Just got back from a short trip to England and managed to visit the church in Southport where Arthur Oubridge is comemorated as a casualty of the Boer War. I said my apologies for thinking he had deserted his wife and I though anyone who is interested might like to see his memorial.
Barbara
MaryA Our Facebook Page
Names - Lunt, Hall, Kent, Ayre, Forshaw, Parle, Lawrenson, Longford, Ennis, Bayley, Russell, Longworth, Baile
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Hi Barbara
I love the title of your post!!
Thanks for sharing the memorial to the much maligned Arthur.
Tina
Tina
Cornthwaite,Milburn,Coll,Gaffney,Pearce,Singleton,Hazlehurst,Cuthbert,Mackintosh,McAllister,Morana, Corfield
Any census/bmd information within this post is Crown Copyright from http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
Sorry for the spelling mistake! Blame the bad back and the start of the hunting season here...
The church is Holy Trinity, Hoghton Street, Southport.
Tina - it was good to finally lay the ghost of poor Arthur. The only thing I wonder is why the memorial is in Southport. As far as I know Arthur never lived there.
Barbara
As far as I can find out his grandparents were as follows:
John Matthew Oubridge born Northumberland 1818 - married Ann Batty, born Northumberland 1819.
John Alfred Herd born London and Caroline(no surname) also born London.
No connection to Southport. I wonder if it's because he was in a Lancashire regiment?
Barbara
Could you transcribe the whole monument from your photo please. I doubt it was just because it was a Lancashire Regiment - Southport was never a Garrison town - there must have been some connection somewhere.
Here's a clue: The National Inventory of War Memorials has this to say about this plaque at Holy Trinity, Southport:
"TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN MEMORY OF THE FOLLOWING NON.COMM. OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE 32ND COY. IMPERIAL YEOMANRY. LANCS. HUSSARS WHO FELL IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR. 1899-1902. ALSO OF ARTHUR MARSDEN OF THE HOLY TRINITY DIVISION SAINT JOHN AMBULANCE BRIGADE, WHO DIED AT BLOEMFONTEIN 18TH APRIL 1900. THIS TABLET IS ERECTED FOR QUEEN AND COUNTRY."
An edited extract from an Angloboerwar site:
"Imperial Yeomanry - Contingents:
First Contingent. Companies of volunteers (10,242 men) formed from across the UK. They signed-up for 12 months service. Some of the companies were newly raised, and others (one third) were sponsored by part-time Yeomanry Cavalry regiments which were not liable for overseas service.
1st Battalion.[...]
2nd Battalion:
5th (Warwickshire) Company, raised 1900
21st (Cheshire) Company, raised 1900
22nd (Cheshire) Company, raised 1900
32nd (Lancashire) Company, raised 1900; co-sponsored by Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry Cavalry, and Lancashire Hussars
103rd (Warwickshire) Company, raised 1901
110th (Northumberland) Company, raised 1901"
The Yeomanry were spare-time cavalry soldiers, forerunners of the Territorials. Many volunteered for service in South Africa.
I have not found a definite link with Soutport but this unit had various headquarters across South Lancs. They regularly held their annual training camps at Southport in the 1850s, which is not relevant.
Here are some notes on the visible names on the photo of the Boer War plaque, mostly taken from casualty reports in The Times, issue date in square brackets:
Sgt Oubridge: initial A, 8974, killed Zeckoe River Apr. 6 [29 Apr 1901]
Sgt Swann: several candidates
Privates: W. Clarke (perhaps no. 29260) [?]
R.Collinge: in 1891 an inmate at an industrial school at Heaton Norris [?]
WA Frost: 21876, d. at Kroonstadt Dec 20 [25 Dec 1901]
Austin Herrity: 8915, accidentally drowned near Bleisvlet Aug 11 [ 14 Aug 1900]
John Fairclough: 8937, killed May 28 [in 'casualties at Kheis', 2 Jun 1900]
Alfred John Gregory: 8980, died of enteric at Boshof May 19 [16 Nov 1900]
There should be 16 names on the plaque. Any chance of a full view? The hounds might start on census traces!!!
Hi everybody,
Perhaps I can add some background on Arthur Oubridge (my second cousin x2 removed).
He was born in Ipswich in 1871 (named after his brother Arthur who was born and died the previous year) and christened on 12 May 1873. From the age of 12 he lived Newton in Makerfield, Warrington. His father John Batty Oubridge was an iron founder and moved around the country several times following his employment. His father John was born in Newcastle, married Fanny Herd in 1861 in London. From 1865 to 1874 the family lived in Ipswich (where Arthur and several siblings were born). They moved to Barton Regis, Gloucestershire in 1874, and again to the Warrington area in 1883. Altogether his parents had 12 children, 8 surviving to adulthood.
Arthur married Annie Wright Cave in Liverpool in 1895. Before Arthur joined the army he was a pattern maker (skilled tool-making job), hence was following his father's profession in the iron industry of the time.
He joined the 2nd battalion Imperial Yeomanry (32 company Lancashire Hussars, regimental number 8974) and was a sergeant when killed on 6 April 1901 aged 29 years at Zeekoegat, South Africa (Zeekoe River) during the 2nd Boer War. Hence his wife Annie appears alone on the British 1901 (census taken on 31st March 1901) living with Arthur's parents in Newton in Makerfield.
The National Archives wrongly gives his surname as Owbridge in their record of military medals (a common mistake). He is commemorated on a memorial in Christchurch Park, Ipswich and in the Holy Trinity church, Houghton Street, Southport (west wall, north aisle).
He was awarded the following medal : Queen's South Africa (QSA) medal clasp, Cape Colony, Orange Free State
His wife Annie remarried in 1908 to Hugh Jones in Birkenhead, and had two children (Arthur and Annie had none).
Arthur's grandparents were :-
John Matthew Oubridge and Ann Batty
John Alfred Herd and Caroline Smithe
Best wishes,
Gareth Oubridge
Let's me know if you would like more on the Oubridges !
Gareth
Welcome to this forum. You will find lots of help here if you are researching but you seem to have plenty of information already.
As you will see from my earlier post, I have been looking into the names shown in the part-photo of the memorial plaque at Southport, but I know there are other names as yet not revealed.
It is interesting that you should mention Newton in Makerfield - this is very much in the territory influenced by Lord Gerard, a major landowner then, and Hon. Colonel of the Lancashire Hussars Yeomanry - his grandfather had founded the regiment. Lord G also served in South Africa on the staff, not in command of the IY contingent.
Hi Gareth and welcome to the forum. Thank you for your timely addition to this thread, our soldiers are always in our minds, especially at this time of year.
Do you know why Arthur is commemorated on this particular memorial - are you aware if there are family connections with Southport?
MaryA Our Facebook Page
Names - Lunt, Hall, Kent, Ayre, Forshaw, Parle, Lawrenson, Longford, Ennis, Bayley, Russell, Longworth, Baile
Any census info in this post is Crown Copyright, from National Archives
The 32nd Coy 2Btn IY stayed in Southport prior to leaving for South Africa and indeed, I used to have some letters written by a member of the unit whilst he was staying at the Scarisbrick hotel on Lord Street, Southport.
Last edited by Mark Abbott on 03 Nov 2011 14:50, edited 1 time in total.
Liverpool City Police and the Liverpool Blitz
Any census information, War Diary or Medal Index Card information within this post is Crown Copyright from http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
8194
Mark
I had arrived at the same Southport link -
The Times on 5 January 1900 stated that men of this unit who had volunteered for service in South Africa were to be billeted in Southport, with 90 men and six officers expected.
Their 'commanding officer' or more likely their Honorary Colonel, was Colonel the Lord Gerard of Garswood, who was serving as an Aide de Camp to General Buller in South Africa, earning a Distinguished Service Order in September 1901.
Several of the fallen I have managed to find more about seem to have come from Newton-in-Makerfield, close to Garswood.
What date was the group photo you have shown?
Barbara
Thanks for showing the whole photo. On the trail for more information.
D
Thanks to Barbara's photos and help from Peter Bryden I have managed to trace most of those named on the Boer War memorial plaque at Holy Trinity Church, Southport.
It now seems clear that only two of the names were local men, one from from Birkdale, the other from Southport. However, the Lancashire Hussars Yeomanry were well-known in the town, having held many of their annual camps there. When recruiting of LH members for service in South Africa began, they were to assemble in the town, using the [infantry] Volunteers Drill Hall and the Victoria Hotel as headquarters 'as usual'. Press reports show that at least one church parade was held at Holy Trinity during their period of training before embarkation.
If anyone would like an account of my findings, send me a PM with your email address.
