This is a list – possibly unfinished – found hand written on the last page and inside back cover of a copy of ‘St Bees School Roll of Honour and Record of Service 1914 – 1919’ (published 1921). It is published here for the first time, with all the peculiarities of the notation, possibly in the hand of Mr Collison, a master at the School, who owned the book. Italics in brackets are web page editorial notes.

Old Boys who served in the South African War 1899-1902

J C Anderton (SH)
W F Armes (SH 1883 – 90) Thorneycroft’s M Inf – at Colenso (P), Spion Kop and Ladysmith, died of enteric fever, May 14 1900
Joseph Backhouse (SH 82 85) Durham Imp. Yeomanry,
J A Berries (DS 9 – 92) Capt I M S (see footnote 1)
E A P Bell (F 96-98)
John G Bell (GH 91- N)
Dr. E K Braithwaite (F 76 – 84) S A Field Force, Qu medal 4 Clasps (footnote 2)
 E de Collin (F 92 94) S.A.War Medal with 5 Clasps
William Cowman (DS 87- 88) Cumb and West Yeo (footnote 3)
J Dalrymple (DS 80 – 95) Qu Medal with 5 Clasps, now Major with RAMC
Guy Falcon (SH) Roberts Horse Treacherously killed Oct 16 1901 (See account at bottom of page)
A S Falcon (SH 84 -)
Frank Hind (GH) Lt K.O.Y.L.I. Wounded Medal 6 Clasps.
F Golding (GH 85 – 88) Sergt. Border Regiment, later Major
H L Houlgate (DS 88 – 92)
Hervy (or Henry?) Hunter (D.S. 88 89) 10th Bn. Imperial Yeomanry
Charles Kitchin (DS 89 – 98) Oxford (?) University Service Corps
R L Lange (SH 92 – 97)
C B L Lefroy (F 81 – 89) C.I.V. (see footnote 4)
A S McIver (GH 92,93) Pagets Horse
L A North (1882 – ) Capt. Manchester Reg, died of enteric fever at Kroonstadt 1900 Dec
C R Parker (SH 91, 92) Imperial Home Slightly wounded Twice refused a commission
S W Pape (F 89 – 95) Lt. Cape Colony Defence Force
E C Painter (SH 97 – 99) Northumberland fusiliers
A H Perry (SH 81 -)
A C Scoular (DS and SH 87 – 93) Border Regt
Eldred Smith(77 – 81) Despatch Rider
Young (?)
Note: nine of these also served in the 1914 -18 War. They are;

C E de Collin as 2/lt Royal Garrison Artillery
J.Dalrymple, listed as C.M.G, OBE, Served in France as Lt Col. RAMC
Frank Hind served in Francs as Capt, 1st East Yorks. Died of wounds whilst prisoner of war. 29 10 1914
H.L.Houlgate Lt, 3rd. Royal Welsh Fus, in France and Belgium. Wounded
Charles Kitchin Pte 1st South African infantry in France and Belgium
C B L. Lefroy C F. C. in France
C R Parker Pte. 4th South African Horse in S, W Affrica and German East Africa, Discharged through ill health
A C Scoular, Major, Border Regiment.

Footnotes

1. IMS – Indian Medical Service
2. Qu medal – Queen’s medal
3. The Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry
4. CIV- City Imperial Volunteers
Details in brackets show time at school and house. GH = Grindal House, F = Foundation House, SH = School House.

Guy Falcon

Against the third name in the handwritten list – Guy Falcon S.H. – is the enigmatic note “Treacherously killed Oct 16 1901”. The circumstances behind this comment are outlined in the School Magazine for December 1901 (Vol III No. 11). On page 305, under NOTES, the following account appears:

“It is with the deepest sorrow that we record the death of another St. Beghian in the service of his country. On October 16th. GUY FALCON, who had gone through some of the hardest fighting during the earlier stages of the war and come out of it unscathed, save for the inevitable fever, was treacherously shot through the heart by a party of rebels in Cape Colony, almost within sight of his own home. About 30 of the Mounted Infantry of the District had been boxed up in a farm by a party of the enemy, mostly rebels, near Wellington, and had held out for four hours until ammunition was spent, and were saved by the timely arrival of two squadrons of Lancers; as it was the horses and the kit were lost and every one in five men killed.

GUY FALCON and half a dozen other men were lying in a gravel pit close to the farm when, just as the Lancers were approaching, some of the enemy rode towards them, dressed in khaki, with stripes, putties &c., and cried in English “Come along, you fellows, we’re going to clear”. Thinking they were friends our men stood up and were walking quietly towards them, when a sudden volley after volley was poured into them with horrible effect. It was a frightful massacre.

The dead were brought back to Wellington and buried with military honours, and a tablet has been erected to their memory in the Drill Hall.

FALCON’s record in the war is excellent. He served in the earlier months in Roberts’ Horse and in the Western Province Mounted Rifles, and latterly in the Wellington D.M.T. In both of the latter Corps he got his stripes, but declined the commission offered in each case. He had the S.A. Medal with five clasps, viz: “Paardeburg”, “Relief of Kimberley”, “Orange River Colony”, “Transvaal” and “Cape Colony”.

Very many members of the School will feel the deepest grief that so promising a career should have been so barbarously brought to an untimely end, and join in sympathy with the surviving brothers of so staunch a family of old St. Bees boys.”

Bob Jopling, December ’04

See also St. Bees School Roll of honour