TOPIC:

Frederick Berry was a Huddersfield-born soldier who served in the 6th Dragoon Guards, later emigrated to South Africa, and joined the Cape Police. His service under Captain C.F.M. McGregor during the Bechuanaland campaign earned him the Cape of Good Hope General Service Medal with clasp “Bechuanaland.” He died tragically of typhoid in Hope Town in 1898 after contracting the illness in hospital while being treated for tonsillitis.

Early Life
Frederick Berry was born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, 1864, the son of William Daniel Berry, an electrical engineer. The 1881 census records Frederick at age 17 living with his family, employed as a Draper’s Assistant—a trade closely tied to Huddersfield’s textile industry. His father’s skilled profession placed the family within the rising technical class of late‑Victorian Britain, while Frederick’s own occupation reflected the town’s industrial character.

6th Dragoon Guards
On 2 June 1885, Frederick enlisted at Halifax into the 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers). His attestation papers describe him as 5 ft 9 in tall, with a dark complexion, black hair, grey eyes, and a distinctive scar over his right eyebrow. He was noted as a Warehouseman by trade, consistent with his earlier work in Huddersfield.

His service record shows:
• Home service until September 1885
• India posting from September 1885 to November 1888, where he endured bouts of illness but remained fit for duty.
• Return to Britain in late 1888, followed by transfer to the Army Reserve in 1889.

This period gave him valuable overseas experience and discipline, preparing him for later colonial service.

Emigration to South Africa
After several years in the Reserve, Frederick sailed from Southampton aboard the Drummond Castle on 21 April 1894, bound for Cape Town. Passenger lists record him as “F. Berry,” aged 29.

Service in the Cape Police
Frederick enlisted in the Cape Police on 17 March 1895, aged 29. His attestation confirmed the same physical identifiers noted a decade earlier: scar over the right eyebrow and dark features. He was posted under Captain C.F.M. McGregor, whose troop was deployed during the Bechuanaland campaign (1896–97).

The Cape Police acted as a hybrid force—mounted constables performing both law enforcement and military duties. McGregor’s men conducted patrols, secured supply lines, and suppressed unrest in Bechuanaland following the Jameson Raid. Frederick’s presence on the medal roll confirms his active participation. He was awarded the Cape of Good Hope General Service Medal with clasp “Bechuanaland.”

Frederick must have impressed with his service as he was promoted from Lance Seargent in February 1897 and then to 2nd class Seargent the following year in April 1898.

Illness and Death
In May 1898, while stationed at Hope Town, Frederick was admitted to hospital with tonsillitis. During treatment he contracted typhoid fever, a common and often fatal infection in colonial hospitals. Despite medical care, he succumbed on 22 May 1898, aged just 33. His death was recorded in the Cape Police ledger, closing a career that spanned both imperial and colonial service.

My many thanks to Adrian for assisting with the research on this medal & bringing his story back to life.