County: Worcestershire
Issued on: Return
Date of presentation: 18/06/1901
Number issued: c. 28
Gold medals, to:
POTENTIAL RECIPIENTS (BASED ON LIST OF KIDDERMINSTER MEN WHO LEFT FOR S. AFRICA IN JANUARY 1900)
Volunteers highlighted in maroon are listed as having returned on 10/06/1901 (Kidderminster Shuttle, 15/06/1901)
Volunteer Active Service Company, 2nd Bn. Worcestershire Regiment –
Captain W.B. BUCKNALL
6699 Sergeant John Edward JORDAN
6704 Lance-Sergeant Thomas SOUTHALL
6721 Lance-Corporal George CURTIS
6702 Lance-Corporal Harry JONES
6705 Bugler Ernest William DUDLEY
6709 Private A.O. BLENT
6710 [5139] Private Arthur Walter BRANDON
6713 Private Arthur CANTRELL [Henry Cantrell]
6717 Private Frederick COLMAN [Coleman]
6719 Private B. CRISP
6808 Private Andrew FRASER
6734 Private W. FREEMAN
6735 Private J. GARDNER [G. Gardener]
6738 Private Herbert GITTENS
6740 Private Ernest GUEST
6744 Private F. HARRIS
6756 Private Joseph JONES
6703 Private L.C. JONES
6764 Private Albert LEWIS
6766 Private William LEWIS
6767 Private George Albert LONGMORE
6776 Private Albert OLIVER
6777 Private Edward PARKES
6782 Private E. PERKS (died, Bloemfontein, 02/06/1900 - did his family receive a medal?)
6788 Private W. RANDALL
6790 Private C.L. ROWE [Rewe] (died, Bloemfontein, 23/05/1900 - did his family receive a medal?)
6791 Private Frederick SMITH
6799 Private John UNDERHILL
6802 Private William WEBSTER
Presentation made by the Mayor of Kidderminster, at the Town Hall.
"Captain W.B. Bucknall and nearly twenty men formed the Kidderminster detachment" (Worcestershire Chronicle, 15/06/1901). This is well short of the 28 men who formed the Kidderminster detachment that left for South Africa in January 1900.
Note: each of these men received a second medal from Worcester
Private Fred Smith also received a gold pendant from the employees of Messrs Tomkinson and Adam
Staffordshire & Worcestershire County Advertiser, 27/01/1900 (nominal roll & portrait of Capt. Bucknall)
Kidderminster Shuttle, 15/06/1901
Kidderminster Times, 15/06/1901
Information provided by BereniceUK
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Staffordshire & Worcestershire County Advertiser, 27th January 1900
The following is a list of the men who left Kidderminster on Saturday last for the front: –
KIDDERMINSTER – Corpl. J.E. JORDAN, Lance-Corpls. T. SOUTHALL and H. JONES, Bugler DUDLEY, Ptes. E. GUEST, A. LEWIS, W. LEWIS, W. WEBSTER, W. FREEMAN, A.W. BRANDON, G. LONGMORE, B. CRISP, H. CANTRELL, E. PERKS, F. SMITH, J. JONES, J. GARDNER, L.C. JONES, E. PARKES, C. REWE, G. CURTIS, A. BLENT, H. GITTENS, A. OLIVER, F. COLEMAN, J. UNDERHILL, and F. HARRIS.
Worcestershire Chronicle, 8th June 1901
KIDDERMINSTER.
It has been arranged that the dinner to the Kidderminster Volunteers shall be held on Waterloo Day, the 18th, at the Town Hall, when the war veterans of the district will have their annual dinner. The Volunteers, when they arrive at Kidderminster, will be met by all the local Volunteers and escorted to the Town Hall, where they will be addressed by the Mayor. They will attend a thanksgiving service at the parish church on the following Sunday, and the Mayor will present each Volunteer with a gold medal.Kidderminster Shuttle, 15th June 1901
THE MEN WHO RETURNED ON MONDAY.
The following is a list of the men who returned on Monday. Some of the local Volunteers had been previously invalided home:— "A" Company: Privates A. and W. LEWIS, A. FRASER, E. GUEST, W. WEBSTER, W. FREEMAN. "C" Company: Sergeant T. SOUTHALL, Privates F. SMITH, C. CANTRELL, B. CRISP (Private PERKS, who died belonged to this Company). "D" Company: Privates G. GARDNER, E. PARKES, G. CURTIS (Private C. ROWE, who died, was of this Company). "L" Company: Sergeant E. JORDAN, Privates F. COLEMAN, J. UNDERHILL, H. GITTINS, H. OLIVER.
Worcestershire Chronicle, 22nd June 1901
BANQUET TO VOLUNTEERS AT KIDDERMINSTER
For the last nine years there has been a dinner to was veterans at Kidderminster, and this hitherto has been held on the late Queen’s birthday. The death of Queen Victoria has brought about a change, and it was decided this year to hold the dinner on Waterloo Day, and to include the Volunteers back from the war in celebration. The arrangements that had been made culminated in a large and interesting assemblage on Wednesday night in the Town Hall, where men who had fought for their Sovereign and country from the time of the Crimea down to the present day were deservedly honoured. The Mayor (Alderman Adam) presided, supported by a number of leading inhabitants and Volunteer officers. Sir Frederick Godson, M.P., was to have been present and proposed the toast of “The Veterans”, but a peremptory “Whip” prevented him attending. After the Mayor had proposed the toast of “The King”, Mr G.W. Grosvenor gave that of “The Veterans”. The Mayor, in an eulogistic speech, afterwards proposed “The Kidderminster Detachment of the Active Service Company of the Volunteer Battalion 1st Worcestershire Regiment”. Before the toast was drunk, Colonel Watson read a letter from Colonel de Berniere, commanding the 29th Regimental District, forwarding the contents of a letter from General Napier, bearing further testimony to the services and conduct of the Volunteers. (Cheers). The Mayor presented Capt. BUCKNALL and the other Kidderminster volunteers who had been at the front with gold medals. Captain BUCKNALL said that whatever hardships and dangers the Volunteers had endured, the reception given them on their return was more than they could have dreamed of. Having touched on the loss of comrades who went out with them, Capt. BUCKNALL replied to allegations of ill-treatment of the Boers, and spoke of the mischief done by those who circulated such statements. He was going back to South Africa to serve the Empire up in Rhodesia, and that meeting was in the nature of a farewell to the Volunteers with whom he had been associated. Lieut. Whitcombe also responded, and the Mayor’s health was afterwards drunk.
Staffordshire & Worcestershire County Advertiser, 27th January 1900
