh were married in Durban in 1852. Only three of the eleven children are alive today, these being Major David Sparks, 91, Mrs Joe Ellis, of Durban, 83, and Mrs Ben Heywood, of Durban, 78. Colonel Harry Sparks, the well-known Durban personality, who died in June 1943, was just on 89 years.

Young David Sparks worked in Durban until he was 22 years of age. Then he and his two younger brothers, Benjamin and Joseph, came to Ladysmith to open up a big general dealers’ business. They trekked up from Durban with three wagons loaded with goods.

MAYOR OF LADYSMITH

Later, this enterprising young man became the Mayor of the town (Ladysmith), in which he was a pioneer, then a Provincial Councillor, and was defeated by only one vote when he stood for parliament for this constituency. Major David Sparks married a Ladysmith girl, Miss Kate Pinkney, in 1882, and they had seven children, four sons and three daughters. His wife died in 1928.

He was at one time a member of the local Board, then Chairman of the Board, and when Ladysmith was proclaimed a borough in 1899 he was one of the first members of the Town Council, then Deputy Mayor, and subsequently Mayor on several occasions. His wife, as Mayoress, laid the foundation stone of the town hall.

SIEGE GUIDE

During the South African war Major Sparks was in command of a Ladysmith troop of men. He acted as a guide to the Generals’ during the siege, and he was a guide when they successfully spiked the Boer gun on Lombard’s Kop. The only casualty was a soldier who had his finger hurt! Major Sparks is the oldest living Royal Natal Carbineer officer, and he thinks he is the oldest living Carbineer.”

As a tribute on his passing the Ladysmith Gazette published an article which read thus:-

“DEATH OF MAJOR D SPARKS

Flags in front of the Provincial Buildings in Maritzburg were flown at half-mast yesterday following the death of Major David Sparks (92) the oldest Natal Carbineer, former Provincial Councillor and Mayor of Ladysmith on a number of occasions.

Major Sparks first took his seat in the Council for Ladysmith on May 17, 1921, following the election of the late Mr W Cochrane to the Senate. Major Sparks was returned in 1923 in the fifth Council. In the sixth Council between 1927-30 he was succeeded by James Macauley. The funeral took place in Ladysmith yesterday afternoon.”

In a more comprehensive tribute or obituary the Ladysmith Gazette of Saturday, 25th June 1949 wrote as follows:-

Death of Major David Sparks

We regret to report the death of Ladysmith’s veteran, Major David Sparks, which took place in Durban on Wednesday, June 15, at the age of 92. The funeral took place on Thursday, and many of his life-long friends and relatives were present.

Flags throughout the town were flown at half-mast.

Born at Springfield in the County of Durban in 1857, Major Sparks was the third son of Mr David Sparks of Sydenham. He started his career on the railways as a ticket clerk in 1869. Five years later he joined the firms of Henry Smith, a Durban accountant.

Then, six years later, he became a senior partner in Sparks Brothers, General Merchants, Ladysmith. In 1882 Major Sparks married a Ladysmith girl, Miss Kate Pinkney, and they had seven children, four sons and three daughters. His wife died in 1928.

He was at one time member of the Board and when Ladysmith was proclaimed a borough in 1899, he was one of the first members of the Town Council, then Deputy Mayor, and subsequently Mayor on several occasions.

Major Sparks began his military career in 1899, when he joined the Natal Carbineers as a Lieutenant. Serving with his regiment throughout the South African war he was in the Siege of Ladysmith. In 1901 he was made Commandant of Ladysmith.

During the Siege he acted as Guide to the Generals, and also on the occasion when they successfully spiked the Boer gun on Lombard’s Kop. Major Sparks, up to the time of his death, was the oldest living Royal Natal Carbineer officer.

Before retiring in 1922 the Major had served under three Sovereigns, Queen Victoria, King Edward VII and King George V. Major Sparks is survived by five children, Mr Ernest Sparks of Matiwane, Mr Eric Sparks of Durban, Mrs Muriel Cresswell, Mrs Ethel Clarence and Mrs Kathleen Cresswell of Ladysmith.

A fine tribute to a fine man.




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David Sparks - Siege Veteran and Oldest Living Carbineer 6 years 3 months ago #56894

  • Frank Kelley
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A certain S Claus Esq appears to have been very generous indeed, this year, Rory?

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David Sparks - Siege Veteran and Oldest Living Carbineer 6 years 3 months ago #56895

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I've had the medal for a while now Frank but was waiting on some original photographs and news clippings from the family.

I finally obtained these a few weeks ago and, it now being holidays, had the time to do the write-up.

Regards

Rory

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David Sparks - Siege Veteran and Oldest Living Carbineer 6 years 2 months ago #56927

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Okay, well I think it is particularly lovely example, I well remember as boy, being given some advice on collecting single campaign medals by Brian Simpkin "always buy the best you can afford" that certainly comes to the fore here, I think you would struggle to find a nicer Defence of Ladysmith.

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David Sparks - Siege Veteran and Oldest Living Carbineer 6 years 2 months ago #56928

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A cracking medal, Rory.

Any idea why he got an SA02 clasp and not SA01?
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David Sparks - Siege Veteran and Oldest Living Carbineer 6 years 2 months ago #56932

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I have no idea Meurig - the only take on it I can offer is Brett and David's comments as part of a post 6 years ago www.angloboerwar.com/forum/5-medals-and-...ysmith?start=6#55655

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