TOPIC:

First of all ,l must apologize for putting this on the sight at such a late date, to one of my first topic's that inspired me to find out more, but unfortunatly l have been seriously ill and awaiting my call.
This News Paper article from the Express and Star, before 1958, is where it states First Serice Company ( Wolverhampton Volunteers) under the Command of the Gallent and Brave Officer Captain H.S. Denton of Wolverhampton; was this for Joe Davies? My Great Grandfather was mentioned,but he was from West Bromwich, as l have been informed and was called up.

2ndly, can any body tell me as to were they lived on flour for 92 days?
3rdly, The Crickit Cap made me laugh, Private Bluett who played for his local team, Sutton CCfound his cap one hundred miles away.

Hello Philip – very sorry to hear about your health issues.

Here is the newspaper article you refer to which you posted about 15 months ago. Have also added the comments I made at the time.



According to the 1st VSC medal rolls:

Joe Davies = 6862 Lance-Corporal J Davies
Bluett = 6957 Private H A Blewitt

Both received QSA's with 4 clasps - Wittebergen, Cape Colony, Transvaal & South Africa 1901

Davies was a member of the Bilston Volunteers.
Blewitt was a member of the Sutton Coldfield Volunteers.

There were continuous supply issues during the ABW and letters home continually complained of food shortages.


Since you last commented I have done some more research on the Staffordshire Volunteers but I don’t think any of it involved your GGF and his mates.

I am now investigating the first contingent of the Staffordshire Imperial Yeomanry but they tended to move in a different social class to the Volunteers with many being Yeoman Farmers but amongst their number are some Wolverhampton & Black Country men. I have just discovered that one of the Yeoman Farmers never made it to South Africa being invalided home from Las Palmas having suffered from severe sea sickness. He went on to spend the last 26 years of his life in Broadmoor Asylum having murdered his wife in 1924 – so much for class!

The cricket cap story is definitely amusing – what we don’t know is whether Blewitt retook possession of it or does it remain in South Africa lurking, moth-eaten, in a disused drawer awaiting rediscovery and would the discoverer realise it was a Boer War artefact?

Best wishes, David.

Philip,

I too was sorry to hear about your health situation.

I could not locate any papers Joe Davi(e)s but there are some for Herbert Blewitt



He served in South Africa between 10 March 1900 and 25 May 1901.

His NOK was his father, Matthew, of Colehill House, Colehill, Warwickshire.

Sending you my best wishes.
David