REGIMENTS OF FOOT GUARDS
Grenadier Guards
Captain and Lieutenant Colonel Henry Fanshawe Davies
cover 1879 (22 Mar.) XU5, with contents, to France, bearing Cape 6d. tied by "1" cancellation with "CAPE TOWN/K/AP 1/79 CAPE COLONY" c.d.s., backstamped "CANNES/3E/22/AVRIL/79/ALPES-MARITIMES"; letter headed "S.S. Clyde" is dated March 22nd 1879.
Details
cover 1879 (22 Mar.) XU5, with contents, to France, bearing Cape 6d. tied by "1" cancellation with "CAPE TOWN/K/AP 1/79 CAPE COLONY" c.d.s., backstamped "CANNES/3E/22/AVRIL/79/ALPES-MARITIMES"; letter headed "S.S. Clyde" is dated March 22nd 1879.
Further details
Extract:
My command consists of 532 non-commissioned officers and men and 15 officers, six besides myself guardsmen, 3 of the 24th and the others belonging to other regiments. It is wonderful how well they all pull together although we have a slow ship badly found and a bad mess and a very monotonous voyage, there has not been up to the present time the syptom of a quarrel and I hope there won't be. It is needless to say how satisfactory this is to me. Thanks to the able assistance of all the officers and of sergeants of the guards I am taking out, we have got the ship into good order, and the men have wonderfully improved. The discipline was very lax at first and the non-commissioned officers are wretched. The men I am taking out to fill up the casualties caused by that unfortunate disaster at Isandlhwana on January 22nd. What post I am likely to occupy after handing over the drafts to the Colonel of the 24th I don't know. I hope for something good after the long journey and leaving a comfortable home.
Note:
Davies was in command of drafts for the 24th Regiment. His high hopes were dashed as he spent the duration of the campaign at Landman's Drift in command of the garrison.
My command consists of 532 non-commissioned officers and men and 15 officers, six besides myself guardsmen, 3 of the 24th and the others belonging to other regiments. It is wonderful how well they all pull together although we have a slow ship badly found and a bad mess and a very monotonous voyage, there has not been up to the present time the syptom of a quarrel and I hope there won't be. It is needless to say how satisfactory this is to me. Thanks to the able assistance of all the officers and of sergeants of the guards I am taking out, we have got the ship into good order, and the men have wonderfully improved. The discipline was very lax at first and the non-commissioned officers are wretched. The men I am taking out to fill up the casualties caused by that unfortunate disaster at Isandlhwana on January 22nd. What post I am likely to occupy after handing over the drafts to the Colonel of the 24th I don't know. I hope for something good after the long journey and leaving a comfortable home.
Note:
Davies was in command of drafts for the 24th Regiment. His high hopes were dashed as he spent the duration of the campaign at Landman's Drift in command of the garrison.