This Twickenham South African War Volunteer War Memorial was discovered in the cellars of Orleans House Gallery by Arts Development Manager Tim Corum in 2024, who generously transferred its care to The Twickenham Museum.

It contains the names of local men who served their country in the war between the British and the Boers in South Africa that lasted from 1899 to 1902, also known as the South African War, or Second Boer War.

The Richmond & Twickenham Times of 4^th November 1905 reported that it took some three years after the war for the council to agree and then to create the memorial, only for its troubled history to begin with disagreement as to who should unveil it and then who would wish to.

Many months passed. ‘The brass of the tablet lost its lustre……and it remained hidden in some obscure corner of the Town Hall.’

Thereafter, despite payment for it by Twickenham ratepayers, this ill-fated tablet was seen by few and eventually vanished from view. A few photographs of those whose names appear on the memorial were published in the Richmond Herald Christmas supplement 1900.

Work continues to find more images and information about the men of the Imperial Yeomanry, London Scottish, Prince of Wales and the 2^nd Battalion Middlesex Regiments whose names appear on the plaque in the following order:

Heading the list is Lieutenant Eric George Jeffreys a tea dealer of 18 St Stephens Gardens, East Twickenham whose preferred Corps of choice was the 20th (Rough Riders) Battalion, Imperial Yeomanry, raised in the City of London as a corps especially suited to combating the Boers’ irregular cavalry tactics. He embarked for South Africa in April 1900 after just one month’s training and was severely wounded at Heckpoort on 16 September. He later fought in France during the First World War as a Lieutenant in the Northumberland Fusiliers.

Colour Sergeant Francis (Frank) James Routledge was a clerk living with his widowed mother and his siblings at 16 Mortlake Road, Kew. He chose to enlist in the Gordon Highlanders but reverted to his militia reserve, the 7th Middlesex London Scottish Regiment Volunteers. He ended his days as a wholesale tobacconist.

Frank Samuel Pickford was a Sergeant in the 50th Company (Hants) Imperial Yeomanry, who was born in Chester and worked as an auctioneer in Hampton. He was mentioned for gallantry by Lord Kitchener in July 1901.

Arthur Henry Pollecutt volunteered for South Africa with the Prince of Wales Light Horse and 1^st Provisional Battalion where he was promoted to sergeant. He was discharged 18 January 1902 and worked as bricklayer whilst also keeping the Cross Keys public House in Bell Lane. He and his eldest brother James eventually worked as miners in South Africa where Arthur is believed to have died in 1913.

Sergeant Frank Wigmore enlisted with the 2nd Volunteer Battalion Middlesex Regiment in April 1902 and was discharged at own request in November. He was a bricklayer by trade and lived at 4 Evylin Cottages, Gomer Place, Teddington. In 1914 he joined the Dorset Regiment and was promoted to Sergeant and later Company Quartermaster Sergeant in the Devonshire Regiment. After the war he returned to Teddington where he worked as a handyman until his death in 1951.

Arthur George Higgs was a Corporal with the 2nd Volunteer Battalion Middlesex Regiment and took part in the battle of Laing’s Nek, a pass through the Drakensburg Mountains, Natal 2-10 June 1900 for which he was entitled to the South African Medal 1899-1902, with 5 clasps. A painter by trade, he lived at 43 May Road, Twickenham and died in 1934 at 8 Briar Road, Twickenham.

Corporal L Pilbrough and Lance Corporal P Lemon of the 2^nd Volunteer Battalion Middlesex Regiment is one and the same but appears twice due to a clerical error. He was a brewer’s storeman living at 29 London Road, Twickenham.

Pvt. C Attwood.  2^nd Volunteer Battalion Middlesex Regiment.

Pvt. F B Batten. 2^nd Volunteer Battalion Middlesex Regiment

Trooper A Betts. Imperial Yeomanry.

Trooper P Carstairs. Imperial Yeomanry.

Pvt. A W Clements. 2^nd Volunteer Battalion Middlesex Regiment.

Pvt. R Cranmer. City of London Imperial Volunteers

Trooper. H Goodrich. Imperial Yeomanry.

Pvt. F Granados. 2^nd Volunteer Battalion Middlesex Regiment

Pvt. T G Granados. 2^nd Volunteer Battalion Middlesex Regiment

Trooper H W Grogan. Imperial Yeomanry.

Trooper C R Heenan. Imperial Yeomanry.

Trooper E G Holdway. Imperial Yeomanry

Pvt. C J Hull.  2^nd Volunteer Battalion Middlesex Regiment

Trooper S Ireland. Imperial Yeomanry.

Pvt. W E Ives.  2^nd Volunteer Battalion Middlesex Regiment

Pvt. A Keep. 2^nd Volunteer Battalion Middlesex Regiment

Trooper H Kilby. Imperial Yeomanry

Trooper R H Knott. Imperial Yeomanry

Pvt. S W Lee. City of London Imperial Volunteers

Trooper A E Masey. Imperial Yeomanry

Private H Messom. City of London Imperial Volunteers

Pvt. C J Neill.  2^nd Volunteer Battalion Middlesex Regiment

Pvt. WHR Reeves. South African Constabulary.

Pvt. D J Richards. City of London Imperial Volunteers

Pvt. J Ridgeway.  2^nd  Volunteer Battalion Middlesex Regiment

Trooper C B Stone. Imperial Yeomanry.

Pvt. E Swadling. 2^nd Volunteer Battalion Middlesex Regiment

Trooper B E Swinbourne. Imperial Yeomanry.

Trooper W G Wake. Imperial Yeomanry.

Private A W Wells. 2^nd VB Middlesex Regiment.

Sapper H E White. Royal Engineers

Trooper C H Williams. Imperial Yeomanry.