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Colonel Malby Crofton, Royal Lancasters: was he wounded at Spioenkop? 1 year 10 months ago #83535

  • Smethwick
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He definitely does not appear in the Spion Kop casualty list published in the Army & Navy Gazette and I am pretty sure he is not mentioned in the amendments published later.

He gets five mention in W Baring Pemberton's description of the Battle of Spion Kop in "Battles of the Boer War" published in 1964. Two report he was wounded during the battle but give no detail. The third says Buller & his staff did not have much faith in him. The fourth questions whether he was up to the job of command thrust upon him. The fifth discusses the heliograph message which he dictated to a signalling officer. Unfortunately the signalling officer did not have the wherewith-all to write it down so passed it on to the signaller verbally. Apparently the error regarding the death of Woodgate came from Crofton but the message sent was somewhat more dramatic than he intended. Of course W Baring Pemberton, like us, was not present on the day.

Like Dave F I would agree with his second para regarding the half-pay. Whether it was fair or he was being made a scapegoat I would not like to comment.
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Colonel Malby Crofton, Royal Lancasters: was he wounded at Spioenkop? 1 year 10 months ago #83536

  • Rob D
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Regarding the message about Woodgate's death, it should be remembered that half the poor man's skull was shot away and all who saw him said he was dead.
Yet he remained conscious, told his men to fight on, and immediately dictated a message to Warren, which was being delivered when the heliograph was hit by a shell.
Woodgate became agitated on the stretcher on the way down the Kop, and was hurried to Spearman's Farm where he was operated on by Treves - something others called "experimental". Poor Woodgate; he was carried to Frere by Gandhi's NVIAC bearers, and lingered on for 2 months in Mooi River, lapsing in and out of consciousness, till he succumbed.
I am really not sure of Crofton's wound - he stayed in action till night and climbed down the Kop in the dark, and having climbed that path more than once it is no mean feat.
Another officer, Whyte, was only wounded in the finger and got onto the NFF casualty list, so I don't think you had to pass a test of severity!
It remains a puzzle I may not solve.
thanks all
Rob
The past is not dead. In fact, it's not even past.

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Colonel Malby Crofton, Royal Lancasters: was he wounded at Spioenkop? 1 year 10 months ago #83537

  • Smethwick
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I presume you have seen the Woodgate obit and photos of him at Radley College (near Oxford)

radleyarchive.blog/obituary-edward-rober...evost-woodgate-1855/
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