TOPIC:

IL,

He is listed in the SAFF roll but as Burke rather than De Burgh.

There is some confusion about the date. I have taken the grave for the date of his demise.

One day's difference in date of death is no big issue - what was happening 10/11 April in the siege? Was that the night attack in which the CMR bore the brunt? Sorry for the simple qs but I don't have access to the talk I created on Wepener.

According to the medal rolls "Burke" was an alias. A troubled man escaping misdemeanours?

7 April - encirclement by the Boer complete
8 April - No activity. Despatch says "The 7th and 8th were spent in erecting schanzen all along the position, but as, in most instances, there was barely a foot of soil, we had to depend, in a great measure, on stone schanzen."
9 April - Boers begin shelling from daybreak and rifle fire. 70 casualties reported. More defences built overnight
10 April - Boer shelling and rifle fire. Boer attacks. CMR bayonet charge
11 April - Shelling during daylight. Sniper reported. Shell burst in the CMR trenches, killing and wounding 18.
12 April - shelling and attack

Got my notes - the night attack on the CMR was 10-11 April.

Naming of the medal to Ryan of Brabant's Horse.



Strangely, the Spink catalogue gives the naming as Serjt: G. Ryan. Brabant’s Horse.

Picture courtesy of DNW

QSA (3) CC Wep Tr (20 Serjt: R. Ellis. Brabant’s Horse.);
KSA (2) (317 Serjt: R. Ellis. Transkei M.R.)

Enlisted in 1st Brabant's Horse 8 November 1899 in Queenstown and posted to A Troop. Aged 28. Trade: Engineer. Address: King Williams Town. Discharged 18 May 1900. Also served ORCP (600) 6 October 1900 to 31 December 1900, CinCBG (26378) 12 January 1901 to 13 May 1901 and TMR (317) 14 December 1901 to 12 April 1902. Enlisted in CinCBG in Komgha and discharged medically unfit. He claimed disability after contracting enteric fever in Bloemfontein on 12 January 1901. Having been admitted to No 16 General Hospital on 21 January, he remained there for over 2 months. After the fever he suffered from rheumatism of the legs and shoulder. Character noted as very good. Address after discharge: 19 Abercrombie Place, Edinburgh. Settlement of £52/12/10. SA01 from CinCBG. Tr from ORCP 11 October 1905. KSA from TMR, authorised 4 November 1908. Address for KSA PO Ewanrigg, via Komgha, Cape Colony

While Rowland Ellis's QSA (3) was on my Wepener roll, the KSA was not. This was because there was no reference to the Transkei MR on the QSA/Supplementary rolls for BrH, ORCPMP or CinCBG. The only way I would have found the KSA would have been to have gone though the many men named R Ellis on the rolls.