TOPIC:

Hi, I'm looking for information on my relative James Firmin Manning who apparently was in the siege of Kimberley serving in Mostert's Redoubt. However, I can't find any info on that unit or on him. He is apparently in this photo, sitting on the left as we look at it. Thanks

Spooner 1962
There is no J. or J.F. Manning shown in the Biggins publication "Kimberley Siege Account and Medal Roll". Have you any more information?
Regards
IL.

Spooner1962,

J Manning is something of an enigma.

He is listed in the Siege of Kimberley roll in the Miscellaneous section:



He is listed on the KTG QSA roll (WO100/282p89) for the Defence of Kimberley but his name is crossed through. A note says medal and CC clasp deleted off Scott's Railway Guards roll.



On the SRG roll (Wo100/270p58), the entry lists only the CC clasp and says QSA (1) CC was issued 3 August 1906.

The note also says this man is not identical to the J Manning on the KTG roll.



Based on this, he is not listed on my DoK roll as a recipient of the clasp but he does appear to have been present during the siege.

It is possible the three other men with this surname caused some confusion when the rolls were created?

Do you know the names of the other men in the picture?

Best wishes
David

The only mention I could find of Mostert's Redoubt in the British newspapers of the day:

Montrose Review 6 April 1900:



Here is Sergeant William Main on the Kimberley Town Guard medal roll, half a dozen up from crossed out J Manning:



Googling James Firmin Manning brought up this:



Looking for him on Ancestry public family trees found him on one tree and this was the only item against his profile - his marriage to his second wife:



This link takes you to the medal of another defender of Mostert's Redoubt:

www.angloboerwar.com/forum/5-medals-and-...rley?start=252#88157

This link takes you to the medal of yet another defender of Mostert's Redoubt:

www.noonans.co.uk/archive/special-collections/1405/501227/ ?

This link takes you to an article which includes a piece about another defender of Mostert's Redoubt, namely Fergus Carstairs-Rogers, who like William Main was a Scotsman:

www.kimberley.org.za/today-kimberleys-history-4-november/