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Brian Gilbert Braithwaite

1st Class Trooper, Cape Mounted Riflemen – pre Boer War
Trooper, Natal Police – Anglo Boer War
Lieutenant, Royal Army Service Corps - WWI

- Queens South Africa Medal (Natal/Transvaal) to 1879 TPR. B.G. BRAITHWAITE. NATAL POLICE
- British War Medal to LIEUT. B.G. BRAITHWAITE
- Victory Medal to LIEUT. B.G. BRAITHWAITE
- Silver War Badge No. B13919

Brian Braithwaite was born in Rock Ferry (Birkenhead), Cheshire in 1869 the son of John Henry Braithwaite, a Colliery Agent, and his wife Frances Maria, born Serjeanston. His mother passed away in December 1870, not long after the birth of his sister, Hilda Mary, suggesting that she never fully recovered from what was obviously an ordeal. She had lost a child, Robert William, at the age of 1 year 10 months whilst living at Green Lawn, Rock Ferry, Cheshire on 30 August 1867. At the time of his baptism in July 1869 Braithwaite’s father was described as an Accountant.

The 1871 England census showed that the family were living at 10 Green Lawns, Tranmere in Birkenhead. Older siblings John (6) and Ethel (3) were on hand to entertain a 1 year old Brian and to help their widowed father with baby Hilda. The late Mrs Braithwaite was represented in the house by her brother, Richard, a retired Solicitor aged 36, and his wife Isabella. To complete the picture there were two servants in residence to help minister to the family’s needs.

Ten years later, at the time of the 1881 England census, an 11 year old Brian was a Visitor to the Provident Infirmary in Shelly Road, in Boscombe near Bournemouth. Quite what he was doing there is unknown as the Infirmary was a charitable institution providing health care to the poor and destitute – which we know he was neither.
Braithwaite’s father had married again in 1877 but, again, his choice in a bride proved to be unfortunate for she too expired, in 1885, not long after giving birth to two children. Bereft, Mr Braithwaite himself passed away in 1890 leaving Brian and his siblings, both young and old, effectively orphans.


The Transkei area Braithwaite would have operated in with the CMR

Brian Braithwaite would not have been present to attend his father’s funeral – he had already set sail for South Africa where, at King William’s Town in the Eastern Cape on 2 October 1888 and at the age of 19, he attested for service with the Cape Mounted Rifles. Assigned no. 1803 he commenced with his duties which would have been, in the main, patrolling the far flung reaches of the Eastern Cape hinterland – not very many years before he arrived, a seething hotbed of criminal activity with the warring Xhosa and Pondo tribes wreaking havoc on the scattered and isolated European settlers in the area.

On 31 May 1889, six months into his stint, he ran foul of his superiors whilst at Ibeka in the Transkei – being Absent from a Parade. For this contravention he was Admonished by Captain Harvey. A year later on 13 April 1890, whilst stationed at Kei Bridge, he was awarded an additional Guard Duty for “Allowing a Native Prisoner to escape when in jail.” Keeping a clean sheet, he was promoted to 1st Class Trooper on 1 May 1892, but blotted his copybook again at Flagstaff on 22 October 1895 when he was Deprived on One Day’s Pay for overstaying his leave by one day.

Perhaps tiring of the life or in need of further stimulation, he purchased his discharge from the CMR for the princely sum of £1 on 30 November 1895. Aged 26 he was described (at the time) as 5 feet 7 inches in height with a fair complexion, auburn hair and hazel eyes. Surprisingly, given his past misdemeanours, his Character rating ranged between Good and Very Good – the Sobriety being the Very Good one…

For the better part of eighteen months Braithwaite disappeared from the scene, ostensibly to take up farming for which purpose he had relocated to Natal. It was here, at their Headquarters in Pietermaritzburg on 6 January 1897, that he enlisted with the Natal Police – providing his uncle, C. Fitzgerald of Turlough, Castle Bar as his nearest relative. As mentioned, a Farmer by occupation, he claimed to be able to speak “Kaffir.” This acquired skill would have been of little use to him when dealing with the Zulus from Natal as the Xhosa language which he had knowledge of was alien to them. Aged 27 he was 5 feet 8 inches in height with a ruddy complexion, auburn hair, and hazel coloured eyes. He sported a scar in the centre of his chest.



With the outbreak of the Anglo Boer War on 11 October 1899 Braithwaite was thus already firmly established as a Trooper with no. 1879. In September 1899, in the build-up to war, he had been posted to Zululand. He was thus on hand on 28 April 1901, as a Lance-Sergeant in rank, to accompany Dr Frederick Wilfred Walters, a Missionary and Medical Doctor, from Nongoma to Mahlabatini to render assistance to the Natal Police detachment which had sustained heavy casualties during an aborted Boer raid on the Magistracy there when, numbering only 26, the detachment had fought off a force of 400 Boers sustaining significant casualties – 5 dead and several wounded.

He had been re-engaged on 2 January 1901, having served for three years, for a further period of three years. That he was also deployed to Northern Natal (adjacent to Zululand) at some stage is confirmed by the Transvaal clasp he has on his medal – this was most likely working out of Dundee or Newcastle where a foray into Utrecht and Vryheid (shortly to become Natal territory) couldn’t be ruled out.

The war over on 31 May 1902, Braithwaite “hung around” for a further year before taken his discharge from the Police on or about 20 April 1903 with a Character rating of Fair, which would suggest that he was not one of the favoured sons of the Corps.

Now out of uniform Braithwaite betook himself to the hub of things – the Gold Mining capital of the World – the Witwatersrand, centred around the now thriving and bustling metropolis of Johannesburg where he is believed to have joined the Imperial Light Horse. It was here, in the church of St John the Divine in Belgravia that he wed Sybil Wright, a 30 year old spinster on 1 November 1909. Now 42 years old, he had taken to the mining industry and was employed as a Sampler living at Luipaardsvlei Estate, Krugersdorp on the West Rand whereas his fiance was residing with a Mrs Allan in Brixton, Johannesburg. According to a contemporary newspaper report on the nuptials, he was the youngest son of the late John H Braithwaite, Esq., Liverpool whilst she was the second eldest daughter of Archie M. Wright, L.L.D., Peafield, Blackrock Co. Dublin.

The happy couple hadn’t settled down to a blissful marriage for very many years before the Great War burst onto the international stage in August 1914. After he had arranged his affairs he elected to sail for England as opposed to attesting with any of the local regiments for service. Having arrived in the United Kingdom, he was commissioned into the Royal Army Service Corps as a Lieutenant with effect from the 17th April 1917. Less than a month later, on 24 May, he entered the theatre of war in France.

Not much is known about Braithwaite’s war service, suffice it to say that he was awarded the Silver War Badge B13919 on 14 November 1918. This was whilst he was recuperating from an undisclosed malaise, the address provided being the South African Hospital & Comforts Fund, 39 Grosvenor Place, S.W.1. His British War and Victory Medals were applied for in 1921 and sent to his father-in-law’s address – Peafield, Black Rock, Dublin, alternatively, c/o Theron Diamond Ltd. P.O. Theron, Orange Free State, South Africa.

Having returned to South Africa, Braithwaite moved to Durban at some stage where, at the age of 82 years 11 months, he passed away in the Hillcrest Hospital on 11 April 1952 whilst living at 2 Clayton Gardens. There would appear to have been no children born of the marriage. His wife died in Durban on 1 March 1971. She was a resident of the Dorchester Hotel in Florida Road, Durban.

Acknowledgements:
- FMP & Ancestry for census data etc.
- Creswicke Vol I for Map of Zululand
- Natal Archive NMP files for Service Record
- Adrian Ellard and Cape Archives for CMR Record of Service