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Capt. Edward Story - Letters 1884

Mostly to his mother from South Africa

2nd Dec. 1884

S 3/41 201 & 20

Aux

Horse Guards W.O.

2nd Dec 1884

Sir,

I have it in command to acknowledge the receipt of your letters of the 27th ults, and to acquaint you in reply, that HRH the Field Marshall Commanding Chief approves of Captain E.J. Story and Lieut. Gilbert, 3rd Welsh Regt., proceeding to South Africa.

I am to add that officers travelling abroad are not at liberty to offer their services with Foreign Troops. They will, however, be allowed to serve with the South African Irregular Force should Sir Chas. Warren wish to employ them - but not as Militia Officers.

I have etc.

G.B. Harman D.A. Gent
Cardiff
5th December 1884
True copy, forwarded for information & guidance.
By Order - F.L. Wade Dalton. Maj.
Adjut. 3/Welsh Regiment

Nov. 27th 1884

Mrs Story, Salisbury Lodge, Canynge Square, Clifton, Bristol, Eng.

Posted Dartmouth Nov. 28/84. Stamped Bristol & Clifton Nov. 29.

Written in pencil.

a Troop on board Pembroke Castle.

Dartmouth.

Nov 27th.

Dear Mama,

Got on board yesterday at the East India Docks and found going down to Gravesend was no good. I had a does (sic) of toothache so had the tooth pulled but the pain in me face is worse than when the toothe was in. We are just like common soldiers and have exactly the same rations - I find it very hard to eat and suffer from hunger we have to sleep in hammocks and are very tightly packed and go bumping against each other. When I first got into my hammock it went down with a bump with me as I did not know how to tie a knot. We have a jolly lot of fellows and a very fare lot. They joke and ???? all day and are as merry a lot as you ever came across.

Nov 28th

When I was writing I was in darkness so don't know whether you can read it. I am much better today with my face and had a good night's rest I am finding out all the little dodges of making oneself comfortable under the circumstances. Bowan is a regular brick he looks after me very well. With my face I have not been able to eat the hard rations and have been suffering most frightfully with pain in my inside from hunger, in a few days I expect to thoroughly enjoy the roughing. All the fellows pull well together they are mostly old army officers - fellows who have enlisted for commistion (?) - Militia officers & volunteers as fine a lot of men as ever left EEngland for Active Service. We have two troops a & B, a troop are all gentlemen - B troop a very fine lot of old soldiers - 300 men altogether - 148 in my troop - my kit is most useful the only thing I am sorry I did not bring a supply of grub - I find I am a good sailor - lots of fellows have been obliged to keep on deck. We have no conveniences like first class passengers. No stewards, waiters etc - the fellows amuse themselves shouting for imaginary steward, waiter, champagne etc. We have to tub in the morning in a very rough way - we have to get on deck and about 13 of us have a tub that has been used for all sorts of things.

You had better write to Cape Town (a troop) Methuena Irregular Cavalry - we have no name yet for corps for certain so don't know what to call it - must stop, arrived at Dartmouth with best love to all and a Medrry Xmas when it comes round (I have never paid the doctor at Winchester)

I am,

youre affect son

Edward J Story

Nov 30th 1884

In pencil

The Pembroke Castle

Sunday Nov. 30th

Dear Mama,

I was very glad to get your jolly letter at Dartmouth. We arrived at Dartmouth at 12.30 on Friday and left in about a couple of hours - I have had a very rough time of it - the pain in my face has been something awful and also have been suffering most frightfully with my moide (?) - but thank goodness I am getting over my troubles - my face is nearly all right and after a pill my moide is also nearly all right and I have now only a slight cold in my head. On Friday evening I was a bit seasick - they have treated us very badly - we were distinctly told we were going out as ordinary second class passengers and we are worse than third. We receive no pay. Our rations are a pound of bread and a pound of beef it is very hard to bye any extras. We are huddled so close together that we bump against each other in our hammocks. We have in the morning to wash about 15 if us in one round tub up on deck. Well as all the fellows say if they had known we were going to rough it during the voyage they would have brought boxes of grub on board. We are also going to have watches by day and night also drill - all the fellows are very merry and are a good lot everyone helps each other. Nearly all my troop are thorough gentlemen. It will be very hard to get promoted as there are such a lot of old regular officers with us. The cavalry work is all new to me - we have also gentlemen who have before enlisted in the Cavalry. We are getting nice warm weather now.

I thought I had more time to write but I have just been informed that if I don't post this letter tonight it won't go. I have also to read my Red Book as I have just been informed that I must instruct a Squard tomorrow.

With love to all

I am your affect son

Robert J Story

Turn over

Please address my letters

Captain Edward Story

3/Welsh Regt
Volunteer trooper
a troop Col. Methuen's Horse

Cape Colony

Dec. 16th 1884

Posted Cape Town Dec 20th.

Stamped Bristol & Clifton Jan 14th

Partly in ink, partly pencil on very thin paper.

Dear Mama

I hope in a couple of days to land in Cape Town. I am very fit now but have had a rough time of it the first week or so. I was awfully bad with my face I found out the wretched dentist had broken the tooth and had left a bit in. We certainly rough it on board but I am getting quite accustomed to it and is good training for the hard work we have to go through the worst part of it is the washing part of the business you would not know me I am simply a dirty pig - I try to be as clean as possible but the boat is so dirty that as soon as you wash you get as bad as ever. Besides without water you cannot get clean. It is a rum sort of life we get up at 6am in the morning and have to do up our hammocks and bung them up on deck and stow them away. We have breakfast at 8am.

Before breakfast I tub by having the hose turned on me - Dinner 1pm tea 5pm - we have a pound of bread or biscuit a day and a pound of meat we buy sardines and butter. It is dreadful the accommodation we sleep and live in the places where they generally have the cargo and as one of the sailors said to me the other day that you gentlemen are the cargo this trip and we are not much better. But I am well and in good training for the rough work - I am rather disgusted though a lot of the fellows have been promoted but to Sergeants, one or two of them do not know anything simply through favour. Another Militia officer called Caster instructor to his Regt. and an old chum of mine and myself have been instructing squads for nearly three hours a day for no pay have not even a Lance Corporal's stripe and would you believe it but we were told by the Sergeant Major with our first Class certificates that we should have to fall in and be drilled in the very work that we have been instructing this Regt. during the voyage by an ordinary sergeant who does not know this work - caster went through it all right much to his disgust but I have not yet. I have had my uniform issued out to me all except my tent we are like a whole lot of convicts I don't know what is going to happen to us when we arrive in Cape Town.

We have had on the whole a lovely voyage, I was only one night a little seasick. But I was seasick without beting wretched with it - I was seasick in the evening and again in the morning I was sitting down to breakfast laughing and talking away when all of a sudden I had to bolt and then came back and had a good breakfast - I was awfully hot in the tropics down below - One good thing a lot of fellows sleep up on deck but even so I can tell you the atmosphere down below in the mornings is very trying.

Dec 19th (in pencil) Cape Town.

We arrived here today and have been enrolled today we are in barracks and jolly glad I am to get off the ship I should have enjoyed the voyage very much if we had not been so crowded together, anyway I enjoyed it on the whole and has done me a lot of good. I learnt a wonderful loy of little dodges for getting grub etc. I should have liked you to have seen us when we fed with our coats off, shirt sleeves rolled up very dirty hands. We have only one plate for everything.

We shall only be a couple of days when we go up to Hope Town 550 miles from here we go by train - we are now divided into 8 troops, 3 troops leave for Hope Town today - But I do not - I am in No. 5 troop with a rare good lot of fellows. Bowen is in it too. He is a rare good chap - we expect some fighting - I expect you know more about it than I do at present because of course we have not seen any papers.

Dec 20th.

We leave today for Hope Town and will have fighting the people here think that our Regt are as fine a lot of men as they have ever seen in fact the finest Regt. in the Colony - I will send you my will from Hope Town - I have to finish letter as we parade.

So goodbye hoping you had a Merry Xmas

with best love to all at home

I am your affect son

EJ Story.

This will is written in blue pencil as follows (a copy)

I Edward Joseph Story ---- No 146 of the 1st Regt. of Mounted Rifles do hereby revoke all former wills by me made, and declare this to be my last will after payment of my just debts and funeral expenses I give my mother Caroline Sophia Kennyth Story, Salisbury Lodge, Canynge Square, Clifton absolutely for the dole and separate use her receipt alone being sufficient discharge the whole of my Estate and Effects and everything that I can be law or dispose of and I appoint my brother Robert Story (Capt. Retired pay) William O. Story RN Executors of this will.

In witness where off I have here-unto set my hand this day of Dec AD-84

Edward J Story

Signed and acknowledged by the said Edward J Story the same having been read over to him previously as and for his last will in the presence of us at the time who in his presence and at his request and in the presence of each other have here with subscriubed our names as witnesses.

Aubrey de Vere
29 Albany Street,
Pimlico

Edward Mach
No. 1 Tuns Lane
London

Declaration by Medical Officer.

I declare that I was present at the Execution of the will and that Edward J Story the Testator was at the time in a fit state of mind to execute the same.

Dec. 27th 1884

Envelope headed on Active Service, countersigned JM Gawnspape (?), 17th Rifles, Officer Commanding.

Stamped Orange River Station, Dec 29th, Bristol & Clifton Jan 20th 1885.

Written in mauve pencil.

Langford Clump,

Girqueland,

S. Africa Dec. 27th.

1st Mounted Rifles (Methuen's Horse)

Dear Mama

The last time I wrote I was in Cape Town, we left Cape Town the day I posted my letter about 6 o'clock in the evening (Sat Dec. 20th). We we were 5 in a carriage very bad about class. We travelled all day and all night 500 miles and arrived at Orange River Station about 10 miles from Hope Town on Monday morning at 12.30pm Dec 22nd. The heat was frightful travelling but some way or another it did not tire me vewry much. We travelled through a regular desert - Everything is dried up I cannot make out how people can live in such a barren country food and everything is at such a fearful price.

From the Orange River Station we had to march 10 miles to the camp here. We left Orange River Station at 5pm in the evening but was not able to reach here until 5am on account of getting the baggage wagons along as they stuck in the sand every 50yds we had a halt for about 3 hours and had to sleep out - We were all glad to get into camp. The heat is frightful but we are in great luck to be in camp by the Orange River and can bathe twice a day. I feel very well and am in very good health - the only thing I suffer from is frightful thirst and I feel the want of a good dinner - we have several men knocked up with sunstroke one or two with camp fever - we have no drill but continual fatigues - I have to dig and to cart things about and most wonderful things I have to do. What the men complain of, and I do, that they have not given us our full kits.

We have had to eat our grub out of one great pot pulling out our food with our hands. On Xmas day I was on guard. It was a new sensation for me to do sentry work which is rather hard work out walking for 2 hours at a time in the hot sun. The great pity is that the NC Officers do not know their drill. I was posted sentry by a corporal who did not know what to do at first. It seemed so queer to be a sentry and to be marched up and down by a man who knew nothing about it and I the sentry had only a few months ago had been working up a Regt. - in guard mounting and sentry work. I at last could not stand it and I spoke to Col. Colten who is second in command. He told me he thought Col. Methuen was keeping a good billet for me - only at opresent it is very annoying to be ordered about by men who do not know their work.

I enclose my will & I am going to make out a duplicate one and leave it with the C.O. I hope it will be all right - I don't know whether we are going to fight we have had a couple of alarms - I think we will fight. We shall shortly move more to the front - I hope you have had a merry Xmas at home. It is very difficult to write a letter so this must be for everyone.

So good bye with best love

I am your affect son E.J. Story

Please tell Evans that Bowen is flourishing, he is cook now.

Owner of original	1884
Linked to	Capt. Edward Joseph Story