John Alexander Binyon, Paget's Horse.

Queen's South Africa Medal with Clasps "Cape Colony", "Orange Free State", "Transvaal", "South Africa 1901" and "South Africa 1902".

31039 Pte. J. A. Binyon, 51st Company, Imperial Yeomanry.

 

Bank clerk William John Binyon married Maria Elizabeth Peacock on 30th August 1879 and their first child, John Alexander Binyon, was born on 24th November 1880. In April 1881, the family were living on Richmond Road, Kingston on Thames. John Alexander was baptised on 18th December 1881 in All Saints Church, Kingston. The family had now moved to nearby Thorpe Road. The 1891 Census records the family, now consisting of William (33), Maria (36) and their four children, John Alexander (10), Evelyn Maria (8), Hilda Margaret (5) and Herbert William (2), together with a 24 year old Welsh servant girl called Mary Isaacs, living at 27 King's Road, Kingston on Thames.

By the time of the 1901 Census, the family had moved to 59 Old Southend Road, Southend, and William, now aged 43, was working as chief cashier at the London & County Bank. John Alexander Binyon does not appear on the 1901 Census as exactly one month before, on 1st March 1901, he had walked into a recruitment office in Carlton Street, St James, London and enlisted in the ranks of Paget's Horse, a privately raised unit of the Imperial Yeomanry, agreeing to serve one year with the Colours. The Medical Officer, Hastings Stewart, had examined him the previous day, found him to be 5' 6" tall, 138lbs in weight, with light brown hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion and pronounced him "fit for the army." His Attestation Papers state his age as 20 years and 3 months, his religion as Church of England, his trade as (architect's) assistant and mention that he had served 2 years with the 1st Essex Volunteer Artillery.

Newly recruited into the 51st Company, 19th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry, John Alexander Binyon was soon on his way to South Africa to play his part in the fight against the Boers. His Papers state that his service there was from 18th March 1901 till 28th April 1902, a total of one year and 42 days, which earned him entitlement to the Queen's South Africa Medal. In January 1902, while serving with Lord Methuen's column, he became ill with a severe case of enteric fever and was admitted to Mafeking Hospital. In March 1902, a medical board at Kimberley examined John's case, decided it was the result of his conditions of service and the climate and recommended his return to England. He was still suffering from debility and had lost a lot of weight.

Soon after his return to England, John was discharged at Shorncliffe Camp on 29th May 1902. He had served a total of one year and 90 days in the Imperial Yeomanry. His intended place of residence was Reading, where his parents, having moved from Southend, were now living. At some point in the next few years, it seems that John moved to Lancashire and met a woman called Emily Harding. Their son, Alexander William Binyon, was born on 7th December 1907. The family appear on the 1911 Census which gives their address as 9 Ellison Street, Green Lane, Stoneycroft and John's occupation as a general labourer working for a sugar refiner. According to the online genealogy sources, the marriage of John and Emily only seems to have been registered in the last quarter of 1914. Were they just living together when they filled in the 1911 Census but not legally married? Did the outbreak of war and John's imminent prospect of going overseas spur them to legalise their relationship? Or are the online sources at fault? It is impossible to say for sure but there certainly seems to be ample scope for speculation here.

When war broke out in August 1914, 951 Bombardier John Alexander Binyon served with the Royal Field Artillery on the Western Front from September 1915. When the Territorial Force was renumbered in 1917, his new number (675181) indicates service with the 285th Brigade (2/1st West Lancashire) RFA, part of the Divisional artillery for 57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division. John later transferred to the Royal Engineers. He survived the war but sadly his younger brother, Herbert William Binyon, was killed with the 102nd Canadian Infantry in the Battle of Vimy Ridge on 12th May 1917. He was 28 years old. Around the beginning of April 1918, John's wife Emily also died although the cause of death is not known. John returned to live with his parents, who were now in Wallingford, for a couple of years, and then seems to have returned to the Liverpool area.

On 22nd February 1922, John Alexander Binyon married Jane Jones, his second wife, at the church of St John the Evangelist in Breck Road, Everton. He was 41 years old and working as a commercial traveller. His new wife was 23. In the early 1930s, John and Jane moved back to London and were living at 68 Weltje Road, Hammersmith. In 1936 the couple were at 8 Bickenhall Mansions W1. The 1939 Register records John, now working as a housekeeper and office caretaker, living with his wife on the Strand in the City of Westminster. In the early 1960s, John, again a widower, lived at 179 Holders Hill Road, NW7. He died on 31st July 1963 at the age of 82.

Wilfred Samuel, an Actor in Paget's Horse.

Queen's South Africa Medal with Clasps "Cape Colony", "Orange Free State", "Transvaal" and "South Africa 1901".

13623 Pte. W. Samuel, 51st Company, Imperial Yeomanry.

 

Wilfred Samuel, the second child of Louis Samuel, a furniture manufacturer, was born in Cardiff on 17th October 1878. Wilfred is recorded on the 1891 Census as a 13 year old schoolboy at the boys boarding school run by Jacob Herman Cohen at 47 Buckingham Place, Brighton. His father had been born in Biala, Poland, and was originally a Russian subject but in June 1894, Louis took the oath of allegiance and obtained his Certificate of Naturalization from Herbert Henry Asquith, the future Prime Minister. At the time, the Samuel family was living at Pembroke Terrace, Cardiff.

Following the outbreak of war with the Boers, on 31st January 1900, Wilfred presented himself at 12 Suffolk Street, London, the office of the Imperial Yeomanry Committee, and enlisted in the 51st Company. The 51st was one of the four Companies, subsequently known as "Paget's Horse", raised by George Paget, an amateur soldier and Victorian adventurer. This was an exclusive unit made up of public school gentlemen, who were recruited through advertisements in fashionable London clubs. Paget's Horse wore insignia made up of the letters "PH" and this led to much speculation about its meaning, some wags claiming it stood for "Piccadilly Heroes", "Public House" or "Perfectly Harmless." Wilfred's Attestation Papers describe him as a 22 year old accountant, 5' 4" tall, weighing 121lbs and with dark eyes and hair and a fair complexion. His religion was stated as Jewish. He served in South Africa from March 1900 till November 1900, his Papers mentioning service at Elands River, Ottoshoop, Zeerust and Lindley. Wilfred Samuel's Queen's South Africa Medal is fitted with the clasp "South Africa 1901" and although this is noted in his Service Papers, it is crossed out on the Medal Roll with the annotation "not entitled." The clasp is attached with what look like official rivets so perhaps it was issued to him in error and, as he was not discharged from the Yeomanry until 20th January 1901, he may have felt entitled to it.

Interestingly, when Wilfred returned from South Africa, he was interviewed by a reporter from the South Wales Daily News and an article about his South African war service appeared in the paper on 24th November 1900.

With Paget’s Horse. Cardiffian’s Experience.

Return of Mr Wilfred Samuel.

Mr Wilfred Samuel, son of Mr Louis Samuel, J.P., of Cardiff, arrived home yesterday afternoon, and shortly before 5 0’clock was seen by our reporter. Mr Samuel appeared in excellent health except for an injured arm - wounded however not by a Boer bullet but by blood poisoning. He has seen plenty of exciting adventures. “These began,” he said in reply to questions, “on the voyage out when on board the Winkfield. We collided with the Mexican. It was pitch dark, and we all thought we were going to sink, but the captain’s words reassured us and he asked for volunteers to man the boats to go and try to save the Mexican’s passengers. I volunteered among the rest, and we were pulling about for five hours. At length, when day dawned, we found the Mexican, and brought off the women and children.” 

“When did you land?”

“It was right at the end of March. One of the first people I met in Cape Town was Councillor Ward of Cardiff. He was then waiting for a commission in Robert’s Horse. We went first of all for a month’s training at Maitland Camp, and after that we were engaged in putting down the rebellion in Griqualand West. We had some rough experiences here, and on one occasion 11 of our men were killed at night in their blankets.

“Subsequently,” added Trooper Samuel, “we served under General Carrington at Mafeking, and on the north western side of the Transvaal at Elands River, Zeerust, Ottoshoop, Lichtenburg and Rustenburg. We took part in several engagements and had some narrow escapes. On one occasion, at Elands River, 40 of us were lying on our stomachs for two hours, only being able to crawl, for fear of being shot by the Boer snipers. One of our fellows stood up, and instantly he fell mortally wounded. General Carrington is a fine officer, and much liked by us all, his command including a number of the colonials, who were all found splendid comrades. Here (Zeerust) we witnessed the burning of £500,000 worth of stores to prevent them falling into the hands of the enemy.”

“Any other Welshmen in your battalion?”

“Yes, two. One was Trooper Woolley, of the Gaer, Newport and the other Trooper Lawrence of Ferryside, or somewhere near. He is a brother of Mr Lawrence, the Cardiff civil engineer.”

“Meet with any others?”

“Oh yes. Several of the Glamorgan Yeomanry. Norman Biggs I saw at Belmont, and he said he would rather be playing football than fighting. I also saw young Austin and the two Nells. All of them looked very rough and ready for anything.

“I left our battalion, which was known humorously, because of the initials, as “Perfectly Harmless”, at Rustenburg, where I got fever and was sent to Deelfontein, where at the Yeomanry hospital, under the personal superintendence of Lady Chesham, we were splendidly treated. Subsequently I was sent down to Maitland and invalided home. I arrived at Southampton on Tuesday of the present week, and am on two months’ sick furlough, at the end of which time I shall have to report myself at Shorncliffe. On the voyage home I met with a young Welshman named Perry, who is in the Pembrokeshire Yeomanry.”

Trooper Samuel is a modest young fellow, but I managed also to extract from him the fact that he had twice had his horse shot under him. He furthermore declared - and I have no reason to doubt the fact – that Paget’s Horse have been during the campaign very far from “Perfectly Harmless.”

The 1901 Census records Wilfred as living with his father and brother Alfred at 1 Fitzalan Place, Cardiff and gives his occupation as actor. At around this time, he also seems to have begun calling himself Wilfred Stanford Samuel or just Wilfred Stanford, perhaps thinking this sounded more appropriate as a stage name. By 1906, he was the acting manager of the Camden Theatre in London and also a lieutenant in the 17th Middlesex Rifle Volunteers. In 1909, he appears as a sub-lieutenant  in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. The 1911 Census lists him as a theatre manager living in Maida Vale. In November 1913, Wilfred married Grace Clayton Dukeman, the daughter of a Los Angeles Jeweller, but the marriage only lasted six weeks before she left to return to the USA. Finally, in 1922, a court granted Wilfred Stanford Samuel a decree nisi after hearing details of a mocking letter she had written to him from on board the ship taking her back to America. The case was widely reported in the newspapers at the time.

In 1914, Wilfred Stanford Samuel was a lieutenant in the 4th Kings (Liverpool Regiment) attached to the 1st Battalion and went to France on 12th August, thus earning entitlement to the 1914 Star Medal. On 17th April 1915, he left Liverpool on the SS Abinsi (pictured below) bound for West Africa, where he would serve with the Nigeria Regiment in the West African Frontier Force and the Cameroons Expeditionary Force.

After the war, Captain Stanford Samuel returned to England and again took up the profession of acting. He may have found it hard to obtain work as he placed numerous advertisements in the papers at the time asking for employment. "Continuous Active Service Overseas. Aug 4 1914 - Dec 1919. Capt. Wilfred S. Stanford, Character Actor and Management. 20 years' Experience. At Liberty. Will any patriotic management offer engagement?" In the early 1920s, Wilfred's health seems to have worsened and in both April and August 1923, he had spells in hospital caused by "war disability." Sadly, on 1st March 1924, Wilfred  Stanford Samuel died, his recent bouts of ill health most probably a result of his years of service spent in the unhealthy climate of West Africa.

A short obituary appeared in the Western Mail on 7th March 1924.

The death occurred in London of Capt. Wilfred Stanford Samuel, eldest son of the late Mr. Louis Samuel, J.P., of Cardiff, and nephew of Mr. Isaac Samuel, J.P., of Cathedral Road. Capt. Samuel, who was about 45 years old, was born in Cardiff but in early life spent some time in South Africa and Australia. At the time of the Boer War he came home and joined up, and when the Great War came in 1914 he again volunteered and served right through the campaign. He was wounded twice. On one occasion he and a small number of men in France were blown up and he was the only survivor. He was removed unconscious to the base hospital six miles away, and remained in that condition for nearly a week. He saw service in France, Italy and East (sic) Africa. Capt. Samuel was married. The funeral took place on Wednesday at the Jewish Cemetery, Willesden.

Archibald Edward Boyd, Paget's Horse.

Queen's South Africa Medal with clasps "Cape Colony", "Transvaal" & "South Africa 1901".
13387 Sgt. A. E. Boyd, 68th Company, 19th Imperial Yeomanry.

Archibald Edward Boyd was born on 5th June 1877, the seventh child of James and Cecilia Clifford Boyd. The family is recorded on the 1871 and 1881 Scottish Censuses as residing at 4 Moray Place, Edinburgh. James (born 1827) and Cecilia (born 1848) had a total of nine children: James Craufurd (born 1868), Charles Clifford (born 1869), Cecilia Theodosia (born 1870), Frederick Kennedy (born 1872), Henry Leslie (born 1874), Francis Walter (born 1876), Archibald Edward (born 1877), Arthur Octavian (born 1882) and May Florence (born 1884). The family were clearly very wealthy; the Census describes James as an annuitant "living on own means" and they employed a number of female servants and a footman. The sons of the family were educated at various public schools; James and Frederick attended Cargilfield Preparatory School in Edinburgh and later Francis Walter and Arthur Octavian would attend Rugby School.

By the time of the 1891 Census, the family had moved to 18 Queen's Gate Place, Kensington, London, and were employing a household staff of a butler and five female servants. James, the eldest son, and Frederick were now students at Merton College, Oxford, while Henry Leslie (aged 17) and Archibald (aged 13) are listed as boarders at Sedbergh School in Cumbria. Archibald's father, James Boyd, died on 10th June 1894 leaving a personal estate in excess of £45,000, roughly equivalent to £3.5 million in today's money and giving some indication of how wealthy the family was. In 1901, the Census records the family as having moved to 17 Queen's Gate Gardens and employing a butler, a footman and five female servants.

Archibald seems to have originally envisaged a career in the Merchant Navy. On 29th April 1895, he joined the Royal Navy Reserve and on 9th December 1898, he was awarded his "Certificate of Competency as 2nd Mate of a foreign-going ship" in the Merchant Service. However, on 14th March 1900, following the outbreak of war with the Boers, he enlisted in the 68th Company of the Imperial Yeomanry, agreeing to serve one year with the Colours. The 68th was one of the four Companies, subsequently known as "Paget's Horse", raised by George Paget, an amateur soldier and Victorian adventurer. This was an exclusive unit made up of public school gentlemen, who were recruited through advertisements in fashionable London clubs. Paget's Horse wore insignia made up of the letters "PH" and this led to much speculation about its meaning, some wags claiming it stood for "Piccadilly Heroes", "Public House" or "Perfectly Harmless." More information about Paget's Horse can be found here.

Archibald's Attestation Papers describe him as a sailor in the Merchant Navy, aged 22 years and 9 months, almost 6' tall, weighing 170lbs and with a fresh complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. He had an anchor tattooed on his left wrist and a snake and crossed flags on his right forearm. His religion was noted as Church of England.

The 51st, 52nd and 68th Companies of the Imperial Yeomanry (Paget's Horse) set sail on the troopship "Tagus" on 16th March 1900. Archibald was on his way to war just a few days after enlisting. His Service Papers confirm that his South African service was counted from 17th March 1900 till 23rd April 1901, a total of 1 year and 71 days. Little is known of the actual details of Archibald's experiences in the South African War although his Papers mention service at Elands River. He must have been a capable soldier as shown by his promotion to Sergeant. For his service in the war, Archibald was awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal with three clasps. On his return to England, he was discharged from the army at Thorncliffe on 23rd May 1901, his character being described as "very good".

At the age of 26, Archibald embarked on a career in the India Service, which he joined on 1st February 1904. Just over a year later, he married Grace Evelyn Lutwyche Waterlow, the daughter of Philip Hickson Waterlow, High Sheriff of Surrey and Chairman of Waterlow and Sons, engravers of banknotes, postage stamps and share certificates. The Waterlow family lived at Silverlands, a grand mansion at Botley, near Chertsey in Surrey. This magnificent house is now sadly neglected, but there are some interesting pictures giving an idea of its former grandeur here. The wedding of Archibald and Grace took place in the Parish Church at Botley on 28th June 1905. The officiating clergy were the Rev. James Boyd, the Rev. Francis Boyd (Archibald's brothers) and M. Hebblethwaite (Vicar of Lyne). There is a full description of the wedding in The Surrey Comet of 15th July 1905, which mentions that many guests were brought up from London by special train.

The newly married couple sailed for Bombay, India, where Archibald had a post as Assistant Collector of Customs. On 28th March 1906, their son Dennis Archibald Boyd was born in Bombay. Three years later, on 14th July 1909, their daughter Joyce Evelyn Boyd was born in Kent. Over the course of the next 20 years, Archibald's work would take him to Karachi (1909), Calcutta (1914), Madras (1918), Burma (1918) where he was promoted to Chief Collector of Customs, Madras (1922) and Rangoon (1924). In Calcutta, he also served as a Captain in the 37th Calcutta Presidency Battalion and was awarded the British War Medal for service during World War One. In Rangoon, he was Vice President of the Mayo Marine Institute. He retired in November 1929.
In the last years of his life, Archibald Edward Boyd lived at Pipers Cottage, Nuthurst, near Horsham, Sussex. He died on 8th March 1937, leaving an estate of £5,434 9s 5d to his widow. He is buried in St Andrew's churchyard, Nuthurst.

Archibald's elder brother, Francis Walter, served as an army chaplain and his younger brother, Arthur Octavian, had a successful career as an officer in the Royal Artillery. After studying at the Royal Military Academy, he was gazetted 2nd Lieutenant in May 1900. He went to France as a Captain with the 39th Battery, Royal Artillery, in August 1914 and served on the Western Front till October of that year, then again from July 1915 till July 1916, being wounded twice. He later served as Military Assistant at the Ordnance Factory, Woolwich, from 1917 to 1929 and was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in 1925. He died in 1958 at the age of 76. His medal group, consisting of an OBE and a 1914 Trio with MID oak leaf, was in the collection of the late John Tamplin and was sold by DNW in 2002.