TOPIC:

A brief letter home from a "Rifleman" in D Company, but with no first name or initial given in the newspaper.

....Mr. Jno. W. Morrell, Barton House, New Park, Harrogate (late of Hill Top Farm, Nidd), has received a letter from his son, who is a Cape Mounted Rifleman (D Company) with General Brabant's Brigade, and was in the trenches at Wepener. He says:— ....Just a few lines to let you know that I am still in the land of the living. We have been in the trenches seventeen days, and we could only move out of them at night time to get water and grub for the next day. There were thirty-two of us in 'D trench'—six were killed and fourteen wounded. My best chum was killed—shot through the head. We had an awful time, killed and wounded all round us, very little to eat, and little water. They tried to rush us three times at night, and at day time they had four big guns, one Maxim, and one pom-pom firing at us all the time. I don't know how many killed and wounded we have, but there is one thing, the Boers have lost a lot more than us. I have not much time to write, but I will let you know more as soon as I can. We have not had any post letters for a month. With love to all. . . .
P.S.— We had not less than nine thousand Boers round us, still we kept them off until relief came."
The Harrogate Herald, Wednesday 30th May 1900


In the excellent book "Wepener: Account and Medal Roll," by David & Alexander Biggins, three Morrells are listed as having both been at Wepener and in the Cape Mounted Rifles.

2084 Lance Sergeant Henry Morrell, who was slightly wounded in the engagement.
3206 Private John William Morrell, who had enlisted on 25.10.1897.
3432 Private Walter Morrell, enlisted 7.11.1898.

It seems unlikely that the letter writer was Lance Sergeant Henry, as no wound was mentioned in the letter and the rank doesn't fit, which leaves us with John William and Walter. As both Nidd and Harrogate were in the Knaresborough registration district in the second half of the 19th century, I used Knaresborough as the District of Birth entry in my search of birth records, finding three possibles.

1 - John William Morrell, born 1st quarter 1870, mother's maiden name was Dickinson.
2 - John William Morrell, born 2nd quarter 1879, mother's maiden name was Booth.
3 - Walter Fawcett Morrell, born 3rd quarter 1897, mother's maiden name was Tankard.
No Henry Morrells showed up in the search.

Is it possible to identify which Morrell from Harrogate was serving in the Cape Mounted Rifles?

Berenice,

It may be the John William Morrell born in 1879.

On his death certificate, he is listed as a retired Public Prosecutor, South African Police. He died at 63 Jesmond Road, Harrogate, 7 December 1947 aged 68.

This man was born in Nidd, Knaresborough:

Berenice,

It is interesting that the letter is dated Mafeking, 3 May. This cannot be correct as the siege there had a few more days to go before the relief.

Best wishes
David

djb wrote: Berenice,

It is interesting that the letter is dated Mafeking, 3 May. This cannot be correct as the siege there had a few more days to go before the relief.

Best wishes
David

I've checked and I misread it. Should be Mafeteng.

Many of us have made that error, Berenice.