Lance Corporal William Halley, Rorke's Drift Defender

Posts : 310 Join date : 2011-10-18 Location : Cornwall

Good evening all,

Just a query regarding Rorke's Drift Defender 25B/1282 LCpl William Halley of 'B' Coy 2/24th who later died in Thayetmayo, Burma 30 April 1887.

On my most recent visit to Brecon Cathedral a couple of months ago I was surprised to spot a regimental memorial I'd never noticed before, probably because it was at the opposite end of the Cathedral to the Havard Chapel where most of the more familiar 24th Regt/SWB plaques & Colours are located.

The plaque in question reads as follows:

To the Glory of God
and in memory of the undermentioned
Officers and men of the 2nd Battn of the
South Wales Borderers (24th Regt) who
were killed in action or died of disease
in the Burma Campaign 1885-7-8.

There then follows four columns comprising 51 names and initials, but no mention of a W. Halley.....does anyone know why if he's known to have died there?

In the meantime I'll ask Admin to post a photo of the plaque (which probably/possibly commemorates a handful of AZW veterans - I haven't had time to check yet).

Regards,

Tim

I have this re his death: Died at Toungov, Burma 30/4/1887 aged 28 years due to hepatitis. The informant was G. Bromhead VC. Major Commanding Left Wing 2nd/SWB. Buried in Thayetmyo Military Cemetery, Burma. No trace of a record of claim for his effects.

Posted on behalf of Tim Needham.
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Time for an addition to be made!

Posts : 310 Join date : 2011-10-18 Location : Cornwall

Admin - many thanks for posting the photo.

Julian - thanks for clarifying Halley's place of death (I should have consulted more than one source before posting!)

Having had a quick skim through The Noble 24th I think I've found three names on the memorial who served in South Africa, all arrived in May 1879:

Dodds D (25B/2884) died c1886 India
Kerr A (25B/2690) died Deolali, Bombay, India 05/01/1889
Mitchell T (25B/708) died Ranikhet, Burma 15/03/1889

If the details above are accurate, I'm intrigued as to why Kerr & Mitchell appear on the memorial because it ostensibly commemorates those who died between 1885 & 1888; Kerr also appears to have died in Bombay rather than Burma?

(I believe Kerr & Mitchell also appear on the regimental memorial located next to Gonville Bromhead VC's grave in Allahabad, India).

The plaque in Brecon therefore seems to bring up some curious questions as to why certain individuals were included while others weren't....

Regards,

Tim

I wonder whether they were en route from their station in Burma back / to England and were therefore classed as having served in that theatre of operations?

Posts : 310 Join date : 2011-10-18 Location : Cornwall

Hello all,

I've received a reply from BACSA (British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia) and their records suggest that there were two large military cemeteries in Thayetmyo - unfortunately both appear to have been reclaimed by the jungle and their exact locations are currently unknown.

Curiously, William Halley does not appear in BACSA's register of burials for Burma - this, together with the fact that he doesn't appear on the regimental memorial brass in Brecon, means that he continues to be somewhat of a mystery...

Regards,

Tim

History is the certainty produced at the point when the imperfections of memory meet the inadequacies of documentation.

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