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Picture courtesy of Noonan's

QSA (1) Defence of Mafeking (Sergt. G. A. Greenacre. Mafeking Town Gd:)

Picture courtesy of Noonan's

Captain J. R. More, Mafeking Town Guard
The Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Serving Brother’s, breast badge, burnished silver;
QSA (1) Defence of Mafeking (Capt: J. R. More, Mafeking Tn: Gd:);
British War Medal 1914-20 (Lt. Col. J. R. More.);
Jubilee 1935

Together with Cecil Rhodes Funeral Train Medal 1902, silver, in Spink & Son case of issue; and Prince of Wales’ Lodge Jubilee Medal 1837-1887, silver-gilt, silver and enamels, in its Vaughton & Sons case of issue, this last possibly presented to his father.

Nursing Sister Marion More, Mafeking Railway Convalescent Hospital
QSA (0) (Nursing Sister M. More.) naming officially re-impressed;

Mafeking Railway Convalescent Hospital badge, circular gold badge with central red enamelled cross within white enamelled border inscribed ‘Mafeking’, the reverse inscribed ‘Ry. Convalescent Hospital. 1900’, 20mm, fitted with gold pin for wearing

Lieutenant-Colonel T. V. More, Director of Transport (Railway), East Africa and Egypt 1940-43
1939-45 Star;
Africa Star;
War Medal;
Africa Service Medal, these four all officially impressed (179995 T. V. More);
Coronation 1953

John Rhys More was born in 1873, son of Mr T. J. More, who was traffic manager of the Cape Government Railways. His first railway experience was as an assistant on the construction of the Vaal River railway bridge at Fourteen Streams, and he was next employed on the construction of the line from Rosmead to Stormberg. He was engaged in the construction of the line from Vryburg to Mafeking and, in 1894, on the Sterkstroom-Indwe railway. Joining the Cape Government Railways in 1896, he became assistant engineer of the Kimberley-Bloemfontein survey and then of the Rosmead-Graff-Reinet railway construction.

In 1899 he was appointed district engineer at Mafeking and, on the outbreak of the siege was appointed Commandant of the Railway Section of the Town Guard with the rank of Lieutenant and later Captain. He was responsible for the construction of the Armoured Train and Ordnance workshop. The first shot fired in the defence of Mafeking was by Railwaymen in the Armoured Train at the 5 mile Cottage, south of Mafeking, on 12 October 1899. At Game Tree on Boxing Day of that year, he commanded the second truck of the Armoured Train:

“The enemy’s fire was terrible, 1lb Maxim shells bursting a few yards beyond the truck, accompanied by a perfect hail of bullets. The Railwaymen I am pleased to say behaved very well, and when the enemy were within range, did good work with their Martinis. Sergeant Lowe and myself managed to keep the Maxim pouring in its deadly fire on the enemy, and Corporal Godson kept the Hotchkiss firing in spite of his exposed position in the half armoured truck, which only protected the lower part of his body. The two B.S.A.P. in the truck with him were told to lie down as the fire was too heavy, and both were slightly wounded by portions of shell.

“It was a terribly anxious time, 850 Boers of the Marico Commando with Artillery, under General Snyman, were pitted against 16 B.S.A.P. and 28 Railwaymen. A grimly contested fight lasting two hours resulted in the enemy having to evacuate his position and fall back with heavy loss, over the crest of the rise, where he was again successfully engaged by Captain Fitzclarence with 2 squadrons of the Protectorate Regiment.” (Extract from Captain More’s report).

After the relief of Mafeking, More returned to his local peace-time duties as District Engineer and was later Resident Engineer for the Vryburg-Bulawayo railway. Upon the death of Cecil Rhodes in 1902, he was in charge of the funeral train which conveyed his body from Cape Town to Bulawayo and received the special medal struck to commemorate that event. After the Union in 1910 he was Divisional Superintendent at Kimberley and Port Elizabeth. During the Great War he commanded the Railway Regiment in South West Africa (British War Medal). In 1918 he was appointed Assistant General Manager and, in 1927, became General Manager of the South African Railways, retiring in 1933. He died at Cape Town on 22 April 1951. Sold with several news cuttings, a copy of his Mafeking report and various extracts from General Orders concerning the Railway Division issued by Colonel Baden-Powell.

Mrs Marion More (née Cloete) was the wife of Captain J. R. More and was in Mafeking at the commencement of the siege. When her husband set up a convalescent hospital in the Railway Camp she volunteered as a Nursing Sister under Miss M. Crawford, serving with Lady Sarah Wilson. In his official report on the siege Captain More gave the following account of the Convalescent Home:

“Owing to numerous complaints of treatment at the Victoria Hospital by our men, I decided to utilize the Railway Institute for Convalescent purposes, thus enabling men just out of hospital to get thoroughly restored to health before returning to the trenches, and the Home proved a great success. The cooking was done by the Railway people in turns, and Mr Crittenden, Rolling Stock Inspector, rendered valuable services as Manager.

“It was afterwards taken over by the Imperial Authorities for General Purposes; Dr Holmden being the Medical Officer, and Lady Sarah Wilson the Lady Superintendent, assisted by Mrs More, Mrs Gemmel and other Ladies. On January 15th a 95-pdr Shell struck the building and completely wrecked the Library, Billiard Room and Billiard Table, necessitating the removal of the Patients to other quarters. None of the inmates I am thankful to say were hurt.”

Thomas Vivian More was born in Mafeking on 2 August 1900, less than three months after the lifting of the siege. He qualified as a Civil Engineer at Birmingham University in 1918 and adopted a railway career. During the Second World War he served with the South African Railway Engineers in East Africa, Egypt and the Western Desert, including appointmeant as Director of Transport (Railways) at Cairo with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. Released from Army service in October 1943 he continued his career in the railways, becoming System Engineer in Durban (1945), System Manager in Windhoek (1946), System Manager in Port Elizabeth (1947-52) and finally System Manager, Western Cape. He retired in 1963, entering local government the same year, and died in June 1966. Sold with newspaper obituary and copied service record.

‘It is a common saying among railwaymen that there is not a sleeper or a culvert between Table Bay and the Victoria Falls which one of the Mores does not know.’

Picture courtesy of Noonan's

SAGS (1) 1878 (Corpl. H. H. Bradley, Griqualand. West. L.I.);
QSA (1) Defence of Mafeking (Fort:-Com: H. H. Bradley. Mafeking Town Gd:)

Hubert Henry Bradley was born at Kingston-on-Thames, Surrey, in 1854. He served as a Corporal in the Griqualand West Light Infantry, leaving Kimberley on 24 April 1878, and being engaged in three actions during that year. Promoted to Sergeant he applied for his South African war medal from Mafeking in November 1892. He was a member of the Mafeking Rifle Club 1896-97, and served as a Fort Commander during the siege with ‘D’ Section of the Mafeking Town Guard. He was a mineral manufacturer and proprietor of ‘Bradley’s Hotel’ which was badly damaged by a shell in January 1900. His wife served as a civilian nurse during the siege and their son Archibald served in the Mafeking Cadet Corps. Hubert Bradley died at Mafeking on 25 July 1900.

Some lovely DoM QSAs at the Noonan's sale today.

The QSA to Sgt Greenacre. MTG, hammered at £2,800, twice what may be expected. BB&M suggested this man had prior service with the RMLI but I have not been able to verify that service. Any information on this man would be very interesting,

Fort Commander Bradley's SAGS and QSA pair sold for a hammer price of GBP 3,200. Total GBP 4,122. R 89,840. AUD 7,920. NZD 8,460. CAD 7,040. USD 5,240. EUR 4,590.

The family group to Captain More and his wife and son sold for a hammer price of GBP 4,000. Total GBP 5,152. R 112,300. AUD 9,910. NZD 10,580. CAD 8,800. USD 6,550. EUR 5,740.

The IGS/QSA to Captain Vernon sold for a hammer price of GBP 7,500. Total GBP 9,660. R 210,560. AUD 18,570. NZD 19,830. CAD 16,490. USD 12,280. EUR 10,770.

Colin Walker's Mafeking Siege Register has Sgt. Greenacra as with "Town Guard Railway Div'n"
Regards
IL.