County: Staffordshire
Issued on: Return
Dates of presentations: 10/07/1901, 29/10/1903
Number issued: 43
10/07/1901 presentation
7134 Private George WYNNE [Wynn]
1056 Trooper Horace SIMPKIN
29/10/1903 presentation
7311 Private George VENABLES
Presentation made by the Mayoress, in the Council Chamber of the Guildhall, Stafford.
James Ferrabee example held in the collection of the Stafford Museum.
PRESENTATION AND DINNER TO RETURNED YEOMANRY & VOLUNTEERS AT STAFFORD.
A series of interesting events took place at Stafford on Wednesday in connection with the formal reception of members of the Stafford troop of Imperial Yeomanry and local Volunteers, who returned from active service in South Africa a few weeks ago.
……. At five o’clock a special meeting of the Town Council was held for the purpose of conferring the honorary freedom of the borough on the returned Yeomen and Volunteers, who occupied the front row of councillors’ benches. The Mayor presided, and there were also present Aldermen F. Greatrex (Deputy-Mayor), C.H. Wright, J. Goodall, G.H. Smallman, G.J. Flamank, P. Bridgwood, and G. Wormal; Councillors G. Dean, S.G. Lovatt, W. Marson, W. Butler, B. Corcoran, F. Blackman, R. Perry, M. Mitchell, W. Ward, F.H. Marson, S. Butler, J. Mottram, and T. Westhead. There was a fair attendance of the general public, several of whom occupied seats in the Council Chamber. The following is a list of those officers and men who paraded to receive the freedom: – Yeomanry – First Service Detachment: Lieut. W. MOAT, of Johnson; Sergt. Edwin Wm. PEACH, Troopers Geo. Henry PEACH, and Horace SIMPKIN (Stafford); Frederick W. JOHNSON (Meaford Hall Farm, Stone); Thomas GIBB and Albert PARKER (Eccleshall); Herbert S. EDWARDS (Doxey); Joseph E. DAWSON (Little Haywood); Charles HALFORD (Leek); William H. KEELING (Penkridge); and Ernest R. Reynette JAMES (Broughton Hall, Eccleshall). Volunteers – First Service Detachment: Lieut. William Hughes RIDGE, L.-Corps. William Robert WARD, Frederick KENT, and Thomas PATSTON; Privs. William Gardener WOODING, Arthur ROBOTHAM, George WYNNE, William George BEVAN, Alexander Macdonald BROWN, James TILLETT, Arthur Edward BLAKEMEN, and Thomas Eli HARVEY. The names of Trooper Cuthbert SHEARS and Corp. Henry Arthur TRUBSHAW, both of Stafford, who are still in South Africa, were included in the list and the certificates will be handed to their relatives. The freedom of the borough will be conferred at a later date on the members of the second service detachments of Yeomanry and Volunteers who are now serving at the front.
Addressing officers and men, the Mayor said the Council were perfectly unanimous in their decision to confer upon them the honorary freedom of the borough, and most heartily approved of their conduct. (Applause). The freedom of the borough did not carry with it many privileges, but there was a difference between being an ordinary and an honorary freeman. When he was admitted as an honorary freeman he was told there were two privileges – viz. hunting the buck through the streets and fishing with a bent pin in the Pearl Brook which passed through the town. (Laughter). He was sure that the Council would be delighted to grant them the same privileges as well as the honour which was about to be conferred. (Applause).
The scrolls bearing the freedom, which had been stamped by the Inland Revenue authorities free of charge, and were enclosed in neat cardboard cases, were then presented to the recipients in conformity with the resolution passed by the Town Council on June 18, “in recognition of the eminent services rendered by them to the borough in volunteering for and proceeding upon active service in South Africa”. The names and addresses of the recipients were read out by the Town Clerk (Mr Matt. F. Blakiston), and each as he stepped up and signed his name was heartily applauded.
Lieut. MOAT, responding on behalf of the Yeomanry, tendered their sincere and hearty thanks to the Mayor and Corporation for the honour which had been bestowed upon them. He was sure that the Yeomen would be only too pleased to exercise the privileges which the Mayor had been kind enough to mention were connected with the honorary freedom of the borough, which he looked upon as the highest honour that the Council could bestow. (Hear, hear). As Yeomanry who had been to the front, they would value that honour very much indeed, because after all they did nothing more than they promised to do. He hoped it would be the means of bringing closer together the individual members of the Stafford Troop who had received the honour, and that they would be imbued with a desire to do whatever they could to help forward in every way possible the interests and the welfare of the town. (Applause).
Lieut. RIDGE also suitably responded.
The Mayor intimated that it would be his pleasurable duty to convey the hearty thanks of the recipients to the Council. They were quite right in assuming that it was the highest honour which could be bestowed, and if there had been a greater one the Council would have gladly conferred it. (Applause).
The company afterwards proceeded to the Market Square, where a souvenir in the form of a silver medal was presented by the Mayor to each Yeoman and Volunteer, the ceremony taking place on the bandstand. The Volunteers, with band, paraded under the command of Major C.H. Wright, the other officers present being Surg.-Lieut. N. Cookson and Chaplain the Rev. S. Wickham Jones. The Volunteers formed a cordon round the bandstand, and a large number of people witnessed the ceremony. The medals presented were of silver and enclosed in suitable case. The recipients’ names were engraved on the edge of the medals which bore on the obverse the arms of the borough and “W.C.T. Mynors, Esq., Mayor”, and on the reverse, round the edge the words “South African Campaign”, in the centre being a representation of a Volunteer and mounted Yeoman, with the year 1901 at the foot. At the conclusion of the presentation, Lieut. MOAT returned thanks and said the souvenirs would remind them not only of their experience in South Africa but also of the many kind friends they had at Stafford. (Applause).
Lieut. RIDGE also spoke and said the Volunteers highly appreciated the gifts, which they would hand down to posterity.
PRESENTATIONS TO THE DEPUTY-MAYOR AND VOLUNTEERS AT STAFFORD.
……. The presentation of the honorary freedom of the borough to the Volunteers then took place, the Town Clerk reading the resolution passed by the Council when it was decided to confer the honour. The following were the recipients: – G Company: Capt. Charles Edmund BOOTE, Sergt. Henry PARKER, L.-Corp. Thomas Evans DRAPER, L.-Corp. Bernard SEERS, Priv. William BROWN, Priv. Albert DALE, Priv. James FERRABEE, and Priv. Charles Edmund Grosvenor BRADBURY. F Company: L.-Sergt. Henry HUXLEY, L.-Corp. Thomas Henry ASTLES, Priv. George VENABLES, Priv. Thomas BAKER, Priv. Arthur Roland RANDLE, Priv. Edward John LAW, and Priv. George RILEY. The only absentees were Privs. FERRABEE and BAKER. The others signed the roll-book, and each received at the hands of the Mayor the scroll of freedom, enclosed in a suitable case.
The Mayoress presented the Corporation silver medals to the members of the detachment, and the Mayor handed Mrs GLOVER (whose son died on the voyage from South Africa) a copy of the special vote of condolence passed by the Council in lieu of the honorary freedom. The Mayoress also presented one of the silver medals to Mrs GLOVER amid loud applause.
Capt. BOOTE suitably acknowledged the honour which had been conferred upon the Volunteers, and Sergt. H. PARKER also responded.
The Mayoress, in a neat little speech, said she considered it a great honour to be asked by the Town Council to present the medals, and she heartily congratulated the recipients. (Applause).
