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He was a sniper and a very good rifle shot.... 5 years 5 months ago #61018

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Sydney Herbert Weaver

Corporal, 1st Dragoon Guards – Anglo Boer War
Sergeant, Bailey’s South African Sharpshooters
Colour Sergeant, South African Native Labour Corps – WWI

- Queens South Africa medal with clasps Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Transvaal to 4265 Corpl. H. Weaver, 1st Dgn. Gds.
- British War Medal to Sjt. S.H. Weaver, S.A.N.L.C.
- Victory Medal to Sjt. S.H. Weaver, S.A.N.L.C.

Sydney Weaver was one of an illustrious band of only 17 men of Bailey’s Sharpshooters – formed by Sir Abe Bailey who saw service on the Western Front in the Great War. But there was a lot more to Weaver than that; starting with the origin of his surname.

Born in Newtown, Montgomeryshire in about 1878 he was the son of Edwin Charles Crowden, a Superintendent of Police, and his wife Rosa Emelyn Crowden, born Budge. The Crowden name lasted, it would seem, until he enlisted for service many years later at which time it was changed to Weaver.

Our first glimpse of Herbert comes courtesy of the 1881 Wales census where his parents address is given as Severn Place Police Station House, Newtown, Montgomeryshire (it can only be assumed that they perhaps lived on the premises above the police station). The family was a large one with Charles (11), Edwin (10), Henry (7), George (5), Sydney (3) and Herbert (1 month) joining their parents at home.

Ten years later the domestic arrangements had changed rather drastically. Mrs Crowden had passed away in 1886 leaving her husband, a busy Police Officer, to raise their brood. Sydney was now a 14 year old school boy and, alongside him in the house at 25 Crescent Street (Mount Pleasant) in Newtown were older brother George, an Apprentice Watchmaker, and younger brother Herbert (10). Mr Crowden, now the Superintendent of Police for the area, had engaged the services of Sarah Roberts, a housekeeper, to help him with the family.

Having completed his schooling Harry (as he was now known) cast about for something to do. Deciding on a life in uniform he enlisted with the 1st Dragoon Guards completing the Attestation Papers in London on 17 August 1898. Aged 20 he was a Clerk by occupation and was, physically, a strapping 5 feet 9 inches, weighing 139 pounds and with a fresh complexion, grey eyes and brown hair. A member of the Church of England he had a mole over his pubis, on his left shoulder and under his left breast. By way of additional distinguishing features he had a scar on his right forearm and a tattoo of crossed flags and a crown on his right forearm.

But here began the mystery – he identified himself as Harry Weaver and not Crowden. A family member recalls that he assumed the name of a soldier that had died but this could well be urban legend. Whatever the case may be the name Weaver stuck and was adopted by him and his offspring since that day.

Having been passed as Fit by the Doctor, Weaver was assigned the rank of Private and no. 4265 starting his military career at Colchester and moving with the 1st battalion to Dublin where, on 21 March 1900 he obtained a 2nd Class certificate of education. He was to remember the year 1900 for a very different reason for it was the year his father passed away. The County Times of Saturday, 13 October 1900 carried the news under the banner – Death of Ex-D.C.C. Crowden - and read as follows:

“After a long illness Mr Edwin Charles Crowden, ex-deputy chief constable of Montgomeryshire, died on Monday morning at the age of 57 years. Much regret is expressed at his death, and every sympathy is felt for his sons and daughter in their bereavement.

The deceased was born in Bristol in 1843, and joined the Montgomeryshire Constabulary as a Constable in 1870. He soon rose to the rank of sergeant by his tact and ability, and was appointed chief constable at Newtown, where he was stationed for eleven years under Major Godfrey.

He was then appointed deputy chief constable and superintendent on the superannuation of Mr Ellis, a position he creditably filled until January last, when he was superannuated. During his residence in the town he was highly popular as a diligent and attentive officer, and was highly respected by the inhabitants and his subordinates. The funeral took place at Newtown on Wednesday.”

Having buried his father, Weaver’s attentions were turned to the Boer War which had been raging in South Africa since October 1899.
He sailed with his regiment on the “Maplemore” on 8th January 1901, and arrived in Cape Colony at about the end of that month, in time to take part in the pursuit of De Wet, but, unfortunately, without allowing time for men and horses to get into the campaigning condition essential for so arduous a task. This disadvantage notwithstanding, the regiment was able to be of great service. In his despatch of 8th March 1901, Lord Kitchener referred to their "timely arrival", stating that the 1st King's Dragoon Guards, Prince of Wales's Light Horse, with G Battery RHA, brought from Pretoria, to be joined later by the 3rd Dragoon Guards, were formed into a brigade which was placed under Colonel Bethune.

Evidently this was the brigade whose doings were graphically described by 'Intelligence Officer' in 'On the Heels of De Wet'. After describing the exciting chase, Lord Kitchener said, "The close pursuit of the various columns had the effect of driving De Wet north to the Orange River, west of Hopetown, where, being hotly pressed by General Plumer, his 15-pounder gun and a pom-pom were captured by our mounted troops under Lieutenant Colonel Owen, 1st King's Dragoon Guards". De Wet eventually got across the river, but over 200 prisoners, all his guns, ammunition, and waggons fell into our hands. "He undoubtedly quitted Cape Colony with great loss of prestige".

Colonel Bethune's force, strengthened by six squadrons Imperial Yeomanry, was then taken to the north-east of the Orange River Colony, and along with other columns operated there under General Elliot for the greater part of 1901. At the end of July General Elliot arranged his columns for a sweep west of the Kroonstad Railway, the 1st Dragoon Guards and two guns being put in a separate column under Colonel Owen. "On 2nd August near Graspan Captain Quicke, King's Dragoon Guards, of Colonel Owen's column, with two squadrons of his regiment, effected the capture of a laager of 65 waggons and 4000 cattle". The regiment was constantly hard at work until the end of the campaign. They came late on the scene, but made up for lost time, always doing well.

Weaver, a Corporal in rank, was awarded the Queens Medal with clasps Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Transvaal for his efforts – along with the two date clasps – South Africa 1901 and 1902. All told he spent 4 years and 46 days in uniform of which 1 year and 267 days were spent on active service in the Boer War. On 1 October 1902, having decided that there was nothing for him in England, he purchased his discharge for £18, having decided to remain in South Africa. His original parchment discharge papers, which still exist, rate his Military Character as Very Good.

Out of uniform Weaver sought and found employment as a Clerk on the Railways in the Transvaal. That he kept his hand in with the military and became a crack shot is evidenced by the silver Shooting Medal he received whilst a member of the C.S.A.R.V. – Central South African Railway Volunteers. This medal engraved to S.I.M. (Sergeant Instructor of Musketry) S.H. Weaver was awarded for the 2nd Stage with a score of 169 and for the dates 1904 -1905.

1904 was an auspicious year for another reason as well – on 7 July of that year he wed Ethel Helena Burley, an 18 year old girl born in Stepney, England by Special Licence. Aged 27 Weaver, along with his bride, provided their address as Waterval Boven in the Ermelo District of the Transvaal. Three months later their first child, Violet Helene, was born on 15 October 1904 followed by the birth of Doreen Ethel Rose Weaver on 27 September 1905. Not long after Weaver moved his family to Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State where they lived at 159 Gray Street. His first son, Sydney James Shearman Weaver, was born there on 6 December 1908.

The next occurrence of any major importance was the outbreak of the Great War in August 1914 – South Africa, as part of the British Empire, was called upon to play her part and, after vanquishing the Germans in the neighbouring territory of South West Africa, turned her attention both eastwards to German East Africa and northwards to Europe and the most dangerous theatre of all – the Western Front.

Being a skilled marksman it made perfect sense that, once he found himself back in uniform, Weaver would opt for a combat role. The war had virtually ground to a halt and after the first initial manoeuvres, the Retreat from Mons and the 1st Battle of Ypres, both sides started to dig in. This trench warfare was to last until 1918 when the final German March Offensive was beaten back and the Allies now supported by the Americans advanced until the Germans sued for peace.

The tactic of trench warfare being employed saw the rise of the sniper. Initially the Germans were far ahead of the British in this regard, they were better organized, had far better equipment both in rifles and more importantly telescopic sights. Despite the popular perceptions of the dour Teutonic soldier, the Germans were innovative and inflicted heavy casualties on front line troops with some battalions losing 18 men a day. Besides the losses this occasioned a huge drop in morale in the troops. The British authorities realised that the status quo had to change.

On 22 January 1916 Sir Abe Bailey, the Rand Pioneer, cabled his representative as follows: “Wish secure on arrival 100 really first class sharpshooters service France please see Bourne and arrange advertise required by local press.” What was this all about? Bailey had decided to use part of his wealth for the good of mankind and sponsor, out of his own pocket, the raising of 100 top marksmen who would be employed in countering the German threat on the Western Front.

The South African Government agreed to this and also to the payment of the men’s salaries on the condition that the small force would not be part of the official S.A. Expeditionary Force. The District Staff Officers in the Cape Peninsula, Durban and Johannesburg were placed at the disposal of the recruiters for the purpose of testing and attesting prospective sharpshooters. The advert which ran in the papers read as follows:

A Corp of Sharpshooters

A Corps of specially selected rifle shots is required for service in the Western battle-front in Europe. By kind permission of the Union Authorities recruits will be attested, tested in rifle efficiency, and also medically examined. Ordinary pay will be at British Infantry Rates, but members will receive 1/- per day extra for the whole period of their service in the Corps, and 2/- per day as well, if they have dependants entitled to receive separation allowances, at Imperial Rates.

Absolute proficiency in snap-shooting is essential. The Corps will assemble at Wynberg under direction of the General Officer Commanding, South African Military Command. Good eyesight is essential. Age – from 20 to 45.

God Save the King.”

For inclusion in the unit a prospective sharpshooter had to obtain a minimum of 43 points (out of a possible 65) in a number of testing scenarios. Despite the hope being expressed that 100 men would be recruited the reality was very different. Because of the stringent requirements laid down a number of aspirants failed their tests and less than a quarter of that number made it to France. In total 24 men were recruited with only 17 actually making it to the theatre of war. Looking at some of the selection tests the average person today would be hard pressed to pass them with an automatic rifle let alone a bolt-action rifle. The majority of men were either successful target shooters or big game hunters (which gave them stalking and camouflage skills).

As can be seen from his previous exploits, Weaver ticked all of the boxes required for the role and, on 12 April 1916 reported at Wynberg where, after being “put to the test” with a satisfactory outcome, completed the Attestation Papers for service with what were named Bailey’s South African Sharpshooters. Confirming that he was now 39 years of age and that he had previous service of 4 ½ years with the 1st Kings Dragoon Guards; he provided his next of kin as his wife and his address as 119 Berea Street, Sunny Side, Pretoria. He was still employed as a Clerk and had three children.

Physically he was 5 feet 9 inches weighed 154 pounds and now had a dark complexion, dark brown “turning grey” hair and dark brown eyes. He was signed on by Lieutenant Methven, the Officer Commanding the Sharpshooters and was assigned no. 12 and the rank of Private.

The initial 15 men of the unit embarked for England aboard the “Saxon” on 22 April 1916, arriving at Borden on 10 May 1916 where after a few days leave, they were assigned to the second Brigade of the British First Division, to which the 2nd Battalion was assigned; and were issued with Purdey SMLE sniper rifles which Sir Abe Bailey purchased for the sum of £13 6s 5p each, including a leather case and offset Aldis telescopes. The average age of the men was 33 and almost all of them had prior military service – either in the Rhodesia campaign of 1896, the Boer War (as many as 10 of them including Weaver) or in German South West Africa.

On 30 May they were landed in France and on the 7 June 1916 the B.S.A.S. were attached to the 2 Battalion Kings Royal Rifles which was part of the 2nd Brigade 1st Division of the British Army. It appears that they were split up into small groups to bolster various parts of the line as a counter to the German snipers.

Very little of what they did was recorded as they were deemed “unofficial” but it is known that the very nature of their role in trench warfare mitigated against their operating as a cohesive unit. In addition their role involved them in highly dangerous work, in many instances, in no - man’s – land, astride the German entrenchments.

Further details of what they did were contained in a letter from General Strickland to Methven written on 7 February 1919 (edited) which read as follows:

“The time has come when we will shortly lose you and I cannot let you go without telling you how I have appreciated and valued the excellent services you and your men have rendered to the First Division. I have known you all personally and I know of the grave hardships and dangers amid which you have served. In the heavy fighting on the Somme your work was very marked, and you took a very heavy toll of the enemy in Belgium.

I call to mind the most distressing conditions of mud and cold in the winters, and all this was borne by you all with the greatest determination and devotion to duty. Your duties called for great self-discipline, gallantry and coolness under fire, and these qualities were shown by you all in marked degrees.”

Methven claimed in an interview after the war that the unit had killed over 3000 Germans and that he had a personal tally of well over 100.

The attrition rate amongst this small group of men was extremely high, as was the ratio of gallantry awards they garnered. Quite naturally very few of the initial 17 men made it to the end of the war as Sharpshooters.

But what of Weaver? According to his Casualty Form he was promoted Sergeant in the field on 23 August 1916 and would have been fully deployed as a sniper from the time he arrived in France. A Medical Report on an Invalid completed in respect of him at Rosebank in Cape Town on 18 December 1917 provides some insight. His disability was diagnosed as Neurasthenia (Shell Shock) which he began to suffer from in August 1916 in the Luvine area of France.

The Doctors stated that “He says he has been half buried 3 or 4 times on the Somme by shells and has suffered from shell shock. He was a sniper and a very good rifle shot, but is now useless with the rifle. Was once wounded by shrapnel in his hands.”

Under “present condition” the Doctors wrote “Looks well but has a curious vague wandering way of speaking with much hesitation. Is evidently suffering from nervous depression.”

Clearly Weaver, no doubt thanks to his experiences, was not in a good way. This might well have been what eventually occasioned his transfer from the Sharpshooters to the South African Native Labour Corps – a move that befell many of his B.S.A.S. comrades. On 30 March 1917 he was attached to “A” Company, 2nd Battalion at Albert on one month’s probation. He was also promoted to Colour Sergeant on the same day with no. X509. On 25 July he was granted 10 days leave to the United Kingdom from Abancourt.

Weaver’s war was fast coming to an end – on 28 October 1917 he embarked at Havre for repatriation to South Africa. On arrival he was discharged at Rosebank, Cape Town “Being medically unfit for further service.” His Military Character was rated as Very Good and he was credited with service of 1 year and 253 days. A memo from the S.A.N.L.C.’S Record Officer based at Charlie’s Hope in Rosebank to the Officer in Charge of Records in Pretoria on 29 January 1918 read:

“I have received an application for King’s Certificate and War Badge and shall be glad if you will furnish us with the necessary particulars.” The application was successful and Weaver was awarded Silver War Badge 4444 and King’s Certificate 4357 to go with the British War and Victory Medals awarded to him. He had had quite a war.

Back at home for the first time in a long while Weaver had other demons and problems to face – he was involved a nasty fracas with his wife which led, on 19 March 1918, to a Court Hearing where he was required to defend himself in a divorce action instituted by his wife on the grounds of malicious desertion and where he was being sued for £10 custody and half of the joint estate.

It was alleged that he had maliciously deserted her at Pretoria on 1 March 1918 and had not returned to her, and had failed to provide for the support of the plaintiff and her children. The court ordered that Weaver return to his wife on or before 28 March failing which the divorce order would be granted. This he failed to do and was thus advised that he was divorced. At no stage does Weaver appear to have contested the action – there is, however, a hand written entry in the file from his wife to the effect that, “I haven’t seen him for some time. He told me that he had venereal disease. He accused me of having given it to him. I have been examined by the Doctors and have been found to be clean.” Ethel Weaver went on to marry a Percy Robert D’Arcy.

At some point after his divorce Weaver moved to Port Elizabeth on the east coast of South Africa where, on 9 July 1920, he wed for the second time. On this occasion tying the knot with a 36 year old widow, Martha Wood, born Waldeck. 43 years old at the time he was still a Clerk with the South African Railways and was resident at 18 Donkin Street.

On 21 January 1923 Martha gave birth to Mavis – by this time the family had moved once more – to East London where they lived in the suburb of Woodholme. This was to be Weaver’s last move – he passed away on 25 April 1944 at the age of 67 whilst living at 2 Weaver’s Flats.