TOPIC:

James Tennant Wanless

Private, Volunteer Service Company,1st Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers

- Queens South Africa Medal (Cape Colony, Orange Free State, South Africa 1901) to 7609 PTE J. WANLESS. NORTH’D. FUS:

James Wanless was born in Newbottle, Durham on 15 July 1879, the son of James Wanless, a Coal Miner by trade and his wife Margaret (born Patterson Blackhall.) At the time of the 1891 census (he was nowhere to be found in 1881) he was living in Russell House, Newbottle together with his parents and siblings – John (18), George (16), Charles (14), William (13), and Robert (9). Aged 11 he was sandwiched somewhere in the middle.

As the end of the 19th century drew near, war broke out in far away South Africa between Great Britain and the two Boer Republics of the Orange Free State and Transvaal. With the dawn of 12 October 1899 Boer Commandos swept across their mutual borders with the British Colonies of Natal and the Cape, laying siege to the towns of Ladysmith in Natal and Kimberley and Mafeking in the Cape Colony. Initially things went well for the Boers who enjoyed numerical supremacy as well as superior fire power to their British and Colonial adversaries. After a series of setbacks in December 1899, the British public, in a fervour of patriotism, rallied to the cause and, aside from the Yeomanry which was born out of necessity, so too did other men from the Militia come out in their numbers to enlist.



Wanless was no exception – already serving with the 1st Volunteer Battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers, he completed the Short Service (One Year with the Colours) attestation forms at Pudhoe-on-Lyne on 29 January 1900.

A Labourer by trade and at 5 feet 10 inches in height and tipping the scales at 157 lbs Wanless was a sizeable man for his time. Aged 20 years and 6 months he had a dark complexion, brown eyes and dark hair. Having been found fit by the Doctors he was assigned no. 7609 and the rank of Private with the Volunteer Service Company of the 1st Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers - during the war each of the three battalions provided 70 to 80 volunteers for a special service company, for one years service to reinforce the county regiment in South Africa.

After a few weeks he sailed for South Africa on 23 February, taking to the field soon after his arrival on 17 March 1900. Little is known of the Volunteer Service Companies movements, the focus being more on the actions and doings of the Battalions themselves however, in a letter which appeared in the Hexham Courant of Saturday 16th February 1901 under the heading “THE HEXHAM VOLUNTEERS AT THE FRONT,” something of Wanless and his comrades’ movements can be discerned. The letter read thus:

“A letter dated Kimberley, January 14th, has been received from Private J. E. Murray, in which he says the volunteer service company of the First Northumberlands will not be able to return home before the end of March or April. Fifty of them are attached to the Somerset regiment, and started trekking again the week before Christmas. They spent Christmas and the New Year on the veldt and had "bully beef" and biscuits for dinner. They have been engaged in taking convoys to Boshof, Jacobsdal, Koffyfontein, and Christiana. They just reached Kimberley on Jan. 13th and they were to take another convoy to Boshof next morning. He adds that Pte. Ritson and some of the others were somewhere in the Edenberg district. They are just in the middle of summer, and it is very hot.”

Unlike some of his Company, Wanless did not venture north of the border into the Transvaal, his time up, he was returned to England for discharge on 27 May 1901, after 1 year and 85 days service abroad. His destination was Meadowview, Stocksfield.


An example of the Prudhoe Tribute Medal

Quite apart from the Queens South Africa medal awarded to him for his efforts, he was one of only seven men awarded a Tribute Medal by the good citizens of Prudhoe. The date of presentation, made in the Drill Hall, Prudhoe, was 22 May 1901 and the medal, made in gold, was awarded to:

Volunteer Active Service Company, 1st Bn. Northumberland Fusiliers ["H" Company, 1st V.B.N.F.] –

7611 Private Matthew Sibbit DAVIDSON
7610 Private Charles Walter HOWLETT
7613 Private Frederick MADDISON
7612 Private M.L. TWEDDLE [Tweedle] (died, Kroonstad [Bloemfontein], 29/05/1900
7609 Private James Tennant WANLESS and
7681 Drummer [Private] John George WARD (absent - in S. Africa)

Out of uniform, Wanless followed in his father’s footsteps becoming a Coal Miner (Stoneman.) It was thus employed that he appears in the 1911 England census, living with Catherine, his wife of three years (maiden name Stobart), and their two children, Harold Bisset Wanless (2) and Edward Stobart Wanless (4 months) at Baden Croft in Prudhoe.

He made the newspaper, appearing in an article published in the Haltwhistle Echo of 23 November 1917. The story, under the headline, Hexham Petty Sessions – Bought a House and unable to get Possession read, in part, thus:

“Mr William Fisher applied for an ejectment order against James Wanless in respect of a house at Prudhoe. He explained that his client, John Hawkins, bought a house at Prudhoe from James Wanless and the purchase was completed on July 27th, 1917. The house was fit for occupation but something was said about Wanless having to get another house, and he asked to be allowed to remain in it a short time at a rental of 6 shillings per week. This was agreed to at great inconvenience to his client who had to take rooms to store his furniture.”

In short, Wanless disputed that he had to move claiming that the agreement was that he could “sit in” until he had found another house. The court didn’t see it that way and he was ordered to vacate the premises within 21 days.

The 1921 England census confirmed that he must have found a house as he was living at 4 North View Terrace, Prudhoe. Aged 41 he was now a Bricklayer in the employ of Eltringham Pipe & Brick Works. Two more children had been born to him and his wife in the years since the previous census – his namesake James Tennant Wanless (5), and Eva Wanless (3)

Three years later, in December 1924, his wife passed away leaving him to raise the younger children. A year later, in December 1925, he wed again – on this occasion taking 23 year old Isabella Willey for his wife.

At the time of the 1939 Register he was living at 23 Fair View in Prudhoe. Still a Bricklayer by trade, he had been followed into the business by three of his sons.
Wanless died in Prudhoe in June 1964.

Acknowledgements:
- Post on Prudhoe Tribute Medal, Anglo Boer War Forum
- Ancestry and FMP for service papers and census data.