Trpr. Simpson's medal

Subject: Trpr. Simpson's medal Wed Apr 07, 2021 3:52 pm

The sale of the ZW medal of Trpr. Simpson Newcastle Mounted Rifles can be found in this link: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

The medal does not bear his initials. The accompanying blurb states that he was Frederick Simpson, a storekeeper from Newcastle, Natal. The information is taken from Sole's book.

However, Sole has made a mistake here. A 1929 newspaper report giving Simpson's own account gives his initials as H T (not F) and says he was then living in Bulawayo (Southern Rhodesia) aged 72. This made him 22 at the time he was on the Mangeni Reconnaissance. Newspaper reports can often make mistakes but the rest of the report which has myriad details of names contains no errors at all so I'm inclined to think the Witness is right and Sole wrong.

I've been unable to find an H. T. Simpson in Newcastle, Natal but did pick him up again as being the Bulawayo father of a son kia in 1918 (the mother was Mary Ellen Simpson).

It looks like he moved from Natal to Southern Rhodesia at some point.

Does anyone local to Newcastle have any access to records there which might give me his forenames?

Subject: Re: Trpr. Simpson's medal Thu Apr 08, 2021 8:18 am

There is also a contemporary photo of him in Talana Museum marked H. Simpson.

Posts : 3385 Join date : 2009-03-03 Location : Devon

Hi Julian

I am just throwing things into the pot for information analysis.

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Birmingham Daily Gazette 13 January 1931

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From the above photograph, we can see where people get the H from. Does it look like a H?

Andy

Subject: Re: Trpr. Simpson's medal Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:06 pm

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page 61

SIMPSON, FREDERICK CHARLES - 18/5/1950)
He was not a qualified veterinarian but obtained registration as a
veterinarian in the Colony of Natal under Act 21 of 1899 by passi ng
the Natal Veterinary Board Examinati on on 16/2/1904. During the
182.
greater part of the Boer War he served as a Trooper in the Natal
Police. As this force was without a Regimental V.O., Simpson acted
as such and drew "extra duty pay" for the work. On 4/3/1904 he was
issued with a "Certificate in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery" by
the Board and his name was placed on the Veterinary Surgeon's
Register of the Natal Colony. It must be recorded that his
examination was the First Veterinary Examination to be written in
South Africa anQ _took place at Allerton Laboratory on 16/2/1904.
His examination was set by H Watkins-Pitchford FRCVS and C H Cordy
who also signed his Certificate of Competence on behalf of the
veterinary Board. With the implementation of the Veterinary
Surgeons Act of 1933 (Act No. 16 of 1933) he registered under that
Act and at the time was living at 275 Church Street, Pretoria.
During world War I he proceeded to England and served with the
RAVC.
SIMPSON

Just to confuse.

Subject: Re: Trpr. Simpson's medal Thu Apr 08, 2021 5:13 pm

Graves
I found Henry T.'s 1855 illegitimate birth in the 1861 census but couldn't tie him up to the H T Simpson in the NMR. Your article does that nicely! Thanks very much.
Frank
Thanks for the proof that it wasn't Frederick!

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