TOPIC:

MC'EACHERN, C. E. (Charles)

REG. NO.: 114
RANK: GUNNER
REGT: ROYAL CANADIAN (FIELD) ARTILLERY, “C” BATTERY
BARS: CAPE COLONY, RHODESIA, ORANGE FREE STATE, TRANSVAAL
NOTES/REMARKS: C/W 1902 CORONATION MEDAL BRONZE




TURNBULL, J. (JOHN)

REG. NO.: 155
RANK: DRIVER
REGT: ROYAL CANADIAN (FIELD) ARTILLERY, “C” BATTERY
BARS: CAPE COLONY, RHODESIA, ORANGE FREE STATE, TRANSVAAL
REMARKS / HISTORY: INVALIDED, NO F.M.P.




RUTTER, G. W. (George William)

REG. NO.: 563
RANK: GUNNER
REGT: ROYAL CANADIAN (FIELD) ARTILLERY, "E" BATTERY
BARS: CAPE COLONY ORANGE FREE STATE, TRANSVAAL

REMARKS / HISTORY:
1. 1914 - 1918 WAR MEDAL 709855 PRIVATE G. W. RUTTER, 42nd CANADIAN INFANTRY, C.E.F.
2. BORN IN FREDERICTON, N.B., 1876
3. ENLISTED, "E" BATTER, R.C.F.A., NEWCASTLE, NEW BRUNSWICK, January 9th, 1900.
4. TRADE: PRINTER
5. PREVIOUS SERVICE - 12th FIELD BATTERY, R.C.F.A.
6. DISCHARGED TIME SERVED - January 9th, 1901.
7. RECEIVED HIS MEDAL IN ST. JOHN FROM DUKE OF YORK DURING CROSS CANADA TOUR October 17th 1901. (Silver)
8. ON THE OUTBREAK OF WORLD WAR ONE HE AGAIN ENLISTED IN THE 42nd BATT. CANADIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE, BEING TAKEN ON STRENGTH November 25th, 1915 AND EMBARKED FROM HALIFAX ON S.S. OLYMPIA ON June 28th, 1916. NO SERVICE IN FRANCE USED IN TRAINING CAPACITY IN ENGLAND.

Pictures courtesy of Liverpool Medals

Described as:

Queen’s South Africa Medal, no bars, 457 Dirver Herbert William “Bert” Horsfall, “E” Quebec Battery, Canadian Field Artillery.

Officially impressed in large capitals: “457 DR: H.W. HORSFALL, R. CANDN: F. A.” With clear ghost dates to reverse.

Medal roll shows the medal was personally presented to Herbert by HRH the Duke of Cornwall and York, who at the time was the future King George V, on 18th September 1901 on his Royal Tour of Canada during 1901.

Also entitled to 3 bars for Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Transvaal, but as with all Royal Presentation awards the medal was issued on it’s own without claps for them to be posted later.

Mr Herbert William Horsfall, was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on 9th October 1879.
He grew up around Montreal in St Gabriel and later St Lambert.

As a young man he played a lot of Ice Hockey for Montreal and Quebec, these were the early days of Canadian Ice Hockey, which had only began during 1875 in Montreal and during his time there were no professional contracts until about 1907 so everyone was a keen amateur.

The Book, “La Coupe a Quebec, Les Bulldogs et la naissance du hockey a Quebec” by Marc DUrand and Jean Provencher records in 1899 that after a rough game: “Clare McKerrow (scorer of 6 goals in the previous win against Quebec) is in such bad shape that he won’t play again for the season and Bert Horsfall was kicked hard by spectators after being pushed among them.”

He proved himself to be a very skilled forward and would become a top scorer in his first seasons, he played for Montreal in the 1897 Season and was 10th highest scorer with 5 goals in 8 games, next season with Quebec in the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season of 1898 and was a scoring leader with 6 goals in 8 games played, being the 10th highest scorer of the season.

For his service in the Boer War, Bert signed on at Montreal for E Battery, Royal Canadian Field Artillery on 29th December 1899, working as a Clerk.



There were 3 Batteries raised during the war, C, D and E, with E Battery being raised locally in Quebec, Montreal and surrounding areas of French Canada.

“E” Battery RCFA arrived in Cape Town about February 1900 and served mostly in the Western Cape Colony.
They later formed part of the Griqualand column and sufferd 1 killed and 8 wounded in action at Faber’s Putt. E Battery would suffer the highest battle casualties out of the 3 batteries.

He was officially discharged on 9th January 1901, and awarded his medal in September of 1901.

Following the war he returned to Hockey in 1903 with the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association for a few years.

During 1910 he married Jane Johnson in St Lambert, Quebec.

In 1928 Bert emigrated to the United States of America through Michigan and settled in Burbank, California.

He was doing well and was working as a Saleman, I believe he was a Wine Merchant at the time, when he suddenly dropped dead one day on 12th September 1934.

The Van Nuys News, 13th September 1934 Reports:

MAN DROPS DEAD NEAR HIS OFFICE

BERT HORSFALL SUFFERS HEART ATTACK WHILE DIRECTING WORK OF ASSISTANT

Bert Horsfall, 55, of 3360 Silver Lake Boulevard, Los Angeles, dropped dead at his place of business at 2100 West Sixth Street, Burbank, at 8:30 Wednesday Morning.

Horsfall, according to police reports, was directing an assistant regarding some work at an adjoining building and enroute from his office fell to the ground dead. A physician was summoned who stated that the dead man had evidently suffered a heart attack and had died instantly.”

Picture courtesy of Noonan's

QSA (4) Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 4 clasps, Relief of Mafeking, Orange Free State, Transvaal, Rhodesia (16 Bombr: O. V. Williams, R. Candn: Arty) unofficial rivets between 3rd and 4th clasps.

Noonan's say 'The medal roll gives Williams as originally being entitled to the clasps listed above as well as ‘Cape Colony’. However, both ‘Cape Colony’ and ‘Rhodesia’ were subsequently struck off his entitlement.'

Sold for a hammer price of £750. Totals (inc VAT on the commission for the UK only): £930. R18,500. Au$1,590. Can$1,450. US$1,090

If anyone is interested here are a few R.C.(F) A. medals, the ones in bold have threads herein......

Mike

Royal Canadian Field Artillery

Clasps awarded to CFA - Cape Colony, Natal, Rhodesia (Scarce), Relief of Mafeking (Scarce), Orange Free State, Transvaal, Belfast (Scarce), South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902.

129 Sergeant Hammond, Dayton Brown, (KIA / “C” Battery / To Can. Scouts)
134 Sergeant McGreggor, Duncan John, (KIA / “C” Battery / To Can. Scouts)
155 Driver Turnbull, John, (“C” Battery) (Photo)
114 Gunner Mc'Eachern, C. E., (Charles), “C” Battery (Photo)

212 Gunner Bramah, Thomas, (“D” Battery / 1911 Coronation / To Can. Scouts)

427 Driver Stone, F. M. (“E” Battery)
563 Gunner Rutter, George William, (“E” Battery / WW1 War Medal) (Photo)
436 Corporal Shoeing Smith, LaFlamme, Joseph (“E” Battery / Coronation 1911, Edward 7th LSCG & MSM Can. Reverse)
537 Gunner Muncey, Singleton Wyndham, (“E” Battery / W.W.1 Pair)
501 Driver Tapp, William, (“E” Battery)

Baden-Powell thought highly of the Canadian Artillery. In response to questions by Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal;

20010. Had you any over-sea Colonials with you at Mafeking? - Not during the siege; but directly after we were relieved a Canadian battery joined us, a capital battery, and they continued with me all through Transvaal.

20011. But they were not with you during the siege? - No. We had some New Zealanders and Australian bushmen in the Transvaal. I had three regiments of them. The Canadian battery were excellent. I had a British battery as well, but I liked the Canadian battery best; for one reason, they had not got any range-finders, and they found the range much quicker without them.

20012. You found them resourceful under the circumstances? - Exactly; that is what they were. They were much better than the South Africans in one way, namely, that they had never had native labour under them, and so they used to put their own shoulders to the wheel; they were the fellows to work.

20013. They had more individuality? - Yes.

Source: Baden-Powell's evidence to the Royal Commission, 19 March 1903. p434