TASMANIANS IN THE ANGLO BOER WAR: third contingent
The following images are thumbnails only having been reduced to minimal size. If you wish to view the image in its original format, please refer to the Weekly Courier and Tasmanian Mail LINC.
No full size images are given on this website due to uncertain copyright restrictions. These thumbnails are intended simply as a preview indexed to the relevant Weekly Courier issue date and page.
No full size images are given on this website due to uncertain copyright restrictions. These thumbnails are intended simply as a preview indexed to the relevant Weekly Courier issue date and page.
Tasmanian Imperial Bushmen
Departed 26 April 1900, returned 5 August 1901
Sergeant Angus Robert ADAMS
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Cpl William Kenyon BARWISE
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John Hutton BISDEE
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Henry BLACKABY
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Daniel William BOSTOCK
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Sgt William John Colin BREWER
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Albert Melton BROWN
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Eric Lindsay Douglas BROWNELL
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Lance Cpl Lewis Berkley BRUMBY
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Allan Thomas BULL
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Leslie Douglas BURBURY
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J CAIRS
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Major CAMERON
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Alfred Victor CHESTER
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Peter CLARK
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James CLIFF
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F COOK
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Joseph COOPER
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Albert Edward COSTELLO
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Sergeant William CRACKNELL
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Reginald Calder CRAWFORD
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Edward Barclay CROSBY
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Frank DALTON
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Herbert Frank DAVIS
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William Walter DAVIS
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William James DAWES
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Gordon Adye DOUGLAS
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James DUDFIELD
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William Lawrence EDDY
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Albert Alexander Crossley FIRTH
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Percy James FLEMING
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Arthur Joseph GARDINER
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Edgar Albert GARRETT
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Leslie Harry GEEVES
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Sergeant GENANA
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James GERRAND
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Denis GLEESON
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Richard GREEN
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James GRIFFIN
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Francis Arthur GROOM
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Robert William GUEST
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Henry William Vere HAMILTON
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Edward Francis HARRADINE
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HART
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Albert Ernest HAYS
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Lewis Arthur HERBERT
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Charles HEYNE
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Walter Frank Cecil HODGKINSON
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Leonard HUTTON
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Henry Gabriel ITCHINS
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Charles Albert JACKSON
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O C JOHNSTON
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William KENWORTHY
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Peter KEOGH
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Charles George KING
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Louis Horace LAUGHTON
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A LAWFORD
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Owen Effingham LAWRENCE
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Corporal Harold Joseph LESTER
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Louis Frances John LETTE
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Captain Richard Charles LEWIS
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Arthur Frederick LITCHFIELD
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Mervyn James LITTLEJOHN
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Darcy LUTTRELL
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Trevor Ellis MACE
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William McCLELLAND
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Andrew McGUILLAN
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Percy McLAREN
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Albert Arthur McLEOD
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Robert MUCKLE
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Sgt Arthur William NETTLEFOLD
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Lt Louis Sydney Eccles PAGE
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Captain PERCEVAL
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Lieutenant Raymond PERKINS
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William George PILSBURY
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Sergeant Hubert Ross REYNOLDS
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Edward John RYE
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Lieutenant Arthur Arnold SALE
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Farrier Sergeant James SHAW
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Sgt Major William Lowry SHEGOG
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James Robert SHIELDS
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T SHIPNELL
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A W SIMPSON
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A W SIMPSON
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Charles SIMPSON
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Harold SKINNER
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Norman BANKS-SMITH
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Sergeant Edward William STEPHENS
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Sergeant Mervyn Alfred SUMMERS
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George Ernest TAYLOR
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Quartermaster Sgt Percy J TOWNLEY
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Bugler Charles Arthur TURNER
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Arthur Edward VINEY
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Herbert Cresswell WALTER
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George Albert WALTERS
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T WALTON
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Corporal K WANE
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William Henry WARD
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Isaac WADLEY
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Charles Walter WESTBROOK
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William Patrick WHELAN
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John William WHITMORE
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A WILLIAMS
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Cpl Robert Llewellyn WILLIAMS
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Samuel Willoughby
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A WRIGHT
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Andrew WRIGHT
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Robert Oliver WYATT
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Lt Guy George Egerton WYLLY
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FRANCIS ARTHUR GROOM
Francis Groom was born in the Argentine Republic in 1874 to Francis Charles and Mitty Groom. When he was twelve he settled with his family in Tasmania, where he worked with his father on the family property.
He signed up to join the Tasmanian Imperial Bushmen when the contingent was raised at Imperial expense in early 1900. Of the 900 men that volunteered, Francis Groom was chosen to be part of the contingent of 122, under the command of Major Richard Charles Lewis. On 1 September Major Lewis was asked to provide twenty men to assist Captain Brooke of the Army Service Corps with rounding up some Boer cattle in the area of west of Warmbad. The patrol moved into a narrow pass surrounded by rocky hills, an area that three days earlier Major Lewis had ventured into and warned against returning. Boer commandos were waiting in ambush for the patrol. They opened fire as the first eight men entered their sights. Joseph Cooper, the patrol’s guide was shot in the chest and thrown off his horse. Sergeant George Shaw was hit in his left side. Trooper Samuel Willoughby was thrown from his horse when a Boer bullet went through his leg and killed his horse. Seeing the wounded Willoughby on the ground, Trooper Peter Clark dismounted from his own horse and lifted Willoughby on to it. He ran out of the firing line with Trooper Henry Blackaby who also had his horse shot dead from under him. Trooper George Walters had his horse shot from under him. As he fell, the lifeless body of the horse landed on his leg, trapping him. Next to Trooper Walters, Trooper Geoffrey Brown was shot and thrown from his horse. His brother, Corporal Edward Brown was shot in the arm. Shortly after his horse was also killed. Lieutenant Guy Wylly and Captain Brooke rode into the main firefight to help the eight men. Captain Brooke was unhorsed after he was hit in the leg. Lieutenant Wylly was hit in the arm, in spite of this wound he continued till he got to Corporal Brown. Lieutenant Wylly gave up his horse for Corporal Brown; he then took cover behind some rocks and attempted to cover the retreat of the patrol with his rifle. Trooper William Campbell was shot in his bandolier, the round setting off one of his own rounds, but he was unharmed by the incident. Under a murderous hail of fire Trooper John Bisdee went to the aid of the unhorsed Captain Brooke. Bisdee was able to get Brooke onto his horse; he then ran the horse out of the danger zone. As everyone retreated out of the ambush Francis Groom rode into it. He dismounted at the rocks that Lieutenant Wylly was sheltering under. He helped him on to his horse and then ran along side of it for a few metres before jumping on the back of the horse. Francis Groom left South Africa with the Tasmanian Imperial Bushmen in July 1901, arriving home in early August, 16 months after he had departed on the Manhattan. Francis returned to helping his father on the farm. It was here where he met Mabel ‘Madge’ Ockerby, and the two were married in 1906. They raised four sons on the family farm ‘Aberfeldy’ near Penguin, Tasmania. Madge died in 1952, and Francis gave up the farm soon afterwards. He moved to Launceston, where he lived out the rest of his life with his son Charles Featherstone Groom. He died on 3 June 1964 and is buried with his wife in Penguin Cemetery. Author Cameron Ross (Australian War Memorial) | Photo courtesy of Karen Johnstone Three Tasmanians were awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for bravery in the field in South Africa. They were Privates Groom and P Clark and Sergeant Major Costello of the Tasmanian Mounted Infantry. Groom's Distinguished Conduct Medal is the one seen on the left. Photo at bottom is Sergeant Major Costello wearing the King's South Africa, Star and Distinguished Conduct Medals. |
JOHN HUTTON BISDEE
John Hutton Bisdee was the first Australian to be awarded the Victoria Cross. As a trooper, John was with a party of eight men, six of whom were injured during an ambush by the Boers near Warmbad. When one of the horses belonging to an injured officer bolted, John dismounted, placed the wounded man on his own horse and ran alongside it, then mounted behind him and withdrew under heavy fire. For this action he was awarded the Victoria Cross.
Shortly after receiving the citation for valour, John wrote to his friends in Tasmania: "There is one thing that you have heard, it appears, from one of Captain Lewis' letters, which is a mistake and I must hasten to correct and give honour to whom honour is due. It was young Adams who performed the daring feat at Lindley. Lieutenant Sale and I did ride back to look for Guy Wylly, who, although unhorsed, had managed to get away unobserved. Sale noticed someone helping Firth on his horse and thought it was I, but I have since told him that not finding any traces of Wylly, I made off at full speed." John Hutton Bisdee went on to became Captain of the 12th Light Horse during the First World War and later as Marshall of the mounted division. In June 1918 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and a year later was appointed OBE in June 1919. He died in January 1930 at the age of 64. The Bisdee Memorial Cadet Efficiency Prize, awarded annually at St Virgil's College, Hobart, was named after him. The middle photo at left depicts Bisdee being greeted from the train on his arrival home. The third photo shows some of Major Lewis' Contingent with Bisdee seated at centre. |
GEOFFREY HUGH BROWN
Trooper Geoffrey Hugh Brown was one of six members wounded during an ambush by the Boers near Warmbad on 1 September 1900. He was captured and died 10 hours later from his injuries. He was 27.
Four of Brown’s brothers also served in the Boer War: Major Henry George Brown and Lieutenant Charles Washington Brown of Ulverstone in addition to two more brothers in South Africa, Captain Wallace Brown, also of Ulverstone, and Corporal Edward Stanley Brown. Both Geoffrey and Edward resided at Penguin. Brown was a prominent member of the St Stephen’s Church and sang in the church choir. Prior to leaving for South Africa, Brown bought a clock for use in the church. When the congregation heard of his death, the clock was prized and cherished as a sacred memorial. |
GEORGE SHAW
Sergeant George Shaw was one of six members wounded during an ambush by the Boers near Warmed on 1 September 1900. Shaw was a 30 year old recently married from Launceston. His wife was Sarah Ann Burrows.
Captain Lewis explained the circumstances to his brother, the Premier of Tasmania: “Yesterday I received an order to provide 20 men with an officer to go with Captain Brook of the army service department to protect his men in rounding up some cattle out west of Warmbad. Lieutenant Wylly and men were started off at noon. Later in the evening news came that the patrol had been badly cut up. They had been taken through a pass into the hills. Three days ago I had taken a strong party through this and proceeded about four miles, and after returning reported it unsafe for small patrols to proceed through it or go further without being strongly supported with artillery. Those wounded were Lieutenant Wylly, slightly through the arms; Sergeant G Shaw, slightly in the left side; Corporal Brown, badly wounded through the leg with an explosive bullet; Trooper Willoughby, a nasty wound through the leg but not so bad as Brown’s; and Corporal Brown is missing. The doctor has gone out to make enquiries about Brown. "I am exceedingly distressed about the two Browns. They are both splendid men and will be a great loss to the squadron.” |
ARTHUR ARNOLD SALE AND HERBERT CRESSWELL WALTER
On 9 April 1901, a single well-concealed Boer surprised six Tasmanians while they were leaving Pietersberg and Lieutenants Walter and Sale were killed by successive shots.
Lieutenant Sale was the first to fall shot through the groin by a sniper who lay concealed in the long grass less than 50 metres away. All possible help was rendered immediately by both the regimental medical officer who on site immediately and Royal Army Medical Corps but to no avail as he died 36 hours later. Lieutenant Walter, who had just ridden up to Sale, was giving an order when he fell, shot through the heart, a victim to the same sniper who also succeeded in shooting a West Australian dead before he was discovered. The sniper was killed by a shot from a Tasmanian rifle. Quartermaster Sergeant Hugh Reynolds explained later, “Lieutenant Walter came up and hearing what had happened, ran in although told to keep down. I hardly think he understood in his desire to find Sale, what danger he was running.” Lieutenant Sale joined the contingent from Ulverstone. He had been previously engaged in farming pursuits in the Gawler district. Nine months earlier, Sale had been recommended for the Victoria Cross but no confirmation was received. Walter, born in Melbourne on 7 October 1873, attended Scotch College and later Melbourne Grammar School. Later he moved to Strahan where he was a purser on several Union Steamship Company boats which serviced Tasmanian ports. By April 1900, he had enlisted and went to South Africa with the rank of sergeant. |
ROBERT LLEWELLYN WILLIAMS
Williams, of Scottsdale, left Tasmania as a trooper with the first Imperial Bushmen under the command of Captain Lewis, returning with the remainder of the contingent in the latter part of 1901 with the rank of lieutenant. He subsequently went back to South Africa via Sydney, and was appointed in a similar capacity being placed second in command of the Cape Infantry. In May 1902, he was promoted to the rank of captain in the colonial defence force.
Of note, on his first return to Tasmania, Williams brought with him an ape secured in cage and transported from South Africa. On the last leg of the voyage, the contingent plus the ape were on the Coogee to Launceston as seen in the photo at left. The ape had been with the contingent for about eight months and was regarded as a ferocious individual. At one time on the voyage, the ape fought a battle with a member of the ship’s crew, the latter faring somewhat badly. The ape was exhibited by one of the soldiers while the Coogee was coming alongside the wharf and was the object of much attention, especially among the children. It is not known what became of the poor animal. Photo at left: Arrival at Launceston of Imperial contingent of Tasmanian Bushmen under the command of Captain Lewis on 31 July 1901. |
LOUIS GEORGE BUTCHER
Born in Stanley on 8 December 1876 to William Henry Butcher and Sophia Francis Spinks, Louis George was invalided from South Africa in October 1900 after being wounded.
In a letter to his brother, a resident in Zeehan, Butcher wrote: “Since leaving Pretoria we have been in the fighting line everyday but one well up until Friday last. Since then I do not know what has been going on as I got slightly wounded in the thigh, but not much. The only thing is that the bullet is still in my leg. But as soon as we are shifted down to Pretoria, which will be in a day or two, the doctor will get the x-rays on it and fish it out. I got struck and had to ride close on a mile amongst a hail of bullets singing round us before we got cover. It was the hardest ride I ever had and every bound of the horse I thought my leg was been torn out at the roots. The bullet is in the fleshy part of my left thigh.” After he returned to Burnie, Butcher was entertained to a social glass by a number of old friends when he related some of his experiences and exhibited a number of curios, among which included a Mauser bullet which had been extracted from his leg. |
J SHORE
Trooper Shore was invalided from Adelaide after a rough trip on the troopship Manhattan. He was one of the very few who did not quite make it to South Africa.
Shore suffered severely from mal-de-mer since leaving Hobart. And although he was not at all dangerously ill, Lieutenant-Surgeon McCall deemed it expedient that he should not continue the voyage. The troopship en route to South Africa comprised five commissioned officers and 116 rank and file. There were 113 horses onboard as well as three dogs, one of which was called Kitchener. The Manhattan was a significantly large ship with a carrying capacity of over a thousand horses. It was previously engaged in the cattle trade between London and New York. |
LOUIS FRANCES JOHN LETTE
Trooper Louis Lette of Scottsdale died of enteric fever (typhoid) at Pretoria on 18 October 1900. He was the son of William Doran Lette of Penguin and brother of Alfred Doran Lette, who went with the first contingent from Penguin.
Lette was 29 and a farmer by occupation. A memorial dedicated to W T Barker, G H Brown, A Gilham, L F D Letter, P McLaren, J Orr and J Phegan can be found in the Anzac Park in Ulverstone. Restoration of the memorial was completed in 2021. |
WALTER FRANK CECIL HODGKINSON
Walter Hodgkinson of Beulah and James Patrick Egan of Stanley were taken prisoner at Wynburg on 19 March 1901. They were released some weeks later in early May of the same year.
After his release, Walter wrote to his father: “On 19 March I was one of a patrol of six men. We were about six miles from Winburg when riding under a kopje, about 40 Boers opened fire on us. We returned the fire but owing to the superior number, we retired to our right to a smaller kopje of a horseshoe shape when to our surprise, we found that the Boers had got there before us. Corporal Egan’s horse was shot. In the meantime the other Boers had commenced to outflank us, consequently we had to retire, firing as we went. After going 800 or 900 yards the Boers outflanked me and were firing at me 30 yards distance while others being better mounted, managed to escape. So here we were, prisoners in the hands of the Boers.” |
Group portrait of members of the 1st Tasmanian Imperial Bushmen. The contingent gained the unique distinction of having won two Victorian Crosses.
Following are the names of officers and men forming the quota of the Tasmanian Imperial Bushmen together with age, birthplace, occupation and address prior to their departure for South Africa:
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Nominal Roll
The following link is an excerpt from the Official Records of the Australian Military Contingents to the War in South Africa compiled by Lieutenant Corporal Pembroke Lathrop Murray in 1911. It includes full names, rank, promotions, honours and deaths specific to the State of Tasmania for the Imperial Bushmen.
Please note that not all names are listed in the Australian Military Contingents to the War in South Africa. If you fail to find the person you're looking for, you can search the complete register by surname at the following website: Australians in the Boer War.