Hello Gary, He isn't shown in the casualty lists and there could be any number of reasons why he went back to the UK to retire on half pay. It may have been at his request although he could have been 'asked to retire', possibly because his operational service wasn't considered entirely satisfactory. This wasn't unusual and many officers were replaced during the course of the war. Regards, David ----- Original Message ----- From: Gary Samson <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, June 09, 2003 8:32 PM Subject: [BOER-WAR] Request for casualty lookup: Capt S.E.D. Webb 1st Bn, York & Lancaster Regt > Hi, > > I wonder if SKS with access to a casualty list would be happy to do a lookup > for Captain Somerset Edward Deane Webb of the 1st Battalion, York and > Lancaster Regiment. I've only just started researching Captain Webb's > military career which, it seems, might have come to an early end in the Boer > War. Who's Who and Army List entries detail various operations and actions > in which he was engaged up until the middle of 1900 and then there's > nothing. He lived on until the late 1930s, joining the Remount Department > in 1914, so my guess is that he was wounded in South Africa before retiring > on half pay in 1902. Can anyone confirm this? > > Many thanks > > Gary Samson

Many thanks indeed for this, David. Two other possibilities have been suggested by folk in the village where Captain Webb had considerable influence. One is that he contracted enteric fever and was invalided home. (Would he have appeared on the casualty lists with this condition?) The other is that he was (understandably) so traumatised by what he saw in action at Spion Kop, Ladysmith, Tugela Heights and Pieters Hill that he was no longer effective as an officer. His service record exists at the National Archives and I'm hoping that this might shed some light on his military service. Thanks again for your help. Gary -----Original Message----- From: David Humphry [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 10 June 2003 19:26 To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [BOER-WAR] Request for casualty lookup: Capt S.E.D. Webb 1st Bn, York & Lancaster Regt Hello Gary, He isn't shown in the casualty lists and there could be any number of reasons why he went back to the UK to retire on half pay. It may have been at his request although he could have been 'asked to retire', possibly because his operational service wasn't considered entirely satisfactory. This wasn't unusual and many officers were replaced during the course of the war. Regards, David

Gary, Yes, both suggestions are plausible. The casualty lists show men who died of disease but not those invalided home because of disease. His service record should throw some light on the situation. Regards, David ----- Original Message ----- From: Gary Samson <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2003 9:26 PM Subject: RE: [BOER-WAR] Request for casualty lookup: Capt S.E.D. Webb 1st Bn, York & Lancaster Regt > Many thanks indeed for this, David. Two other possibilities have been > suggested by folk in the village where Captain Webb had considerable > influence. One is that he contracted enteric fever and was invalided home. > (Would he have appeared on the casualty lists with this condition?) The > other is that he was (understandably) so traumatised by what he saw in > action at Spion Kop, Ladysmith, Tugela Heights and Pieters Hill that he was > no longer effective as an officer. His service record exists at the > National Archives and I'm hoping that this might shed some light on his > military service. > > Thanks again for your help. > > Gary