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Sapper Mason


Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 333
Location: ANGLESEY
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Hopefully this mail will be entire before i send it ! , too keen at times still to find out things i guess .

Firstly my question concerns Pte T Lock 2040 of the 1/ 24th , his campaign medal came up for sale recently and i have been asked about him , to be honest all i know is that at some point he transfered to the 108th regt , was not a casualty at Isandlwana and that his service papers are i believe available at Kew ( ? ) .

Can someone tell me what company he was in when in the 24th and how long did he serve in the regiment ? . It will be quite a time till i manage a trip to Kew so if his date and palce of birth are known could someone inform me please ? .

Was he in the relief party at Rorke`s Drift or part of the detachment Chelmsford took out of the camp at Isandlwana ? , is there a current roll call / list of the men that were taken out of camp at Isandlwana and so avoided the massacre ? .

My next question concerns the TRANSVAAL RANGERS ( Raafs Horse ) , i believe a Lt Henderson was part of this unit who was awarded a South Africa campaign medal ( ? ) , is there a list of men who served in this unit ? , i have the names of those men who served in that unit who fell on Jan 22nd 1879 but nothing else , again i would be greatful if anyone can help with this query .

My thanks to those so much more knowledgeable in these matters , Graham .
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John Young


Joined: 30 Aug 2005
Posts: 1020
Location: Lower Sheering, Essex
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Graham,

Raaff's unit was not formed until April of 1879, so I'm not sure how you have details of casualties they sustained on 22nd January 1879.

The Transvaal Rangers served initially with Wood's Column, and subsequently with Baker Russell's Column.

Their medal roll dates from 1882, two names are strickened from the that roll one of them being Raaff himself, due to financial irregularities. I can't find any 'Lt Henderson' amongst the eight lieutenants of the unit.

Are you sure that you have the right unit?

John Y.
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Sapper Mason


Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 333
Location: ANGLESEY
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Dear John ,
Many thanks for your correct comment re Transvaal Rangers ( Raaf`s Horse ) . The person i was looking for was a Lt Donovan not Henderson not at Isandlwana of course . Was Donovan a British officer / Irish ? and did he indeed get a South African Campaign medal ? . Was there ever a roll call / list of this unit at all ? .

According to his book ( I T Lavender 1985 ) the following were casualties of this unit , unless indicated at HLOBANE .

Capt Rice - Hamilton , Troop Sgt Major Martin , Sgt Major ( s ) Brophy , Cumming , Troopers : Banks , Martin , Tonkien .

Other casualties indicated : Trooper Deiring 22/ 6/ 1878 , Trooper Foley 22/ 6 / 1878 , Trooper Hood 11/8/1878, Trooper Oliver 27/ 5/ 1878

All indicated on Page 18 of the Lavender book. In your book you have also indicated as casualties , C/ Sgt Stanley , Sgt Berley , Trooper Beukes .

Some differences as you can see , can we be certain in 2006 that all have been accounted for ? . Thank you again , Graham .
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John Young


Joined: 30 Aug 2005
Posts: 1020
Location: Lower Sheering, Essex
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Dear Graham,

One thing some books don't actually tell the truth! I looked at my answer again, and realised that I'd written not formed until April 1879. I then re-checked my reference 'The Narrative of Field operations...', and that is what is recorded there, strange as Raaff's men were engaged at Hlobane & Khambula in March 1879, pre-dating their formation.

'Berley' & 'Beukes' are recorded, or should I say mis-recorded in a number of contemporary publications, and in the Casualty List of the Zulu & Afghan Wars held at the National Archives. I have subsequently concluded that they are mis-spellings of Banks & Brophy, and I my own copy of my book have deleted them.

'Tonkien' I have recorded a A. Tourkien, who was severely wounded.

Thomas Rice Hamilton, note no hyphen as in Tavender's work! As you see I don't agree with Tavender there either.

Raaff's men appear to have taking part in the operations of Rowland's column prior to being transferred to Wood's.

Does Donovan appear in the Medal Roll?

John Y.
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JustinYoung


Joined: 25 Apr 2006
Posts: 15
Location: UK
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Graham

I have Lt Donovan's of Transvaal Rangers 1878-9 bar medal (and Lt McK Paterson's) and have recently been given some help by a Canadian researcher who has come up with:

Thomas Henry Selwyn Donovan
Date of birth: 10 July 1842
place of birth: Graham's Town, Cape of Good Hope.
Was 17 years old when he entered the army.

joined Royal Canadian Rifle Regiment

Lieutenant Tho.H. S. Donovan May 12 1863
Ensign: 30 jun 1859
Lieutenant: 12 May 1863
Captain half-pay: 28 May 1870 (left Army same day as promotion)

Although its still not 100% that its the same guy, the same initials and the connection to South Africa, especially Graham's Town makes it very likely its the same guy.

The Medal roll gives O'Donovan but this is a mistake, the medal is to T.H.S Donovan. Infact the who roll held in the PRO has been transcribed at a later date and has ommissions and mistakes.

I've not yet found any muster rolls and I doubt any will be found unfortunately. I've never read anything that gives Donovan's name and my guess is that he was with the unit prior to April 1879.

Raaff didn't get the medal himself but I recently found a number of papers in the PRO giving the reasons why

Justin
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Sapper Mason


Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 333
Location: ANGLESEY
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Dear Justin ,
Many thanks for this fascinating piece of information regarding Lt Donovan . can i take it he was of Irish extraction? I have found also a Thomas Donovan being born in GRAHAMSTOWN in 1816 ! , could this Lt Donovan`s father or a relative Justin ? . I had not realised that this regiment ( Royal Canadian Rifle regt) was a British unit ! . i hope the lady who contacted me with this query will find her answers now , in gratitude , Graham .
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JustinYoung


Joined: 25 Apr 2006
Posts: 15
Location: UK
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Hi Graham

I think this might well be the father of Lt Donovan, my researcher is found this also and is checking this other Thomas Dovovan out. Looking at the medal roll their are quite a few Officers called Donovan and I have in the past wondered how many are related.

I guess they were originally Irish but I'm not looking that far back.

I also hadn't realised that the Royal Canadian Rifle regt were British. They actually disbanded the Regiment in 1870. Some of the serving men were transferred to the 1st Battalion of the 60th King's Royal Rifle Corps

Justin
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Sapper Mason


Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 333
Location: ANGLESEY
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Dear Justin ,
If indeed the Thomas Donovan bc 1816 in Grahamstown is the father of Lt THS Donovan i would imagine immigration records for that part of the world would give some answers ( ? ) . On my next trip to Kew i will just out of curiosity try and locate his papers to see if any further clues come up . Do we for instance know the final chapters in Lt Donovans life ? , are there descendants in the Cape to this day ect . Could it be argued that Lt Donovan will considered South African when it comes to the final reckoning ? , if so then there will be details on his estate assuming he had one of course .

To change the subject entirely now , " rumour control " states there are service papers for James Langley Dalton VC held at Kew , i have looked but perhaps in the wrong section ( s ) , any ideas and do you by any chance know the reference for the award of the South African Campaign medal for our friend Lt Donovan ( Raafs Horse ) ? .

Thanks again , Graham .
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Martin Everett


Joined: 01 Sep 2005
Posts: 786
Location: Brecon
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The Colonial Corps Medal Rolls are in:

WO 100/48
WO 100/49
WO 100/50 - Medal Rolls, Returned Lists, Colonial Corps

_________________
Martin Everett
Brecon, Powys
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JustinYoung


Joined: 25 Apr 2006
Posts: 15
Location: UK
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Hi Graham

My researcher is checking out the Grahamstown parrish register for the 19th century as he thinks this might bring up some info but if you can find anything immigration wise I'd be interested to hear.

As far as knowing anything of Lt Donovan's later life (and thats assuming its the same guy that was in Canada) - no we don't have anything yet. All we have is that a Lt Donovan received the SA 1877-9 medal but no details of enlistment in this unit or anything else after the SA Campaigns.


Martin has given the locations of the medal rolls, I have copies of the units that served with Wood's column but TR's doesn't give any extra info unfortunately.

Justin
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Peter Ewart


Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Posts: 1797
Location: Near Canterbury, Kent, England.
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Graham/Justin

Depending on how much biographical detail you are after, you might consider - given his birthplace, age and eventual rank - whether he may have been an old boy of St Andrew's College, Grahamstown, or even of St. George's Grammar School there, the amalgamation with which school got the College going in 1855. St George's had been founded in 1848 and by the time of the amalgamation was catering for around 60 boys, "some of them very small indeed."

I have checked my copy of the published history of the College (by RF Currey, Oxford 1955) without seeing Donovan's name in the index, although it may not be impossible that he appears somewhere in the early archives of the College if he ever was an Andrean. I'm sure the College will help you if it can.

If the earlier Donovan, born about 1816, is indeed the father, then you're dealing with a pretty early family, pre-dating even the "1820 Settlers."

Peter
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