Thorneycroft’s Mounted Infantry at Spion Kop

[JCMontgomery]

I’m researching a man who enlisted as a Trooper in Thorneycroft’s Mounted Infantry and I’m trying to establish if he was among the soldiers from that unit who were in action at Spion Kop.

His name was Melvill Allan Jamieson, born Edinburgh, 14th November 1881. I found his medal roll details but unfortunately they don’t give his date of enlistment, only:

Jamieson Melvill 5966 Tpr Trs'fr to Imp M R 17/10/1900

So, I’m not sure if he was even enlisted at the time of the battle in January 1900. In any case, it seems that only some of Thorneycroft’s Mounted Infantry took part (one source I’ve found says just 200).

Can anyone point me to any sources that would either give enlistment dates or a roster of Thorneycroft’s men who were at Spion Kop?

With many thanks

James

[Brett Hendey]

A book on Thorneycroft's Mounted Infantry by Rob Droogleever was published recently. I have not seen a copy, but it has been reported to be excellent. You should be able to find it listed on the Internet.

Brett

[JCMontgomery]

Brett, many thanks for your reply.

The book by Rob Drooglever does indeed look excellent if a bit pricey. I am very tempted to get a copy.

In fact I managed to find an answer to my question when I came across images of the roster book for Thorneycroft's MI on the internet, which shows my man enlisted a couple of months after Spion Kop.

This leads to another question though - both the transcribed medal roll and the original roster book say he later transferred to the 'Imp M R'. Any idea what this abbreviation means?

My immediate thought was that it stood for 'Imperial Mounted Rifles'. The only unit I could find with a name approximating to this was the Port Alfred Imperial Mounted Rifles, but I looked in their roster book which is on the same site and Jamieson's name does not appear in it.

Any other suggestions what Imp M R stands for?

[dunnboer]

Its Imperial Military Railways

Paul

[SWB]

He was also with the Bushveldt Carbineers/Pietersburg Light Horse.

Additionally his full name is William Allan Melvill Jamieson educated Repton College: ref http://www.boerwarRegister.com.

Regards
Meurig

[JCMontgomery]

Paul

Many thanks for the answer!

If only I’d checked this forum yesterday, it would have saved me a trip to the NA where I looked Jamieson up in the WO126 and WO127 files, as well as checking the medal rolls.

Even so, until I read your post, I was stumped by the abbreviation given on the Queen’s SA medal roll – I M Rlys. My mind boggled at the concept of the ‘Imperial Mounted Railways’.

You can probably tell I’m a Boer War novice.

James

[JCMontgomery]

Meurig

I’m very grateful to you for checking the register for me. As I said above, I wish I’d read your post earlier. However, at the NA I saw that his trail indeed led to the Bushveldt Carbineers and so I was able to take the opportunity to look at his attestation form

Interestingly, it made no mention of the ten months he served with the IMR, stating instead that he had served 10 months with Thorneycroft’s MI (in fact he only served 7 months with that unit). I saw that he had also bumped his age up from 19 to 23. So he evidently bigged himself up a bit.

The year before, on his attestation form for Thorneycroft’s MI, he had claimed 6 months service with an NZ unit – hard to decipher the spelling, but it looked like ‘Kelbarma Rifles, NZ’.

Since he was only 19 and probably only a year out of school (As you kindly point out, Repton public school!), this seems doubtful to me, but I suppose it’s possible.

At any rate, after being accepted into the Bushveldt Carbineers who promoted him Sergeant, he ended up only serving 3 months before he was discharged.

As is by now probably apparent to you, I don’t know much about Boer War history but, having just read Lt Witton’s ‘Scapegoats of the Empire’ on Gutenberg, I’m very surprised that someone as green as Jamieson could have lasted even three months in a tough-nut unit like the Bushveldt Carbineers, let alone made the rank of sergeant..

I’m guessing he was discharged because he wasn’t up to the job – perhaps also the reason why he was transferred from Thorneycroft’s to the Railway service.

Is this an unfair interpretation, or were men commonly transferred into and out of units with no reflection on their suitability, experience or competence?

Is this man’s record of service in the Imperial Irregular Corps typical?

James

[JCMontgomery]

For 'Kelbarna Rifles' read 'Kelbourne Rifles'

[SWB]

Is this an unfair interpretation, or were men commonly transferred into and out of units with no reflection on their suitability, experience or competence?

No I don't think it is. The medal rolls are littered with remarks such as "inefficient", "worthless", "incorrigible" and the like. Perhaps his public school bravado got him to Sgt but a trip into the bush versus the Boers exposed his inexperience.

The IMR was for equally skilled men - in railways not killing, so it is hard to see what skills a young lad from Repton could bring to the railways.

You may also have found references to Bill Woolmore's book on the Bushveldt Carbineers which contains a biographical roll - mostly from the sources you have looked at. Unfortunately my nearest copy is 200 miles away.

Kind regards
Meurig

[heliwest]

If you have his medal it would be worth a premium because of his BVC connection. He enlisted inthe BVC before Morant and his mates were arrested.He enlisted in the BVC on the 28 August 1901 , age 23 and NOK is father Dr Jamieson, Charlotte Square, Edinburgh which is a very upmarket address.He probably left the BVC when they became the PLH and this may have been an option to those in the BVC. Shown as having been a "fitter" in the IMR and maybe his Repton education qualified him for that. Received the QSA medal with Cape Colony, OFS, Laings Nek, Belfast and SA1901 as the clasps.

[JCMontgomery]

Meurig,

Thanks for pointing me to Bill Woolmore’s book – I’ll certainly have a look at the biographical roll.

Kind regards,

James

[JCMontgomery]

Heliwest

I take your point that his discharge from the BVC at the end of November may have been his choice when his unit was reformed into the PLH just a few days later, and not because of any failing on his part – unless, I wonder if there was also a general weeding-out of any wrong ‘uns or misfits who had not gone optionally.

Many thanks for the info about his IMR occupation - Fitter. He gave his occupation as Engineer on his BVC attestation form. I took it with a pinch of salt as he had lied about other things on the form, notably his age which was 19 not 23. However, maybe he had got a bit of engineering training after leaving school.

I don’t have his medal actually, but I was very interested to hear his time in the BVC might give it added value. In the Great War he served in the Canadian Army (Come to think of it, in the Canadian Engineers, I believe, so that makes sense): their military records only show his previous service in the TMI, and not the BVC or the IMR. He evidently chose not to mention these units, so it’s a bit ironic that almost a century later his BVC service is now the very thing that adds value to his QSA medal.

James