TOPIC:

QSA Medal awarded to 1443 Sergeant James Hart
2nd Battalion Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh)
3 clasps- Cape Colony, Transvaal & Wittebergen

James was born in 1869 in Bradford on Avon, he was one of 9 children and his parents were Job and Eliza Hart.
The family resided at Morgan’s Hill Wiltshire and were employed in the Woollen industry.
James joined the Wiltshire regiment on the 16th February 1886 at Devizes, Wiltshire.

He was 5 foot 10 inches tall with a dark complexion, hazel eyes and dark brown hair. He weighed 8 stone and 8 pounds and had tattoos on the back of his left forearm with a cross, No 610, a star and anchor and a large H on the front of the same arm.

Private 16/12/1886, Lance Corporal 03/08/1887, Sergeant (cook?) 26/11/1892, Colour Sergeant Instructor of Musketry 22/05/ 1903.
His service: - 16th February 1886 to 15th December 1899 – Home
16th December 1899 to 21st May 1903 - South Africa
22nd May 1903 to 10th September 1904 – Home
10th September 1904 Discharged having been found medically unfit for further service.

Sergeant Hart served in South Africa for 3 years and 157 days with the Wiltshire regiment.
He was one of 37 members of the Wiltshire’s to be mentioned in dispatches on the 2nd of April 1901 for special and meritorious service, as per Earl Roberts despatch which appeared in the London Gazette on Tuesday September 10th 1901.

Below is a brief description of some of the actions the 2nd Wiltshire’s were involved in.

The 2nd Battalion sailed on the SS Gascon on the 16th December 1899, they arrived at the Cape on the 7th January 1900 along with the 2nd Bedford’s / 1st Royal Irish and the 2nd Worcester’s. They formed the 12th Brigade under Major General Clements.
Although initially assigned to Lieutenant General Kelly-Kenny's Sixth Division, the brigade was used as an independent force. Dispatched to the Colesberg district, they were soon on the defensive against Boer raids once the cavalry under Major-General French were withdrawn to be used to use in the relief of Kimberley. Assigned to garrison an exposed position at the town of Rensburg, the 2nd Wiltshire’s lost 14 men killed, 57 wounded, and more than 100 prisoners taken. Eventually, the brigade commander was forced to pull back the Wiltshire’s to prevent the Boer Commandos from breaking through and threatening other towns. However, in issuing the order to retreat from Rensburg, two companies of the 2nd Wiltshire’s assigned to outpost duty were never given the word of the retreat. When they tried to re-enter what had been the main camp for the battalion they found it occupied by the Boers. Although they attempted to escape, the Boer commandos soon caught up with the two companies and, after a fight, forced them to surrender. On that day the battalion lost 2 men killed and 1 officer and 11 men wounded, the 2nd Worcester’s losing much more heavily. On the 14th there was again heavy fighting, in which the Wiltshire’s lost 12 killed and 45 wounded, and over 100 taken prisoners.
Having moved north from Arundel via Colesberg, Fauresmith, etc., the brigade joined the main army at Bloemfontein on 2nd April, and when Lord Roberts moved north in May they occupied the line in his rear. The brigade was ordered to occupy Senekal on 31st May, and this was done. Here Clements remained until the big operations against De Wet and Prinsloo commenced in June.

Despite losing almost a third of its strength, once Lord Robert's operations began to succeed, the Boer reaction allowed the 12th Brigade, and the 2nd Wiltshire’s, to go back on the offensive against the Boer Republics. Although a part of the Sixth Division, the brigade did not take part in the ill-fated attack on Bloody Sunday during the Battle of Paardeberg. Instead, the Wiltshire’s were tasked with guarding Bloemfontein and Kroonstad. Eventually, the 12th Brigade was ordered to move in conjunction with another independent brigade and capture the town of Bethlehem, where Christiaan de Wet's commando was operating from. Although the town was taken, De Wet escaped. Pausing to resupply. Clément’s brigade attempted to destroy De Wet's commando at the Battle of Slabbert's Nek (23–24 July 1900). With the Royal Irish Regiment, two companies of the 2nd Wiltshire’s conducted a night assault up the Nek, capturing the ridge overlooking the Boer position. Although they cleared the Nek, taking 4000 prisoners, the British forces had not been in time to capture De Wet and some his commando, who managed to escape to the mountains.
After the capture of Bethlehem, the Boer War was moving from its second phase and into the third, guerrilla, phase. The 12th Brigade was broken up and its units sent to other commands. The 2nd Wilts would join Major-General Paget and the West Riding Regiment in patrolling the areas northeast and northwest of Pretoria. After being moved to help block De Wet's attempt to raid the Cape Colony in February 1901, it was assigned to defend the Pretoria-Pietersburg rail line with the 2nd battalion of the Northamptonshire Regiment.
In addition to protecting the Pretoria-Pietersburg line, the 2nd Wiltshire’s also contributed four companies of infantry to Lieutenant-Colonel Grenfell's column. Along with the Kitchener Fighting Scouts, 12th Mounted Infantry, and some artillery, left Pietersburg in May 1901. Between May and July 1901, the Wiltshire’s participated in Grenfell's operations, capturing 229 Boer commandos and 18 wagons….

When James returned to England, he was appointed Colour Sergeant instructor of Musketry in 1903.
Unfortunately, during 1904 he was deemed unfit for future service and was discharged in August at Bordon Camp Aldershot. His papers state he was destined to work as a clerk in civilian life.

James was married to Margaret Parsons in 1894 they had 4 children. His siblings were born in Aldershot, Portsmouth, Guernsey and Bordon. This is where the trail goes cold. I cannot find any information regarding James and his time after he left the Army. However, his eldest daughter Queenie Rosina Hart married a Canadian RMQS Stanley Steed who was based at Bramshott camp. They married in 1917, on the marriage certificate it states that her father James Hart, Colour Sergeant (Deceased). Queenie moved to White Rock British Columbia with her husband Stanley. She died in 1994 aged 99.

If anyone has any details on Colour Sergeant Hart regarding his death or his whereabouts after leaving the army, I would be very grateful for information. I am the custodian of his QSA (see picture) there is also a KSA out there somewhere according to the medal rolls.
Regards
Dave.

Very nice piece of research Dave......

Mike

Hi Dave,

I was interested to read your post as the 2nd Wiltshire Regiment has been the focus of my attention for many years since finding out about my own Great Grandfather 3629 Pte John Heath, D Company, 2nd Battalion Wiltshire Regiment, a prisoner of war captured at Rensburg on the 14th of February 1900.

I can add that by the time that Sgt James Hart was mentioned in dispatches, he was with G Company of the 2nd Wiltshire Regiment.

I see that James and Margaret’s marriage was registered in the district of Farnham, which spans the boundaries of the counties of Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex, an area which includes Hampshire, and therefore Aldershot, which without seeing the certificate, I suspect is where they were married.

I found his family in the 1901 Census living at Harrow Row, Aldershot, Hampshire.
Margaret was born in 1875 in Aldershot, and she was 25 years old.
With her are Queenie, 6yrs born in Aldershot, James, 5yrs born in Portsmouth and Douglas, 3yrs born in Guernsey. The family are living with James and Ann Battersby, both 36yrs and both from Scotland.

Incidentally, the births of both Queenie and James coincide with a period of time the 2nd Battalion spent in Portsmouth between 1894 and 1896, when they were accommodated within the Palmerston Forts which line Portsdown Hill overlooking Portsmouth. After service in India the 2nd battalion returned home to England in the Troopship Britannia, arriving in Southampton Water in the early hours of Wednesday the 6th of November 1895. There was no free berth available and so the Britannia anchored in a gale in Stokes Bay overnight. In the morning, the Battalion disembarked at Southampton and was transported by rail to barracks at Portsmouth. The Palmerston Forts were used as temporary barracks and it was the custom that the last Regiment to arrive in the Portsmouth area would be assigned to the Forts and so it was for the Wiltshire’s.

Many years ago now I wrote an article about this period for the Victorian Forts Society which operate this website www.victorianforts.co.uk/index.htm and the article can be found here www.victorianforts.co.uk/wilt.htm

Therefore, together with what you have said about his service history, I believe that James Hart may have served with the Regiment in India. I also believe that after Portsmouth, the battalion moved to Guernsey, where clearly Douglas was born.

I have found Queenie aged 16 on the 1911 Census. She is working as a Laundry Maid at Blackmoor House, which was the home of Sir Roundell Palmer, 1st Earl of Selborne and is situated to the East of Selborne and South of Bordon, both being in Hampshire.

I see that the 1917 marriage of James Hart’s daughter Queenie took place at the Church of St Bartholomew in Haslemere, Surrey, which is not far from Aldershot. James Hart is deceased by this time.

So back to James Hart. Given that all information points to him spending life after serving with the colours in Hampshire, I looked for his death there and believe that I have found his death registered in the third quarter of 1907 in the district of Petersfield, Hampshire. Now this district used to come under the district of Farnborough until 1869 and Farnborough, Bordon and Aldershot are not far from each other. The age is 38yrs, which matches. The General Record Office reference for this death certificate, should you wish to go that far with your research, is 1907 September Vol 2c Page 75. There is a second death recorded for a man with the same name and age and I think this actually could be the same man, although this death was registered in the district of Alton, Hampshire, very close to Petersfield and the reference for this death certificate is 1907 September Vol 2c Page 83.

Hello Ians1900
Many thanks for the information.
Very much appreciated.

Best wishes

Dave

Quote: Ians1900
Therefore, together with what you have said about his service history, I believe that James Hart may have served with the Regiment in India. I also believe that after Portsmouth, the battalion moved to Guernsey, where clearly Douglas was born.

Attached information pertaining to time served and the Guernsey connection.

Hi Dave,

Well now you have a lot of detail about James Hart. I think that it is good (and important) to find out the story behind a medal and I'm pleased to have helped out in some way. Another example of how good this forum is I think, as it seems that between us like-minded people, a lot of good information is constantly found and shared.. Thank you for adding the last details.

Ian