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Date	Original Topic
18th June 2003	Hitch was a Gloucestershire man! By A.Maniac 2) I was surprised by the following report of the South African Military History Society, according to which Hitch was not born in Edmonton in 1856 (as stated in your biographical information on him), but in Gloucestershire in 1855. Military History Journal - Vol 2 No 6 Frederick Hitch and the Defence of Rorke's Drift Professor M. Boucher --------------------- But first a word about the writer himself. Frederick Hitch was born in Gloucestershire in 1855 and joined the 2nd Battalion of the 24th Regiment - later the South Wales Borderers - not long before the outbreak of war in South Africa. At Rorke's Drift, Private Hitch was in "B" Company, under the command of Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead, and was severely wounded in the engagement. He nevertheless continued to serve with the 2nd Battalion, returning to this country in the course of the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902. He obtained his discharge before the close of hostilities and found employment at the Royal United Services Institution in London.------------------- It is tempting to believe that some confusion with Hook has occurred here, but Hook was born in 1850 so the issue is not that simple. Any thoughts on this? PS: Meanwhile I have also come across this: Frederick Hitch was born on November 29th 1856 at Chase Side in Southgate, then a hamlet in Middlesex, now a suburb of London. He was born into a typically large Victorian family. His father, John, a shoemaker, was originally from Hull, and his mother, Sarah nee Champness, was from Epping.
Date	Replies
18th June 2003	Dave Nolan Dear Mr Maniac Hitch when asked himself which parish he was born replied 'Southgate, Middlesex' - as shown on the 1901 census. Southgate is within the civil registration district of Edmonton. The RRW museum has a copy of his birth certificate showng this. Dave
18th June 2003	A.Maniac Thanks Dave, that seems clear enough!
19th June 2003	Alan Critchley If you want the definitive information on Hitch, go to the site dedicated to him on our 'links'. Alan