Two Battle Anniversaries.

Naseby and Waterloo.

This month there have been two major battle anniversaries.

The 380th anniversary of Naseby in 1645 and the 210th anniversary of Waterloo in 1815 (and hence the 10th anniversary of our Waterloo Dinner in 2015).

Naseby was very youth orientated, aimed mainly at scouts and cadets how re-enacted the battle.

There was also a cake!!

We were invited to the VIP lunch.

The Waterloo Dinner 2015.

LINK, scroll down to bottom of page

Belton House and Park.

 May 13th 2025.

We visited the National Trust owned Belton Estate.

Apart from the Mr Colins (BBC Pride and Prejudice) connection there are two other points that interested me.

Family history link with my Great Uncle Albert Groves.

During WW1 the park became the training camp for the newly formed Machine Gun Corps. So Albert would have been there for his training.

The photo shows part of the camp barracks and the temporary branch line from the East Coast mainline.

Also there was a skirmish there during the ECW. It took place on, wait for it, 13th May 1643. This was a significant action as it was Cromwell's first cavalry victory, from which he developed his future battle winning tactics.

The photo of the park shows on the left the area of the MGC camp (now an off limits deer park) and to the right the probable area of the ECW action.

All in all a good day out.

My Dad's Barracks - Malta.

 My Dad did his national service with REME and was stationed in Malta 1953-4.

His barrack block in 1953.

In 1983 when we visited.

In 2024 when we visited.

Quite some changes recently.

80 years on.

Tokyo Bay 2025.

Tokyo Bay 1945.

My Dad's cousin, Desmond Bourton, was on HMS Teazer (R23, a Tumult class Destroyer), which was part of the fleet in Tokyo Bay for the Japanese surrender ceremony on 2nd September 1945.

 

 

Another Holiday, Another Gun Port!!

 Madeira 2025.

A very short walk from our Hotel in Funchal was Palacio de Sao Lourenco, a 16th Century Fort.

The Battle of Kings Norton, 17 October 1642.

 The Battle of Kings Norton 1642.

24 days after the battle of Powick Bridge (23rd September) and 6 days before Edgehill there was a small battle between Royalist horse under the command of Prince Rupert and Parliamentarian horse under the command of Lord Willoughby of Parham. Both forces were marching to join their respective armies and clashed at King’s Norton (now a suburb of Birmingham).  Not an action that gets talked about much as the supposedly invincible Royalist horse, lead by Rupert, must have been having a bad day! Lord Willoughby didn't seem to have got much praise for his achievement, he wasn’t placed to face Rupert’s wing at Edgehill, in fact he seems to have missed the battle as he was part of the escort of the heavy guns.

This photo is of a display in the local pub, 'The Navigation Inn'.

Two 95th Officers killed on the same horse?

 Lt Harry Smith, when serving in the Light Division in the Peninsular War, tells us that 2 officers in 1/95th, both called Stewart, were killed riding the same horse and only a short time apart.  I thought this was worth looking into.  He says it took place in March 1811 during the pursuit of Marshal Massena out of Portugal.  There were 3 officers with the surname Stewart in 1/95th at that time.

Cpt Hon James H K Stewart, commander of No:1 Coy 1/95th, he survived the war and seems to have been away on staff postings most of the time.  So it can not be him.

Maj John [Jack] Stewart, commanding the left wing of the Battalion in the 2nd Brigade, was severely wounded at Casal Nova 14 March 1811 and died 2 days later.  As a field officer he would have normally been mounted in combat.

Lt James Stewart, Adjutant of the 1/95th [and possibly acting Brigade Major in the 1st Brigade], was killed in action at Freixadas 28 March 1811, 2 weeks later.  As the Adjutant, again, he would have normally been mounted in combat.

So could they have been riding the same horse?  I think they could, because at the time it was customary to auction off a dead Officer’s possessions within the Regiment and send the money home to his family.  So Lt Stewart may well have bought Maj Stewart’s horse that way and so been riding it when he was killed.  It would be interesting to know if the horse was then auctioned off a second time and if anyone dared buy it?