Sergeant 1064 Tom Hick / Hicks G Company 2/24th Regiment

Posts : 3460 Join date : 2021-01-04

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Bridlington Free Press - Thursday 22 February 1996

SAGS medal 1877-78-79

Posts : 3366 Join date : 2009-03-03 Location : Devon

Great to see you posting again.
agree

Gardner1879, the name seems somehow familiar…

Welcome back.

JY

Gardner
I echo the above BUT what a curio to return with...:

HICK Thomas – Sergeant – 25B/1064 – 2nd/24th F Company
Promoted to Corporal no date. Appointed Lance/Sergeant no date. Served in the Ninth Kaffir & Zulu Wars 1877-8-9. Awarded good conduct pay at 1d rate 6/1/1879. Promoted to Sergeant 23/1/1879 into C Company vice 25B/623 Robert Maxfield (Killed Rorke’s Drift). Transferred to G Company 4/2/1879. In confinement 29-31/3/1879. Discharged in Natal under AGL97 no date.
South Africa Medal 1877-8-9 with clasp 1877-8-9. Issued 1/10/1881.

In other words, the newspaper was quite wrong; he wasn't killed in action at 'Isandula' at all. But what a strange letter...dated 19th January(!!)...wrote about burying the dead...the newspaper chips in with nonsense about cradling a Boy...

Had the newspaper partly confused him with this man, I wonder:

HICKS Thomas John – Private – 1-24/1856 – 1st/24th
Killed in action Isandhlwana Mountain. Effects recorded for claim by his father under AGL76 – E/76588/18. Posted to Service Companies 24th Foot 15/4/1872. Served in the Ninth Kaffir & Zulu Wars 1877-8-9.
South Africa Medal 1877-8-9 with clasp 1877-8-9. Held by The Royal Welsh Museum.

Posts : 305 Join date : 2011-10-18 Location : Cornwall

Driffield Times, 15 March 1879:

A BRIDLINGTON MAN KILLED AT THE BATTLE OF ISANDULA. - William Hick, who was killed amongst the illfated little band at Rorke's Drift, was a native of Bridlington, and served an apprenticeship with Mr Stephenson, of that place, boot and shoemaker. He enlisted into the 1st Battalion of the 24th Regiment, which was the first to go to the front on the declaration of war with the Zulus

Bridlington Free Press, 12 Apr 1879:

THE DISASTER AT ISANDULA
To the Editor of the Bridlington Free Press

SIR, - As it has been reported that Private T. Hicks, of the 1st Battalion 24th Regiment, massacred at Isandula, was the nephew of Mr. Stephenson, shoemaker of this place, will you kindly insert in your next number the enclosed copy of a letter received on the 5th instant, from his nephew Sergeant Thomas Hick, No. 1064, 2nd Battalion 24th Regiment. This young man has only been in the army two years and six months.

I am, Sir, yours most respectfully,
FRANCIS PITTS,
Lieut.-Colonel (retired),
late 20th Regt. and 72nd Highlanders.
The Hermitage, Bridlington, April 7th.

I'll try and find this enclosed letter!

Regards,

Tim

Posts : 305 Join date : 2011-10-18 Location : Cornwall

Here it is:

Rorke's Drift, 19, 2, '79.

Dear Aunt and Uncle,- I now take pleasure in writing these few lines to you hoping to find you all well. You must excuse me not writing to you before, but we have had a bad misfortune. Our camp was taken by the enemy when we were out skirmishing. There were 84 men of our battalion killed, and about 400 men of our first battalion, besides volunteers and native soldiers.
It was a massacre. The men's bodies were cut up. Every man's heart was cut out and taken away. The enemy eat them. They say it gives them white man's courage; but they are sadly mistaken. But I will not tell you too much about them for fear it should make you ill. We slept on the ground amongst the dead. It is the first battle-field that I ever slept on. It was too dark to go through. There is none of the men buried. They are lying all over the plain. We went back to Rorke's Drift about nine miles back, and they had attacked the fort there, but had a good beating, and left many of their dead. There was a nice job next morning burying the dead. We lost 13 men so we were not the losers. It took us a day burying them. We had six prisoners. We dug their graves and shot them in, so that we had no trouble in carrying them. There are no coffins for men who did in the field. They are wrapped in their blankets and buried. Our men are buried in separate graves. The enemy, there are 100 of them, I'm one grave, so that was good work done. I have lost everything except one shirt, one pair trousers, one pair socks, one serge, one helmet, and my father's watch. We have got no tents. It is very hot in the day time, and very often rains in the night. We have a lot of men bad with the fever, and dying every week, but I am in good health at present.
You must excuse my short letter. Give my kind love to Uncle Hick, and tell him that I am worth two dead men yet. Don't put this near the fire, as it is written with powder. - My address,
No. 1064, Sergeant T HICK, G Company, 2-24th Regiment, Natal

There's nothing like a typo in a date to cause confusion!

To modify the above info from Baynham-Jones on 1064 Sgt Hick:

From the Pay-lists WO 16/1579 Oct 1878/Mar 1879
Enlisted 04/01/1877 at Cardiff into the 24th Bde Depot. Transferred to 25th Bde at Brecon 18/01/1877.
Joined 2/24th 31/01/1877 L/Cpl 21/12/1877 vice Andrews, Cpl 08/01/1878 vice Bell. Promoted Sgt direct from Cpl 23/01/1879 Reduced 01/04/1879 Convicted of neglect of duty when Orderly Sgt. He is listed as serving in F Company according to Jones.

The entries in Battalion orders for the time at Rorke's Drift can clarify things:

30th Jan: (Recently joined men postings)
1580 Sgt T.H. Hicks to G Coy (Actually James Horatio)

1st Feb: Promotions
1580 L/Sgt H Hicks to Sgt in G Coy from 13th Jan vice Henry
1064 L/Sgt J Hicks to Sgt in C Coy vice Maxfield

4th Feb: Transfers:
1064 Sgt T Hick C to G Coy

Must have been a little confusing in G Company at the time. So, no actual mention in the pay and muster lists of 1064 being a L/Sgt but confirmed in Battalion Orders to be the case.

Plus not to forget 1518 Sgt George Hicks serving with the Mounted Infantry.

Bill
Thank you for the update.

» Lance Sergeant James Taylor (25B/82) E Company 2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment (2nd Warwickshire),
» Private John Robert Shaw a cook in F Company 2/24th Regiment
» Sports day G Company 2/24th Regiment