Trooper William R. Day
24th (Westmorland and Cumberland) Company Imperial Yeomanry
Corporal Ernest Cameron Wrightson
Eastern Province Horse
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A SOLICITOR OF CHELMSFORD VOLUNTEERS FOR THE FRONT.
Mr. W. R. Day, solicitor, son of Mrs. Day, of Duke-street, Chelmsford, leaves for Penrith on Saturday to undergo some riding exercise in connection with the Westmoreland and Cumberland Yeomanry. He expects later on to leave for South Africa.
Essex County Chronicle, Friday 12th January 1900
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IN MEMORIAM SERVICE
AT
CHELMSFORD GRAMMAR SCHOOL.
AN IMPRESSIVE FUNCTION.
Deep regret was felt by all present Chelmsfordians and their masters on hearing the news of Trooper W. R. Day's death. On the boys assembling on Wednesday morning, Mr. F. W. Rogers, M.A., chose two verses from St. John's Gospel as the passage of scripture for prayers: "These things I command you, that ye love one another. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." The Head Master remarked that the death of an Old Chelmsfordian in South Africa could not be allowed to pass without comment. In all ages and among all people it had ever been considered an honourable thing to die for one's country. In the case of "Bill Day," as he was known to his schoolfellows, it was especially so. He had just qualified for an honourable career, and had been offered an excellent opening, but at the call of duty he went forth voluntarily to fight in the cause of justice and liberty, and had literally laid down his life for his country. It was a noble example for all Chelmsfordians to follow, and the school, while deeply sympathising with his friends and relatives, nevertheless felt a sad kind of pride in knowing that an old Chelmsfordian, by such an act of devotion to Queen and country, had cast a new lustre upon it. Mr. Kruger had said he would stagger humanity, and he had done so, for from the torrid heat of the tropics to the Canadian snows, had poured forth at the "call to arms" thousands and tens of thousands of "loyal hearts and true," and men had fought side by side who were in ignorance of the language spoken by their comrades in arms. This had proved a sight that had staggered the nations of the world, and Mr. Kruger had caused to be realised the dreams of statesmen for many years past, and the empire was consolidated. The Head Master further remarked that "Bill Day" had always been an honourable, upright boy at school, and loyalty itself to the school, and to the Head Master personally after he left school. A handsomer youth had not gone forth to fight that "Bill Day." His memory should always be dear, and the Head Master would take care that his act of devotion should always be prominently set forth to future generations of Chelmsfordians. They were proud of him and his noble sacrifice of bright prospects in the cause of duty. They would not mourn for him, for they all felt certain that he had entered into rest and happiness.
The hymn, "Fight the good fight" was then sung, and the "Dead march" was played, all standing, and the boys then dispersed to the classrooms, evidently much impressed.
Over the Head Master's dais floated a silk Union Jack, which had been unfurled on Pretoria day, to remain there for all time.
Essex County Chronicle, Friday 8th June 1900
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DAY. - May 30th, killed in action, at Douglas, South Africa, William Rogers Day, 24th Company Imperial Yeomanry, eldest surviving son of Mrs. Chas. Day, of Duke-street, Chelmsford, aged 25.
The Essex Newsman, Saturday 9th June 1900
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THE LATE TROOPER DAY.
PULPIT REFERENCE AT CHELMSFORD.
A sympathetic reference to the sad death of Trooper W. R. Day, of the Imperial Yeomanry, son of Mrs. Chas. Day, of Chelmsford, was made by the Rev. T. M. Mundle at the London-road Congregational Church on Sunday. At the conclusion of the service the "Dead March" in Saul was rendered, the congregation standing.
Mr. Mundle said: I think our friend, Mr. Day, was known to a great many of you. He became a member of the Church some three or four years ago, and, as one of the choir, a regular Sunday School teacher, and also a teacher of the Sunday evening class at the Essex Industrial School, proved himself a faithful servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. In a letter to me, when he was about to depart for South Africa, Mr. Day wrote: -
"I thank you for all your very great kindness, and for your many helpful and instructive words; and may I wish you and all those you love the great happiness and success which you and they deserve. The new turning in my own path is a very rough and stormy one, but, with God's help, I mean to follow in the way that He would have me go...….The great difficulty in leading a Godly life with my present comrades-in-arms seems to be wine and cards; but, with God's help, I will try and leave all these things alone."
Proceeding, the rev. gentleman said: I think our friend had a wonderful amount of affection in his nature, and he had also a large amount of gratitude. It was a very solemn step he took in going to South Africa to fight for his country, yet I believe he was fully convinced he was following the guidance of God, and, if a man feels that, it is not for anyone but himself to judge. He has died for his country, and we thank God for his life. We believe with our whole heart that he is with Christ to-day.
Essex County Chronicle, Friday 15th June 1900
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Corporal Wrightson, of the Eastern Province Horse, reported dangerously wounded in the action near Roodeport, is the eldest son of Mr. Leonard B. Wrightson, of Sudbury. Corporal Wrightson is an Old Chelmsfordian.
Essex County Chronicle, Friday 29th June 1900
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The School magazine for July - the Chelmsfordian - has just been issued, and is, as usual, a highly interesting and artistic publication. The pictures include portraits of the Head Master, Mr. F. W. Rogers, M.A.,; Mr. Joseph Davis, president of the Old Chelmsfordians' Association; the late Trooper W. R. Day, Troopers E. C. Wrightson, J. S. Wooley, George Fox, and S. W.Nurse, each of these being accompanied by a short biographical sketch.
Essex County Chronicle, Friday 20th July 1900
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ANOTHER OLD CHELMSFORDIAN.
DEATH OF CORPL. WRIGHTSON.
Corpl. Wrightson, of the Eastern Province Horse, an Old Chelmsfordian, reported on June 22 "dangerously wounded" at Roodepoort, May 28, is now, we regret to state, reported dead. He was the son of Mr. L. B. Wrightson, of Sudbury, and grandson of the late Mr. W. Straight, of Chelmsford, and was in his 24th year. He was formerly in London with the Commercial Union Insurance Company, and some four years ago he entered the service of the Harbour Commissioners at Port Elizabeth, subsequently taking up an appointment with the African Banking Corporation there, and volunteering for the front when the war broke out.
Mr. G. S. Fletcher, landlord of the Fleece Hotel, Chelmsford, has received a letter from his son, a trooper in the Eastern Province Horse, stating that he was with Corporal Wrightson at the time he was shot. The bullet, he says, entered his cheek, passed under the tongue, and came out on the other side of the face. Curiously enough, Mr. Fletcher and his family knew Corporal Wrightson while living at Port Elizabeth.
The Essex Newsman, Saturday 11th August 1900
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THE REPORTED DEATH OF CORPL. WRIGHTSON.
AN OLD CHELMSFORDIAN.
Conflicting reports have been received in reference to the late Corpl. E. C. Wrightson, of the Eastern Province Horse, son of Mr. L. B. Wrightson, of Sudbury, and formerly of Margaretting. At the time we announced the poor young fellow's death in the Chronicle of Friday last we had only heard of it privately, and it had not been included in any of the official lists, but in the official list which was piublished on Saturday night there appeared the name of Corpl. A. Wrightson, of the Eastern Province Horse, as having died of wounds, and we very greatly fear that there is too much reason to believe that this refers to the Old Chelmsfordian, who was a very fine and dashing young fellow. His father and other friends have naturally been extremely anxious about him, especially as they have not been able to obtain any definite particulars from head-quarters since he was originally reported to have been dangerously wounded.
In the turmoil and confusion of war mistaken reports are, of course, easily possible, but the following extracts from letters which have been received from a comrade of Wrightson's and from his father, seem, unfortunately, to place his death beyond reasonable doubt, although one never knows what may turn up, and our readers are aware that recently a soldier who had been officially reported dead suddenly appeared among his friends at Braintree.
The following is taken from a letter dated Heilbron, 7th of July, written by Trooper Fletcher, of the Eastern Province Horse, to his father, who is now the landlord of the Golden Fleece Hotel, Chelmsford, and formerly lived at Port Elizabeth, where he and his family knew Corpl. Wrightson very well: -
"We are under Sir Henry Colville and General Macdonald, and we have seen a nice little lot of fighting. While coming out from Wynberg to here we had five days of it out of six, three days being very hard fighting. The Eastern Province Horse lost about 22 men, of whom Wrightson, the Crusader forward (this refers to Port Elizabeth football), was one of the unlucky ones, he being shot through the cheek......He died three or four hours later."
Strange as it may seem, this does not quite coincide with a letter which we have received from Corpl. Wrightson's father, except in the fact that the poor young fellow is dead. The father writes, inter alia: -
"Sudbury, Sunday, Aug. 12, 1900.
I regret to inform you that according to the official list issued from the War Office late on Saturday night my poor son died of wounds at the 3rd General Hospital, Kroonstadt, South Africa, on August the 8th. Only yesterday a letter was received by the South African Mail from a gentleman (a friend of my son's) saying that a most cheery letter had been received from him (Corpl. Wrightson) stating that he was gradually getting better of his wounds and trusted to be in Port Elizabeth very shortly on his way back to England - a wish, poor lad, he was never destined to see fulfilled. My son certainly, from information received and clearly established since, by unquestionable evidence from South Africa, did not die the same day he was shot, and has been in the hospital at Lindley since the action (May 26th) until removed quite recently to Kroonstadt - from which place one letter (if not more) at least has been received (written by the hospital nurse) by a friend at Cape Town or Port Elizabeth. However, yesterday's official list puts all doubt at rest. The poor boy is reported to have died on August 8th, and we mourn the loss of a dear son and fine lad."
On Wednesday we received a further letter from Mr. Wrightson, of Sudbury, inclosing an extract from a communication which he had received from the officer commanding the Eastern Province Horse, dated Heilbron, June 2, and stating that although Corporal Wrightson was very seriously wounded there was a slight chance of his recovery. In a postscript, dated June 7, the commanding officer said: "We have just received information that your son is doing very well." Mr. Wrightson adds words to the effect that the above convinces him that his son did not die in action, but on a subsequent day, at the hospital at Kroonstadt.
May there not be some lingering hope that there were two young fellows named Wrightson in the Eastern Province Horse, and that the two have in some way been confounded? The matter is one in which we have taken a great deal of pains, and we sincerely sympathise with Mr. and Mrs. Wrightson and their friends in the suspense which they must have undergone.
Essex County Chronicle, Friday 17th August 1900
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TOMMY AS HE IS.
LECTURE AT CHELMSFORD FOR THE CHRONICLE WAR FUND.
On Thursday, at King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford, Mr. W. T. Rowe, an "Old Boy," delivered an interesting illustrated lecture on the war in South Africa, where he has been working as a civil surgeon.
Mr. F. W. ROGERS, M.A., head master, introduced the lecturer as an Old Chelmsfordian who distinguished himself in that school, in the London hospitals, and more recently in South Africa. [Applause.]
The first picture shown was a remarkably good photograph of "Oom Paul." Mr. Rowe said that this gentleman had recently undergone an operation on both his eyes, and he (the lecturer) was wicked enough to say that if a sufficient dose of chloroform were given him the world would be rid of a very bad old man. [Applause.] Mr. Rowe paid a warm tribute to the memory of the late Trooper Day and Corporal Wrightson, Old Chelmsfordians, who died for their country in South Africa. Some pitiful scenes of getting the wounded into the hospital trains were recounted, such as a soldier injured in the arm helping a comrade wounded in the leg, others walking alone, using their rifles as walking sticks, while others rolled themselves over and over to the train like schoolboys rolling down a hill. The journeys of the train were more like triumphal marches, crowds assembling on the stations to cheer the heroes, and to give them fruit, tobacco, &c. As an illustration of the remarkable accuracy of our gunners' aim, Mr. Rowe showed a bridge at Colenso which was destroyed by a 40lb. lyddite shell fired six miles away. [Applause.]
Hardships undergone by Tommy without a murmur were told by the dozen. The foreign attachés with Gen. Buller said our soldiers would do what they were told, fight and march all day, and remain untired. One attaché was so delighted that he clasped a soldier and kissed him on each cheek. [Laughter and applause.] Examples of the noble devotion of the nursing sisters in their work and duty were also related. General Buller, said the lecturer, was a most humane man - [loud applause] - and he made his third retirement from Ladysmith mainly because there was insufficient accommodation in the hospital for the large number of casualties he expected. Tommy called the stretcher bearers "body snatchers" or "catch 'em alive O!" - [laughter] - because of their quick attention to the wounded. Our soldiers, after being wounded, remained brave. One soldier continued fighting although shot through both arms, but when shot through the temple, the bullet passing through the brain, to use his words, "that, be dad, sor, bowled me over completely." [Laughter and applause.]
On Spion Kop some protection was obtained from the Boers' heavy fire by piling up the dead bodies on top of the meagre trenches. The lecturer exonerated the Boer generals from being party to the abuse of the red cross. The enormous expense of transport was illustrated by the fact that the teams from four of our guns worked out at the rate of £30,000 a year. Pictures of our Generals were cheered to the echo.
At the close Mr. Rowe was warmly thanked for his lecture, as also were the lanternists (Messrs. W. B. Aubrey and W. Chancellor) for their services.
A collection in aid of the Essex County Chronicle War Fund realised about £3.
The Essex Newsman, Saturday 9th February 1901
My thanks to Mrs. B. E. Gray, KEGS's Honorary Archivist, for the photograph.
