| Joseph Knox |
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| Queen’s South Africa Medal with 3 clasps Modder River, Orange Free State, Transvaal King’s South Africa Medal with 2 clasps South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 5146 Pte. J. Knox A&S Highrs |
Joseph Knox was a laborer from Paisley who joined the A&SH I June 1894 aged 18yrs and 1 month He served a total of 12
years mostly at home and was in South Africa for 2 years and 125 days. He was described as 5’4 ½" and 117lbs with a mole on
his right breast and a scar on the back of his head.
The 1st A&SH company rosters show that Knox served in H Company from17 November 1899 through 5 February 1902
Joseph Knox was reported missing at Waterval Drift on 13th Feb. 1900
years mostly at home and was in South Africa for 2 years and 125 days. He was described as 5’4 ½" and 117lbs with a mole on
his right breast and a scar on the back of his head.
The 1st A&SH company rosters show that Knox served in H Company from17 November 1899 through 5 February 1902
Joseph Knox was reported missing at Waterval Drift on 13th Feb. 1900
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The following appeared in the Stirling Observer on 3rd January 1900 and provides a contemporary view of the conditions at Modder River:
Letter from a Stirling Soldier killed at Magersfontein
The following letter received on Monday by Mr. J. M. Page, Star Hotel, Stirling, from Colour Sergeant D. Christison, Argyll & Sutherland
Highlanders, will be read with melancholy interest from the fact that the writer, who had been recommended for the Distinguished Conduct
Medal, was killed in the engagement at Magersfontein:-
Modder River Camp, 8th December 1899
Dear Jim,
I have just succeeded in “commandeering” a sheet of notepaper, and I am taking advantage of a few hours leisure to let you know I am still alive
and kicking, although up to yesterday there wasn’t much of the kick left. All the skin was burned off the back of my legs; they got burned the day
of the battle when we were lying on our faces. I don’t think I will recommend the kilt as a fighting dress in future, and I know the next fight we
are in I am going to draw my hosetops right over my knees. I hope the next fight won’t last quite so long as the last; it lasted from about 6 a.m. to
8.30 p.m. I believe the next fight will be about Monday or Tuesday at Spytfontein, about fourteen miles from here.
The Seaforths arrived yesterday but were immediately sent down the line to Graspan to drive back some Boers who were tearing up the line.
They are coming in this morning again. I don’t know how the affair went on but I believe they smashed up the enemy.
The wounded have arrived here. They nearly all belong to the Northhampton Regiment.
We have been fairly roughing it since we came out here. I have lost everything, and have nothing but what I stand up in. I haven’t had the kilt off
since we landed from the boat three weeks ago, and we consider it very lucky if we can manage to get a wash once a week. Just now we are all
right, as the river is close at hand. You wouldn’t know the regiment now if you saw us; we are brown all over. They have taken our sporrans away and
covered our kilts with khaki cloth; in fact, I believe they will be making us dye our whiskers khaki colour next. Not a man has shaved since we left
Dublin, so you can imagine what we are like.
I haven’t said anything about the battle, as I am sure you will know more about it at home than we do here. It may seem strange, but it is true.
The people at home know more about what is going on than we do here.
We have been receiving congratulatory telegrams from everyone connected with the regiment, giving us great praise for our share in the battle,
and really, I must say the regiment did very well, considering we have so many youngsters in the ranks.
The most trying part was lying down so long under fire without seeing any one to fire at. I Was rather luckier, having to retire at first, and then
chase some Boers out of a house with the bayonet, and then we had to ford the river and clear the north bank of the river. We were clearing them
beautifully with the bayonet, when a shell from our own guns burst among us. This seemed to demoralise everyone, and they all commenced to
retire. But, seeing this was my first fight, I couldn’t see my way to retire without seeing who I was retiring from, and besides, there were a lot
of wounded lying about, so a major of the North Lancashire Regiment and myself succeeded in rallying ten men of different corps and held an
enclosure. We were soon tackled by the Boers, but after we killed half-a-dozen of them, they appeared to get tired of it and cleared off, and we
managed to get all the wounded in.
I believe I have got recommended for the Distinguished Conduct Medal and the Victoria Cross for my share in this, but of course it is one thing
being recommended and quite another getting it.
We have been encamped here ever since, and I don’t know exactly when we will be moving.
This letter closes with best wished for a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Letter from a Stirling Soldier killed at Magersfontein
The following letter received on Monday by Mr. J. M. Page, Star Hotel, Stirling, from Colour Sergeant D. Christison, Argyll & Sutherland
Highlanders, will be read with melancholy interest from the fact that the writer, who had been recommended for the Distinguished Conduct
Medal, was killed in the engagement at Magersfontein:-
Modder River Camp, 8th December 1899
Dear Jim,
I have just succeeded in “commandeering” a sheet of notepaper, and I am taking advantage of a few hours leisure to let you know I am still alive
and kicking, although up to yesterday there wasn’t much of the kick left. All the skin was burned off the back of my legs; they got burned the day
of the battle when we were lying on our faces. I don’t think I will recommend the kilt as a fighting dress in future, and I know the next fight we
are in I am going to draw my hosetops right over my knees. I hope the next fight won’t last quite so long as the last; it lasted from about 6 a.m. to
8.30 p.m. I believe the next fight will be about Monday or Tuesday at Spytfontein, about fourteen miles from here.
The Seaforths arrived yesterday but were immediately sent down the line to Graspan to drive back some Boers who were tearing up the line.
They are coming in this morning again. I don’t know how the affair went on but I believe they smashed up the enemy.
The wounded have arrived here. They nearly all belong to the Northhampton Regiment.
We have been fairly roughing it since we came out here. I have lost everything, and have nothing but what I stand up in. I haven’t had the kilt off
since we landed from the boat three weeks ago, and we consider it very lucky if we can manage to get a wash once a week. Just now we are all
right, as the river is close at hand. You wouldn’t know the regiment now if you saw us; we are brown all over. They have taken our sporrans away and
covered our kilts with khaki cloth; in fact, I believe they will be making us dye our whiskers khaki colour next. Not a man has shaved since we left
Dublin, so you can imagine what we are like.
I haven’t said anything about the battle, as I am sure you will know more about it at home than we do here. It may seem strange, but it is true.
The people at home know more about what is going on than we do here.
We have been receiving congratulatory telegrams from everyone connected with the regiment, giving us great praise for our share in the battle,
and really, I must say the regiment did very well, considering we have so many youngsters in the ranks.
The most trying part was lying down so long under fire without seeing any one to fire at. I Was rather luckier, having to retire at first, and then
chase some Boers out of a house with the bayonet, and then we had to ford the river and clear the north bank of the river. We were clearing them
beautifully with the bayonet, when a shell from our own guns burst among us. This seemed to demoralise everyone, and they all commenced to
retire. But, seeing this was my first fight, I couldn’t see my way to retire without seeing who I was retiring from, and besides, there were a lot
of wounded lying about, so a major of the North Lancashire Regiment and myself succeeded in rallying ten men of different corps and held an
enclosure. We were soon tackled by the Boers, but after we killed half-a-dozen of them, they appeared to get tired of it and cleared off, and we
managed to get all the wounded in.
I believe I have got recommended for the Distinguished Conduct Medal and the Victoria Cross for my share in this, but of course it is one thing
being recommended and quite another getting it.
We have been encamped here ever since, and I don’t know exactly when we will be moving.
This letter closes with best wished for a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
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