TOPIC:

Of the more than 1000 men who served with the Natal Police during the Boer War Norwood was one of only 84 who were in the Defence of Ladysmith and who thus qualified for a DoL clasp - the only one he was to receive.

Frank Otway Adam Loftus Norwood

Trooper, Natal Police – Anglo Boer War

- Queens South Africa Medal with clasp Defence of Ladysmith to 1985 Tpr. F.O. Norwood, Natal Police

Frank Norwood was born in Killiney, Dublin, Ireland the son of John Norwood and his wife Arabella Johanna, born Otway on 8 September 1873. His grandfather’s names were Benjamin Franklin Norwood, obviously strongly influenced by that great American. Norwood’s early years and how they were spent are a mystery but we know that at some time prior to the outbreak of the Anglo Boer War in October 1899, he had made his way to South Africa to seek his fortune.

The Natal Police records tell us that, on 7 September 1897, at Pietermaritzburg, he enlisted with the Police providing his brother, Robert Otway Norwood, as his next of kin. Robert was at that time resident at 3 Palace Street, Dublin. A note under the “Remarks” column states that Norwood was introduced by Colonel Hime. Lt. Colonel Sir Albert Henry Hime it will be remembered was a man of substance in Natal at this time and destined to become the Prime Minister of that Colony throughout the Boer War and beyond. Quite what Norwood’s connection, if any, with Hime was, is unclear save that they were both Irish and the families might possibly have known each other.

Armed with no. 1985 and the rank of Trooper, Norwood set about his duties which would have involved policing the local native population as well as the myriad of other chores that was a policeman’s lot in Colonial Natal. As mentioned the Boer War came to pass upsetting almost everyone’s plans in the process this was no different for Norwood and his Police comrades who now assumed a para-military role and actively took part in the fight against the now apparent Boer invasion of Natal.

As one of the 84 members of the Natal Police in Ladysmith when the siege of that town began, Norwood was with Colonel Dartnell who was attached to the Staff with General White. The force formed a unit in the Volunteer Brigade under Colonel Royston, Commandant of volunteers, but were under canvas in the centre of the town instead of joining the camp of the volunteers. That life for them wasn’t a bed of roses is best illustrated by the following extracts (edited) from Holt’s account of the Natal Mounted Police:

The Boer gun on Pepworth's Hill came into action on the 30th October, and the military moved to a position as little exposed as possible. The shells from Pep worth's Hill came rather close to the police camp, and on the 3rd November one of their horses was wounded.
In the early days of the siege the police provided pickets on the banks of the river at night, returning to camp at 5 a.m.

Just as the police in Ladysmith reached camp from their night picket on the morning of the 7th November, a very heavy bombardment of the town began, and until nightfall the troopers remained in the bed of the river, keeping their horses well under cover,
When the firing was resumed two days later, the police were told off to watch the racecourse side of the town, and the horses were kept ready saddled under cover.

Just after that the pickets were changed, the police and volunteers guarding the line from the point of Caesar's Camp to Platelayer's Cottage, and this continued until the end of the siege, the two officers of the police going on duty on alternate nights. As a rule the pickets were formed by about equal numbers of police and volunteers, the sentries being pushed well forward at night, and withdrawn at daytime to the cover of the thorn trees.

The shell fire from the Boers' guns on the surrounding heights was kept up fairly regularly, and the losses from it were surprisingly few. Things became somewhat monotonous when the garrison had grown accustomed to being under fire. Towards the end of November rations were reduced, the stores being denuded of jam, milk, and butter.

On the 2nd December communication was established by means of heliograph with the relief column near Weenen, where the heliograph party had an escort of police. It was estimated that the weapons on Gun Hill fired a ton and a quarter of shell into the town that day, without causing a single casualty. A strong force, consisting of the Imperial Light Horse, volunteers, and the police, moved out at 10 p.m. to destroy the enemy's guns there. It was very dark, and the force made slow progress. The order had been given that strict silence was to be preserved, but as there were over 600 men going over stony ground the noise they made must have been heard at a considerable distance. It was long after midnight when they reached the base of Gun Hill. The Imperial Light Horse and Carbineers went off to make an attack on the right, the police being sent to the left to prevent the enemy's reinforcements joining their comrades on the top. The movement was entirely successful, but the police heard no orders to retire, and only began to move back when it was found that the rest of the troops were on their way to Ladysmith. It was afterwards discovered that a bugle had sounded the "retire," which had not been heard owing to a hill that intervened.

Towards the middle of December the police were attached to a mobile column, which was formed with a view to assisting the relief operations. Heavy firing could be heard on the 15th in the direction of Colenso, and on the following day the Boers resumed the bombardment of Ladysmith, one shell landing within a yard of the police officers' tents.

Another shell pitched into the police camp a few days afterwards, all the windows of the police offices being broken by the concussion, and an hour or two afterwards a shell struck the foundation of the place where they had their mess. The police refused to adopt the shell-proof shelters, saying they preferred to take their chance in the open rather than be killed in a hole.

On the night of the 5th January, 45 of the Natal Police, with 24 of the Carbineers, went out on picket, the police being stationed up the line to the foot of Caesar's Camp, and bullets began to fall in the neighbourhood of their bivouac soon after midnight. These shots came from the direction of Wagon Hill. Thinking the Manchester Regiment were firing on them, some of the police went up the hill to remonstrate, but when they got near the summit they heard words of command in Dutch, and came down the slope at the double. As the day dawned the horses were seen by the enemy, and before they could be removed the Boers killed or wounded every one; though not one man was touched.

The police advanced on foot through the bush under a heavy fire, before they reached the base of Caesar's Camp, within two hundred yards of the enemy. Here they were joined by the Natal Mounted Rifles, and the 53rd Battery, which came out from Ladysmith with their big guns, fired 1 38 shots over their heads, the rattle of musketry at the same time being deafening. The Boers directed a "Long Tom" towards the 53rd Battery, and the bombardment was kept up by both sides all day until 5 p.m., when a heavy thunderstorm came up. The ground on which the police were lying was flooded, and they were relieved by a picket of Carbineers at 6.30, getting back to camp by a circuitous route, the river being flooded.

Sickness continued to increase at a terrible rate, there being 2400 patients in the hospital by the middle of January, including six members of the police force, four of whom had been wounded.

On the whole, January was a fairly quiet month, the only excitement being caused by the shells, four more of which pitched near the camp of the police without doing any damage. In the distance some Boer tents were seen to disappear, and it was thought that the relieving column had made some progress, but owing to cloudy weather nothing could be done with the heliograph.

The men were now beginning to suffer badly through lack of food; rations were cut down to half a pound of horse flesh and two biscuits per day per man. All units except the police were supplied with canvas troughs and blankets for filtering boiled water, but as there were insufficient to go round, the increase in the number of sick men may be attributed to that. As the police comprised the smallest unit of the Volunteer Brigade they always came in last for the rations, and only too frequently their supply of biscuits consisted of broken fragments and crumbs.

As the days wore on painfully, and more of the police became ill, their whole available strength had to be sent out on picket every night, and they could only muster 2 officers, 6 non-commissioned officers, and 16 men. Almost the sole topic of conversation was the lack of food, and on the 27th February rations were reduced to a quarter of pound of biscuits and three ounces of bad mealie meal per man.

There was joy in Ladysmith on the last day of February, when Boers could be seen trekking to the north in small bodies, and in the evening cheering in the region of Caesar's Camp announced the arrival of the relief column's advance party, which included Sub-Inspector Abrahams and 15 of the Natal Police. There was great disappointment when it was found that they had not brought any food with them.

On the following day 43 of the police formed the advance-guard, when a reconnaissance was made towards Modder Spruit, where a few Boers opened fire. The police worked round the flank, extending in skirmishing order on foot and leading their horses. As they cleared a ridge they came into the line of their own shrapnel fire, which cost them two horses.

The siege had lasted one hundred and twenty days, and during that time 10,688 people were admitted to the hospital. Of that number 600 died. None of the Natal Police died of sickness until after the relief column appeared, though there were then 21 of the troopers on the sick list. Of these 7 subsequently died equal to 8 per cent, of their strength.

When the welcome orders to march to Pietermaritzburg were given, the police were addressed by Colonel Royston, who thanked them for their services. He said they had always done their work cheerfully, and without criticism; his only regret was that he had not had a thousand of the police under his command, because in that case he would have been able to make a name for them and for himself.

When they arrived at Colenso they expected to find railway trucks awaiting them, but were disappointed, and completed the journey to Pietermaritzburg by road.

Having lived through and endured the hardships of the Siege of Ladysmith Norwood went on to serve with the Natal Police until the 8th December 1900 when he purchased his discharge. His character was described as “Exemplary”.

For his efforts Norwood was awarded the Queens South Africa Medal at Pietermaritzburg on 8th September 1901 with the single and much sought after Defence of Ladysmith clasp.

Having returned to civilian life he turned his efforts towards romance and, at the Magistrate’s Office in Pietermaritzburg on 15 February 1902, took as his wife 27 year old Lily Louisa Anne Rafter. Interestingly his occupation on his marriage certificate was that of Barman but at which watering hole he was employed is not divulged.

At some point Norwood headed north to the Witwatersrand joining those who had sought employment with the newly (then) created Victoria Falls Power Company (VFP). This operation, as its name implies, was created in 1906 to harness the power of the famous Victoria Falls to generate the electricity requirements of the expanding industries of the Witwatersrand and Southern Rhodesia.

By 1910 four thermal power stations were in operation Rosherville being one of them and it is here where we find Norwood gainfully employed. Sadly Frank Norwood’s contribution to the company was curtailed by his untimely death, aged 41 years and 3 months, on 11 December 1914. He had been employed in the oil department of the VFP company and was resident at 21 1st Street, Malvern in Johannesburg. He passed away at the Simmer & Jack Hospital and was survived by his wife and daughters Kathleen Arabella (aged 14), Dora (11) and Mabel Grace (7).

His will dated 7 December 1914 must have been a hastily compiled affair as it was witnessed by the Hospital Matron, Margaret Maxwell, and the House Surgeon, J.W. Hale. It also sparked controversy revealed in a letter from Henry J. Filmer, Solicitor, addressed to the Master of the Supreme Court and dated 28 September 1918. It read, in part, as follows:

“It appears that the deceased died at the Simmer & Jack Hospital on the 14th December 1914. He was in the employ of the Victoria Falls Power Co., in the Oil Department, and was receiving a salary of about £25 per month. He was a married man, his widow still being alive and there are three children.

At the time of his death his widow was practically prostrated, and although knowing of the deceased’s will, Dr Hall (Hale) having handed it to her two or three days before the death of her husband – as she was aware that her husband had really nothing, and owed for a few household expenses, she did not either file the will or take any steps in the matter.

Sometime last month Mrs Norwood who, unfortunately, is in very poor circumstances, received a letter from the firm of Hamilton & Craig, Solicitor’s of Dublin, advising her that her husband would probably receive the sum of (in round figures) £100 from the Estate of her late husband’s late father, who died in September 1884. It appears that when the father died, his affairs were in a very complicated condition; but after much trouble, the affairs of his Estate appear to have reached completion.

This firm wrote to Mrs Norwood asking her whether her husband had left a will, and if so, to have the same proved so that she could benefit from it.”

Mrs Norwood was to live until 26 June 1948 before passing away in the Lady Dudley Nursing Home in Johannesburg. Her financial affairs had improved remarkably and she was able to bequeath to Norwood’s daughters the tidy sum of £3 164.

Hi Rory

What a great background write up!!
I appreciate the time and effort, you guys are putting in, to get all the info together.
Thanks for sharing.

Chris

Hello Rory,
A very nice medal for your collection.
I enjoyed reading his story,very descriptive as always.

Cheers
Paul

Hi Rory

A really nice medal. I've been looking for a DoL to the Natal Police for years and have never found one. As you say the number issued was very small. I live in hope.

Regards

David

Thanks for the feedback chaps.

Regards

Rory