The Dands
 

picked up this document recently; surrender of the lease of Togston Colliery from Messrs. Morris and Beverage to Mrs Jane Dand and Others.

Multiple signatures of "Dands" most of which are interred in Amble East Cemetery

stone 1 stone 2 stone 3


http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...y_document.jpg




http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag..._document2.jpg

The Dands
 

Ah.. Pretoria Cottage again. Did we find out why it was called such?

Here's some photos of St Mark's interior on the net, showing the memorials.

Coquets post ! Ah.. Pretoria Cottage again. Did we find out why it was called such?


Possibly from BOAR War.

Could be a Boer War connection. We don't come across much info on locals in that conflict. It did draw in some of the N.F. volunteers at the time and of course the Northumberland Hussars Yeomanry.

Did I mention medals :D

Here's some Boer war stuff. Don't have much info. Some Northumberland Fusiliers and Northumberland Hussars. Top right medal is to 'J. Douglas' of the Northumberland Hussars; I would like to think he was a local but they recruited across Northumberland so he could be from anywhere:


http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...ica_medals.jpg

Here's the naming on the Douglas medal in case anyone finds a clue as to who he is:


29544 Lance Corporal J. Douglas, 100th Company Imperial Yeomanry

http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...glas_medal.jpg


Now wouldn't it be nice if he was from Shilbottle or Warkworth? :)

Not sure if we have any Boer War Memorials/Monuments/plaques of any sort in the district? I know Bellingham has a spectacular one (recording those who served) and it's not a particularly large village.

http://www.angloboerwar.com/forum/17...northumberland

We do have our own photos of that monument somewhere.

Trawling the newspaper archive 1899 - 1902 is probably the way to find our own Boer War vets.

Regarding the distinguished Northumberland Fusiliers in the Boer conflict...well, they infamously un-distinguished themselves for once when the Boers (that'll be farmers with rifles) captured hundreds of them at the Battle of Stormberg... but we'll not remember that today. :eek:

According to FMP:

John Douglas, 29544, L Cpl Imperial Yeomanry, units 100 and 101. Killed 5 Sept 1901 at Rhenosterfontein.

Medals: Queen's South Africa Medal Clasps; Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902.

Looks like there's some confusion about the J Douglas killed at Rhenosterfontein. There was a sergeant J Douglas killed there out of the volunteer Elswick Battery. The monument at St Nicholas in Newcastle has two regimental numbers against J Douglas......29537 and 29544. Was he the same man??

Well I'm ashamed of myself for not spotting this before! Good job you are here. I purchased this via the business in 2009 so it has not been here too long. I would have at the time checked the printed roll I have, I'll show this below, but it does indeed show a J. Douglas as a Sergeant with the 5th Imp Yeomanry, KIA. Frustratingly it does not record a number for the man.

The imperial yeomanry unit numbering does get a little confusing but the "5th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry" was a battalion of the Northumberland Yeomanry, then they split into companies, (I assume operating independently in the field?) 100th Coy was a company of the 5th I.Y.

I'll have a look at the medal rolls on Ancestry and see if it reveals anything.

Looks like the numbers are to two separate men, both served with the 100th Coy, both died. My man also served with the 101st Coy.

The Discovery Museum in Newcastle houses the 15th/19th Hussars and the Northumberland Hussars collections. I think they have an research archive as well.

http://www.lightdragoons.org.uk/museums.html

Pleased I mentioned the Douglas medal. It's just jumped in value. KIA for that conflict are quite sought after. Sadly medals to men 'DoD' - 'died of disease' not so desirable, for the simple reason large numbers of men did succumb to disease during the campaign.

I've just explained to the wife about not recognising the casualty medal, and Janwhin picking up on it. She said something like 'you want to wake up you useless git' or similar :p

On the medal roll of the 101st Company N.H.Y. the name directly above Douglas is Quarter Master Sergeant J.T. Dand. Might be one of the local Dands, you never know.

Which might get us back to Pretoria Cottage. John Tate Dand, born 1874, died 1911 aged 36. Lived at Hauxley Cottage. Maybe Pretoria Cottage was named by him?
According to FMP and NA he was wounded dangerously at Kleinfontein in 1901.

By the way, just remind your wife that it takes a woman to sort you men out....every time :D

A page or two of service records have survived for Dand. Gunshot wound to the right thigh, discarded unfit 29th May 1902. He was a Bank Cashier.

I think you are probably right about the cottage name and Dand. Funny the way we got to that one. Almost divine guidance.

Kleinfontein to Pretoria, 43 miles
 

Well.well... the Imperial Yeomanry had a hospital in Pretoria*, operating until Sept 1901. They probably saved Dand's bacon in that hospital. Hence Pretoria Cottage. Are we good? Yes we are. :D

*Plus several other military hospitals.