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William Lowes

Private, Cape Mounted Riflemen – Anglo Boer War
Sergeant, 1st South African Mounted Riflemen - WWI

- QSA with clasps Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Transvaal to 2783 Pte. W. Lowes, Cape M.R.
- KSA with clasps South Africa 1901 & 1902 to 2783 Corpl. W. Lowes, C.M.R.
- 1914/15 Star to Sjt. W. Lowes, 1st S.A.M.R.
- British War Medal to Sjt. W. Lowes, 1st S.A.M.R.
- Victory Medal to Sjt. W. Lowes, 1st S.A.M.R.
- PFLSGCM (Permanent Forces of the Empire Beyond the Seas) to 53 Sgt. W. Lowes, 1st S.A.M.R.
- K.G.S.C. Gold Medal presented by W. Lennon & Co. to W. Lowes 1913 for Bisley Shooting

William Lowes had quite a haul of medals having spent many years in uniform. Born in Haltwhistle, Northumberland on 24 August 1878 he was the son of William Lowes, a prosperous farmer of 1250 acres and employing 10 men, and his wife Isabella.

The 1881 England census revealed that a 4 year old William was at home at “Chesters” near Wall Town, Haltwhistle along with his parents and siblings Isabella Lowes (7), Edward Lowes (6), Thomas Robinson Lowes (5) and Andrew Robertson Lowes (1). To keep the unruly brood in check was Governess Harriet Campbell and a multitude of servants.

Ten years later at the time of the 1891 England census a 14 year old William was a Boarder at St. John College in Grimsargh with Brockholes near Blackpool. This school, with the Reverend Thomas Abbott Peters at the helm, was a shining beacon of enlightenment in the area. Mr Lowes it seems was determined that his children should benefit from a proper education.

At some point after he had finished his schooling a 20 year old William decided to spread his wings heading for the unknown delights of South Africa where, on 23 December 1897 at King William’s Town, he enlisted with the Cape Mounted Riflemen with no. 2783 and the rank of Private (this later changed to no. 53). Physically he was 5 feet 10 inches in height with brown eyes, black hair and a fresh complexion.

Initially mustered as a Trumpeter from 16 June 1895 he was posted to the eastern parts of the Cape Colony and it wasn’t long before he was in a spot of bother with the authorities – at Kokstad on 5 October 1895 he was sentenced to 10 days Confinement to Barracks for Disobedience of Orders. On 1 July 1896 he was posted to “F” Squadron where he was to spend the next seven years and it was here that he committed his second offence – that of being “Asleep on his post whilst 3rd relief horse guard at 11.10 p.m.” This incident cost him 3 days C.B.

Life in the Eastern Cape, a very rural community, was slow-paced by any standard and it must have taken quite some resolve from Lowes not to get up to further mischief in the idyllic but boring setting in which he found himself. On 16 December 1897 he was promoted to 1st Class Private.

Soon after he blotted his copybook yet again for “Disobedience of orders, not going on fatigue when warned.” This was at Kokstad on 5 April 1898 and came with a penalty of 10 days C.B.

Unbeknown to Lowes and many of his compatriots the pace of life was about to accelerate – in the far away Boer Republic of the Transvaal President Kruger and his men were taking umbrage at the “infestation” of “Uitlanders” (foreigners) mainly from Great Britain, who were flocking to the Witwatersrand in search of the newly discovered gold. There were fortunes to be made and, almost overnight, Johannesburg became a boom town. This was anathema to the staid Calvinistic Kruger and his cabinet in Pretoria who weren’t about to give in to the ever-pressing demand for the franchise and a bigger say in the affairs of the country they were asking for. This led to an ultimatum from Kruger to the British Government which was ignored plunging the Transvaal and its ally the Orange Free State into a war with the Empire.

Initially this conflict was waged in parts to the north and east of where Lowes was stationed but this was set to change when Boer Commandos ventured further south in search of supplies and new recruits among the Cape Dutch population to augment their dwindling numbers. With this incursion the C.M.R. found themselves thrust into the action. On 6 February 1900 he was at Mount Fletcher on the border with Natal when he transgressed again – on this occasion for being “Absent from Parade at 6.20 a.m. “he was awarded 2 days C.B. Not to be outdone he then two days later, received 3 days C.B. for “Inattention at Drill” – one can only surmise that he was worn out by the C.B. Drill!

The 26th April 1900 saw him at Barkly East where “Neglect of Duty when Garrison Orderly” cost him 5 days C.B. followed by another 3 days C.B. for “Irregularity on Sentry Duty” on 18 July 1900. What the “Irregularity” was wasn’t mentioned. Lowes must have thought that he was on a streak when he was Admonished on 24 August for being “Drunk on Pay Parade at 2.p.m.” It must have been with a sense of trepidation that he “respectfully begged” to be allowed to re-enrol on 8 December 1900 writing from Edenburg in the Orange River Colony.

Lowes saw service throughout earning for himself the Queens and Kings medals with clasps Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Transvaal and the date clasps South Africa 1901 & 1902. Stationed at Umtata in the Transkei towards the end of the war his Kings medal was issued off that roll. He had also been promoted to Corporal on 21 March 1902.

Now that the conflict was over he returned to his normal policing duties being promoted to Senior Corporal on 1 February 1903 and then to Sergeant on 11 February 1910. The intervening years also saw him posted from “F” Squadron to “B” Squadron on 1 July 1907 and then on to “A” Squadron with effect from 1 March 1908. Further transfers were back to “B” Squadron on 1 June 1909 and then on to “E” Squadron on 1 July 1910 and then to “A” Squadron on 1 June 1911. 1 April 1913 was a momentous year in the lives of those in uniform in South Africa. The various colonial police forces were disbanded and placed under five regiments of what was called South African Mounted Riflemen. The Cape Mounted Riflemen to whom Lowes belonged became the 1st Regiment and until the outbreak of the Great War in August 1914, these regiments did police work in many areas – in Lowes’ case the Transkei.

1914 changed all that – suddenly the world was at war Lowes and his comrades were called upon to do their bit. Assigned no. 53 and already a Sergeant he and his regiment were despatched to German South West Africa disembarking, ex “Professor Woerman” on 13 May 1915 where they formed part of the Northern Force. They had arrived at the crucial stage of the fight with the Germans having retreated into the far north of the territory where they were now hemmed in and, being assaulted by the various Commandos and troops under General Louis Botha, they surrendered at Otavi on 9 July 1915. Lowes, soon after on 18 July 1915, was admitted to hospital at Swakopmund with Diarrhoea – no doubt the result of the tepid water and poor diet the men were subjected to. All in all he saw service in this theatre twice – from 1 September until 23 October 1914 and from 18 May until 9 July as alluded to above. That he stayed on in the territory for a considerable period of time thereafter was confirmed by, among other things, a Minute from the O.C. 1st Squadron, S.A.M.R. at Tsumeb dated 8 October 1915 which attached an application from Lowes for the award of a Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. The Minute added that “I am unable to confirm whether he fulfills the conditions required and in so far as his character is concerned I do not feel justified in describing it as ‘Exemplary’”. Lowes, in his submission, stated that he had “completed 19 years and 10 months service and have had no regimental entries on my defaulter’s sheet for 14 ½ years.”

At Windhoek on 18 April 1916 he appeared before a Medical Board for ‘Headaches, pains in back of neck and General Debility” – originating in September 1915, this was found to be the result of exposure to excessive heat and the climate he was working in. it was also found that he probably had insufficient head protection. The cure-all prescribed was ‘rest in bed and drug treatment’. This was, however, not the end of the saga – a Medical Board convened at Omaruru in South West Africa on 26 June 1916 diagnosed Lowes with Sunstroke in that ‘In September 1915 while returning from escort duty, he had an attack of sunstroke at Tsumeb, he became unconscious when he arrived at Camp, and was delirious later in the evening. Since this time he has had headaches. He suffers from headaches when doing duty in the sun, usually on hot days he has attacks of vomiting with the headaches. He was brought up on the afternoon of 3rd June 1916 complaining of severe headache, and persistent vomiting. He was put on No Duty. The disability is the effect of the climate.’

The upshot of this was that Lowes was found to be “Permanently Unfit if stationed in this Protectorate, or other hot station” on 10 July 1916 with the recommendation that he be transferred to a station in the Union where the climate is more temperate. This required a transfer from the 1st Regiment S.A.M.R. to the 3rd Regiment which took place with effect from 21 July 1916 with Lowes being posted to Pietermaritzburg in Natal. It should be mentioned at this point that Lowes’ brother Thomas was also a Sergeant with the South African Mounted Riflemen stationed at Pietermaritzburg. Was this transfer a scheme concocted by the two to be united in the same unit?

Having arrived in Pietermaritzburg Lowes took up the cudgels around the issue of his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal with the O.C. forwarding his request on 16 October 1916 but more about this later. In the meanwhile a vacancy arose in Pietermaritzburg for a Squadron Sergeant Major and it was thought that Lowes would fit the bill. A request for his promotion was submitted on 3 November 1916 but nothing seems to have come of this. On 28 December 1916 he was granted two months sick leave on account of his Sunstroke – the O.C. writing that

“As the complaint (sunstroke) is most certainly affecting his duty, he be boarded to determine his fitness for future service – he states himself that he finds it difficult to remember collectively for anything but very short periods.”

This led to an instruction on 2 January 1917 for Lowes to appear before a Medical Board at the S.A.M.R. Training Depot at Tempe in Bloemfontein. In the meantime his request for a Long Service Medal had finally born fruit with a letter coming from Pretoria confirming that “I am to advise that the medal may be expected in due course.” The Medical Board duly sat on 30 January 1917 reporting that Lowes “Was in hospital a Windhoek for 3 months. Then went on sick leave to Kokstad for 6 months. Returned to Regiment at Omaruru for about 1 month, was there boarded and recommended to be sent to a cool climate. The outcome was that he was found to be fit for service in the Union.

But Lowes war wasn’t over yet – with Lowes now at a loose end awaiting return to his regiment he was detailed to proceed to Europe for special duty with the Imperial Contingent (S.A. Infantry drafts) embarking at Cape Town on 20 April 1917 aboard the S.S. “Euripides” and returning to the Union, having handed over the draft, on 12 July 1917.

Back in South Africa Lowes was posted to Ladysmith in Natal, a more temperate climate it has to be said, where he became, on 15 October 1917 the subject of Board assembled for the purpose of reporting on the nature of an injury sustained by him. The only evidence led was Lowes own statement which read thus:

“I was on Hut and Dog Tax inspection at Pieters Hill on October 6th 1917. Whilst mounting Govt. Troop Horse No. C.37 he started bucking, and by the time I got into the saddle, the horse was sitting on his haunches, and could not recover himself.

I tried to jump off, and whilst doing so the horse came over backwards with me, causing my right shoulder to come violently in contact with the ground; the horse rolling on my right leg.

I could not extricate myself until the horse got up, as a result of this, my knee was very painful and I received a severe shaking. I did not notice that anything was wrong with my shoulder at the time, and subsequently mounted my horse and carried on.

At about 1.30 pm the same day, I off-saddled for lunch, and it was then that I could not use my right arm on account of the pain in my shoulder. I proceeded to Ladysmith and reported sick saw the District Surgeon and was placed on No Duty. I was alone when the accident happened.”
The Board found that Lowes sustained an accidental injury through no fault or neglect on his part, whilst in execution of his official duty, although it was found that his evidence was not corroborated.

Earlier on in this narrative mention was made of a request to promote Lowes. The response finally came as many as two year later. Lt. Colonel Davidson, O.C. of the 3rd Regiment, S.A.M.R. wrote to the Staff Officer on 28 January 1919 in Pretoria thus:

“I have the honour to inform you that I do not recommend the promotion of No. 53 Sergeant W. Lowes to the rank of Squadron Sergeant Major for the reason that he is not qualified nor fitted to hold the higher rank, nor do I think that any period of probation would enable him to qualify.

He takes very little interest in his work and does not display any initiative whatever. Sergeant Lowe’s present state of inefficiency may be due to the effects of sunstroke but as he was returned by medical board as fit for service in the Union the medical disability is apparently not of any seriousness.”

That would seem to have put the nail in Lowes’ promotional coffin. He was next posted, on 11 July 1919 to Special Game Post “Rooi Rand” in Natal, situated between Nyalisa Post and Zululand which was a malarial zone. For this he was awarded a Climatic Allowance.

Having spent quite some time in Ladysmith transferred to nearby Dundee in 1919. 1921 saw him stationed at Newcastle in Natal and attached to what had become known as the South African Police. It was here on 10 March 1921 that he underwent treatment for Tonsillitis. In that same year the Department of Defence introduced austerity measures aimed at savings costs. This led to a significant reduction in the manpower of the Permanent Force and Lowes, clearly not a favourite with the authorities, received a letter dated 28 November stating that “It is with great regret that I have to inform you that after careful consideration, it has been found impossible to place you on the greatly reduced establishment of the New Force. …… necessary to retire you from the Public Service as at the 1st January 1922.”

This proved to be premature because Lowes was still in service on 6 February 1922 when yet another Board was convened – this at Newcastle – and for the purpose of enquiring into and reporting upon certain injuries sustained by W Lowes on 18 December 1921.

The first statement read was that of 1/Constable W.S. Terblanche,

“I remember Sunday the 18th December 1921, I heard Sergt. Lowes call out to the Native Constables to go and have a look at the horses in the stable as I heard one of them screaming, this he did from the bath room, the next thing I saw Sergt. Lowes running up to the stables, he had no boots on only felt slippers. I arrived in the stable shortly after him, he told me to go out and get a file so that he could file the chain through, while I was away and just on my return I saw Sergt. Lowes had got horse 8890 off the bar and at the same time horse 8890 was on the ground also the bar and Sergt. Lowes walk towards the window and blood oozing from his left instep. He then said he was going to hospital to have his foot dressed, I examined the hook on the end of the pole and found it covered in blood. Horse No. 8890 sustained no damage except a slight stiffness in his hind quarters, which, on being turned loose the following day wore off.”

Lowes’ own statement read as follows,

“On Sunday 18th December 1921 at about 6.15 p.m., I was having a shave in the bath room prior to having a shower bath when I heard one of the horses scream in the stable. I lifted up the window and shouted to the Native Constables who were in the Camp yard to go and have a look what was the matter with the horses. In the meantime I rushed into my room to put my trousers on and then went up to the stables and found horse No. 8890 was hung up on the end of the swinging bars between the horses.

Shortly after my arrival Const. Terblanche arrived and I asked him to get a file so that I can file the chain through. While he was away I saw I could release horse 8890 by lifting the hook out of the eye which is attached to the manger, which I did and raising the pole high enough to allow horse 8890 to slide off the pole when the horse slipped off the pole he was putting all his weight on the pole which I couldn’t hold up and I let go, the horse fell on the ground and the pole with the rusty hook on the end fell to the floor entering my left instep.”

Having been found by the Board to have been injured through no fault of his own Lowes went on retirement. Life for a man who had spent most of his years in uniform couldn’t have been easy and Lowes was, after all, relatively young at 46 years of age. He faded from the scene but was referred to in a Minute from the Commissioner of Customs and Excise when writing to the Secretary for Finance in Pretoria on 25 January 1930. The contents of the letter were anything but flattering to Lowes,

“I beg to enclose for favour of the Honourable Minister’s consideration the personal file of WATCHMAN W Lowes on the staff of the Collector of Customs at Durban.

The indolent manner in which he apparently performs his duties was first brought to my notice towards the end of November , when damage to a new motor in the dock area in the custody of the Railway Administration and awaiting delivery, occurred by fire; the cause of the outbreak, I have no doubt, being attributable to Lowes.

It will be noticed that in addition to the motor-car episode this officer was also reported to have been absent from his post on the 23/24 November last, and taking all things into consideration it appeared to me that the only course would be to charge Lowes formally under the disciplinary chapter of the Public Service Act with a view to dispensing with his services.

I proceeded accordingly; a minute enclosing the charge was forwarded to Durban on the 31st ultimo, and actually handed to Lowes on the 6th instant. I telegraphed to Durban asking whether Lowes had duly replied to the charge, and was informed on the 16th that he had not done so.
From another minute received it will be noticed that during his short service – joined 3.8.29 – this officer has proved untrustworthy and I must, in the interests of the revenue and this department request that the Minister kindly grant approval for the dismissal of Lowes. As he was suspended from duty on the 5th December last, I propose making the discharge effective from that date.”

So there it was – Lowes’ seems to have been on a slippery slope downwards towards the end of his life. Perhaps it was the sunstroke that had addled his brain but, whatever the case was, he fell out of favour with his employers. He passed away at Grey’s Hospital in Pietermaritzburg on 13 May 1935 at the age of 56 years 9 months. He appears to have moved in with his brother or at least to have lived close by as his last residence was provided as the Richmond Hotel. He had never married. The list of personal belongings in his estate comprised clothing and personal effects, 1 leather suit case, 1 fibre suit case, 1 leather Gladstone bag, 1 gold watch, 1 gold signet ring, 1 set of woods (bowls), 1 double-barrelled shot gun, 1 automatic revolver and 1 Trojan Motor Car.

Thank You Rory, would you have called Lowes "The Queen's / King's Hard Bargain".......

Mike

Hello Mike

I do think that Mr Lowes would have been a handful to deal with. His brother (Whose medals I don't have) was at the Siege of Wepener.

Regards

Rory