| Share page |
|
€hap. VI.] The South African War. 79
possesses the requisite materials for framing the record. When our difficulties in Africa became acute, Volunteers to make up a section of one Officer and 25 men were called for, and were quickly forthcoming, the number of applicants, namely 70, being far in excess of the number required. Lieut. Heley was accepted for the command, and a picked body of men was easily made up, comprising one Sergeant, three Corporals and 21 Sappers. East-Bourne supplied 17, Newhaven 5, and Seaford 4, each man representative of some particular trade. In addition to the stores and equipment provided by the Government, the ladies of East-Bourne ■contributed large quantities of creature comforts of every kind. When these were sorted out, it was found that there was a deficiency of shirts, woollen helmets, portable foods and stationery. These deficiencies were, however, afterwards made good. On January 26, a dinner in honour of the Volunteers was given at the Queen's Hotel at which 170 sat down, the Mayor (Mr. H. W. Keay) in the chair. On Sunday February 4, 1900, the men assembled at St. Saviour's Church for a farewell service, but they did not actually quit East-Bourne until Saturday, February 17. They went in the first instance to Chatham for some final technical training, and embarked at Southampton in the Tintagel Castle on March 10. Of course I went to see them off and inspected their quarters on board ship. They were very pinched in their sleeping accommodation, as was to be expected. The Duke of Norfolk went out in the same ship in command of a detachment of his own Corps, the 2nd Sussex Rifles. This Engineer section returned in May 1901, arriving at East-Bourne on May 16, and on May 19, assembled again at St. Saviour's Church for a Thanksgiving Service to celebrate their return.
On March 30, 1901, a second detachment left East-Bourne for South Africa under the command of Lieut. F. R. Paramor. The numbers and the details of the arrangements were very much the same as in the former case and need not be repeated. |
||