Brett Hendey

I have been asked to assist a granddaughter in finding out more about the military history of Samuel Herbert Hall-Thompson. Key words in her recollections are Royal Artillery, Belfast and World War I. The two photographs below should also be revealing. I would be most grateful, as would the granddaughter, for any information about the man and his military service. Photos.docx Brett The photos failed to load, so I will try again later. My apologies.

Thank you for another excellent contribution, Brian. Like you, I am old enough to have known veterans of WWI. In the early 1950s I even shared a hospital ward with a Boer veteran of the Anglo-Boer War. Like you, I regret not taking the opportunities of learning about their experiences in those far off conflicts. Kind regards, Brett

Very impressive! It would be interesting to see a photograph of the man. Thank you for sharing. Regards Brett

Dante Congratulations on the reunite! It is always a great occasion when this happens. Doubling the size of the group has multiplied everything else about it. I am very happy for you. Regards Brett

Very impressive! Thank you for sharing it. Regards Brett

Sorry, Stef. I know of 'Rosie' only by his reputation. My wife had an uncle (now deceased) who was a SAAF pilot seriously burned in a crashed aircraft during the Abyssinian campaign, and, after several years in hospital, he was desperate to get back on active service. After many disappointments, his friend 'Rosie', who was by then a senior officer, intervened and arranged for him to see out the war flying Spitfires in Italy. Uncle Neville was most grateful to 'Rosie' and was effusive in his praise for the man. Regards Brett

Mike and Ian, thank you both for you replies. Mike - There is no maker's name on the truncheon. It has been suggested that it was a specially imported presentation piece for the Chief Constable. In the mid-1850's and for a hundred years thereafter, Natal tried hard to be more British than the British. Ian - It is reassuring to know that Mervyn had one of these truncheons. It would be a sad irony for him to have lived in Natal for so long and missed out adding one to his collection. Regards Brett

http://gmic.co.uk/topic/36876-pietermaritzburg-borough-police-badges/ The Pietermaritzburg Borough Police, about which very little has been published, has come to my notice again. A friend in Cape Town has given me a decorated truncheon of the type typical of mid-Victorian police forces in Britain. It's origins are clearly with the Pietermaritzburg Borough Police (see below). In spite of enquiries, no-one has seen anything like it for any other Colonial police force. Sadly, it is too late to ask Mervyn Mitton. I am sure that he would have had something to say about it. The trun

Very well done in my opinion. Thank you for posting the link. Brett

It worked for me.

The member you refer to is Audrey Portman and she posts under the name 'aud'. Brett

Dan Thank you for bringing me back to earth! I have spent so much time recently learning about the 45th and other British regiments in mid-Victorian times, it never occurred to me that the soldier could have been a Natal Colonial. That indeed is what he was, and his regiment was almost certainly the Natal Carbineers, a mounted infantry regiment armed with the Martini Henry carbine, just as Bayern surmised. The illustration below is from the history of the NC by the Rev John Stalker, which was published in 1912. Adding to my embarrassment is the fact that I use the helmet badge of thi

Mike & Bayern Many thanks for your comments. I also felt that the soldier must have been post-1850's. For many months now, I have kept busy gathering information on the 45th Regiment during the 16 years (1843 - 1859) it spent in the Colony of Natal, and I have yet to find any depictions of its men in the uniforms of the period. Regards Brett

Based on his uniform and rifle, can anyone suggest dates for when this British soldier served? It is exhibited in a museum devoted to the 45th (Nottinghamshire) Regiment in the 1850's. Brett