Enteric Fever

[Nikal Seyn]

Hi everyone

My Great Grandfather and his two elder brothers all served in South Africa. Sadly, the eldest brother, 2969 Private Fred Bunn of 1/Manchester Regiment died of Enteric Fever on 29 June 1900. Unfortunately, for reasons that will never be known he does not appear on the Regimental QSA roll and without either this or a service record it is difficult to know where he served. In an analysis of clasps awarded to other members of the Regiment I am fairly certain that he saw action at Elandslaagte at was probably involved in the Siege of Kimberley. As he died 3 months or so after the beseiged were relieved would it be possible that he contracted Enteric there? Would anyone be able to tell me what the average lifetime was of a man from contracting the fever to his death?

Best Wishes

Jonathan

[QSAMIKE]

Hello Jonathan

1. Bunn is on the casualty list for DOD, Enteric Fever at Pietermaritzburg.....

2. He is not I am afraid on the roll for the 1st Manchesters at Elandslaagate......

Mike

[Nikal Seyn]

Mike

Thanks for the reply. Could you tell me what roll you have in relation to Elandslaagte please? I'd be delighted to hear more about it. Do you have any other rolls which might mention him i.e The Siege of Ladysmith? As I posted earlier he is missing from the QSA medal roll for 1/Manchesters so anything you have, however small would be massively appreciated.

Best Wishes

Jonathan.

[QSAMIKE]

Hello Jonathan.....

There is an article in the magazine, Medal News, October 1995....... It is a full description of the battle of Elandslaagte and the Manchesters along with a medal roll.... Confirming the one that I have in my collection...... Drummer H.H. Weldon, 1st Battalion Manchester Regiment.....

Mike

[Brett Hendey]

There is an excellent book about the Battle of Elandslaagte by David Biggins:
Elandslaagte. Account of the Battle and Medal Roll. Token Publishing, 2004.

Your man is neither on the roll in the book nor on the roll on Update #1 (which is on CD). Perhaps he came to South Africa as a replacement for men lost at Elandslaagte and Ladysmith.

Regards
Brett

[yorkiegal]

Don't be too stressed if you can not find evidence of your relative been involved in the Boer War.
My Great Great Grandfather fought in the same war with the North Staffords, along with three of his brothers. However, as to this date I have found no trace of them in any records. This has has not been without trying, I can assure you.

Please remember that many of the documents produced during this period, are in the South African Archives. Sadly with highly unemployment, crime etc... the South African government, puts more of his resources into building houses than properly storing Archival material (especially that from the Colonial Period). I can say that the South Archives are slowly improving and upgrading, but are about 20 years behind Archives in developed countries.

Wishing you much luck with your research

Yorkiegal. BA (Historical Studies)
South Africa

[ED, in Los Angeles]

Hi everyone

My Great Grandfather and his two elder brothers all served in South Africa. Sadly, the eldest brother, 2969 Private Fred Bunn of 1/Manchester Regiment died of Enteric Fever on 29 June 1900. Unfortunately, for reasons that will never be known he does not appear on the Regimental QSA roll and without either this or a service record it is difficult to know where he served. In an analysis of clasps awarded to other members of the Regiment I am fairly certain that he saw action at Elandslaagte at was probably involved in the Siege of Kimberley. As he died 3 months or so after the beseiged were relieved would it be possible that he contracted Enteric there? Would anyone be able to tell me what the average lifetime was of a man from contracting the fever to his death?

Best Wishes

Jonathan

Hey Jonathan...
Your question about Enteric Fever is a really good one as the fever was a big killer of British troops in Africa and else where. For those who don't know, it is a bacterial infection that effects the intestines and gives you diarreha and you just have a problem with getting nutrition and water. You have a bad headache and a fever and you just loose a lot of weight as you can't get proper nourishment. You can get a red rash, and the diahreaha can turn to constipation.

As to the time line you are pondering as to when your great great uncle contracted the disease, once you get the disease, it takes one to three weeks to show symtoms. You have a 10%-30% chance of dying without modern vaccine. Once you get the horrible symptoms, you are sick for about three or four weeks and then you recover...most of the time. Your body kills all the Enteric bacterium but in 5% of the recovered, it is carried for life and the infected person can transmit it. Many people have resistance to the disease. Their bodies either kill the bacteria or they can become carriers. The disease is commonly called Typhoid fever here in the United States.

It is a human disease only and it is usually transmitted through the feces and that gets into water, (rivers), fairly easy. That is probably where your great uncle got it though it's obvious that he could have gotten it from dirty hands, food, etc.

In The last few months of 1898, the British troops that served in the Sudan were coming down the Nile to be stationed elsewhere. By the time they got to Cairo, the Citadel Hospital, (formerly the palace of Mahomed Ali), was filled with Enteric victims. And the victims of the disease also filled the hospital at Alexandria, (Egypt) and even on Crete. A lot of the troop ships leaving Egypt had both conflict wound victim as well as Enteric casualties. These victims of the Sudan, would never really be realized by the general public or historians.

I have already lifted a glass of wine to private Fred Bunn and his sacrifice.

[SWB]

Please remember that many of the documents produced during this period, are in the South African Archives.

Not correct I'm afraid. The attestation papers and medal rolls for British Army and SA raised colonial units (excepting permenant forces of the Cape Colony & Natal) are in The National Archives, London. I'm intrigued you have found nothing.

As for Pte Bunn - I'm going to check this weekend.

Regards
Meurig

[Nikal Seyn]

Hi Meurig

Having read your post I just wanted to say thank you for volunteering to have a look for anything at the NA on Fred Bunn. It's a wonderful offer and I am truly grateful.

Best Wishes

Jonathan

[SWB]

Jonathan,

Bunn is on WO100/198 p493 - a page to himself.

Regards
Meurig

[Nikal Seyn]

Hi Meurig

Do you have this page? or do I have to get a researcher to go to the NA. Thank you for the information. It is very exciting!!!!!

Jonathan

[SWB]

Hello Jonathan,

I am researcher so can get the page from TNA or send a transcript, please see my web page http://www.boerwarregister.com.

Regards
Meurig

[jersey]

Hi,
Enteric fever is better known these days as Typhoid fever.

David

[yorkiegal]

Hi,
Enteric fever is better known these days as Typhoid fever.

David

Many Thanks
This explains a lot........................

[Andre Chissel]

Dear all,

I have yet another question.

In the book:

With the Gordon Highlanders to the Boer War and Beyond:

In a letter to his relatives, 2nd Lt Gordon-Duff says the following:

2nd Lt L. Gordon-Duff (B Coy):

“Tuesday 3rd October 1899 - We expect to sail for the Cape in about a fortnight so there is a fearful lot to do. Everyone is being worked to death. All our Reserves are being called out and their clothing, kits, necessaries etc have to be got, as well as our own. There are also lots of recruits to be looked after and 101 things to be settled. Today we are to medically inspected and at some time to be inoculated against enteric” (‘Enteric’ or ‘Enteric fever’ is now more commonly known as Typhoid)

My question is this - If a vaccine was available against Typhoid and presumably widely used - how come so many soldiers died from it in South Africa ?

There is going to be a very simple explanation but I don't know what it is !

Thanks

Andre