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23066 Sapper
JOHN GEORGE WICKHAM
Royal Engineers 

By 

Lieutenant Colonel Edward De Santis, MSCE, BSAE, PE, MinstRE
(January 2025) 

Figure 1. A U.K. Postman, circa 1900.
(Image courtesy of Wikipedia) 

1. INTRODUCTION  

The image in Figure 1 above is not that of John George Wickham, although it might show what he looked like during the period following the Boer War when he was delivering mail in Crewe, Sussex.  Wickham was a veteran of that war and like many other men had children born in the 1890s.  He had two sons who served in the Great War of 1914-1918.  One of his sons was severely wounded and the second died of disease.  His family’s story is a sad one that was suffered by many families during this period.  The narrative that follows is an attempt to tell the story of John George Wickham and his sons using available information found on the Internet and other sources. 

2. FAMILY INFORMATION 

John George Wickham was born in Brighton, Sussex in April 1865.  He was the son of Michael Wickham (1836-1867) and Amelia Wickham, née Morley (1836-1909).  Since Michael Wickham was deceased in 1871, the census taken that year shows young John living within the household of his maternal grandfather. 

1871 Census of England

By the time of the 1881 Census of England, young John George Wickham was living with a new family in Brighton, Sussex. 

1881 Census of England

Amlia Wickham had married a man by the name of Langridge after the death of Michael Wickham.  She then took a position as the Keeper of a Lodging House at 22 Buckingham Road where she had a son James Henry by her second marriage.  John George Wickham and his sister Charlotte moved into the Lodging house with their mother. 

3.      PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION 

The following is a description of John George Wickham at the time of his enlistment in the Royal Engineers in 1888: 

The above description of Wickham was made on 11 August 1888 at the time of a medical examination performed to determine his fitness to serve in the Army.  He was determined to be physically fit.

4.  ENLISTMENT AND TRAINING[1] 

Enlistment

Wickham was recruited for enlistment in the Royal Engineers on 11 August 1888 at Brighton by Sergeant M. Whalen of the Royal Sussex Regiment.  He was attested as a Sapper in the Royal Engineers on 13 August.  At the time of his attestation he indicated that his civil trade was Carpenter and that he had been living in his parent’s house at Brighton.  He stated that he was not an Apprentice, not married and had never been sentenced or imprisoned by Civil Power.  He further stated that he was not a member of Her Majesty’s military or naval forces, that he had never previously served in Her Majesty’s military or naval forces, that he had never received a bad conduct discharge from the forces and had never been rejected as unfit for service. 

Wickham indicated that he was willing to be vaccinated or re-vaccinated and that he was willing to serve for a period of 12 years in the Corps of Royal Engineers.  His Certificate of Primary Military Examination was issued on 15 August 1888 and it was determined that he was  fit for service in the Royal Engineers.  The fact that he had been a carpenter and joiner in civil life made him a primary candidate for service in the Corps.  His attestation was certified by the Commanding Officer, Royal Sussex Regiment Depot on 15 August and he was duly sworn in as 23066 Sapper John George Wickham, R.E.

Training 

Following the administrative actions involved with his enlistment, Sapper Wickham was sent off for his recruit training to the School of Military Engineering (SME) at Brompton Barracks in Chatham, Kent for about a year.  With the exception of Drivers, every recruit enlisted for the Royal Engineers had to have a trade.  Pioneers and Sappers were sent to Chatham where they were trained in infantry drill and pioneer duties.  The engineer recruits also received musketry training.  When the course of training was completed the recruits had to pass an examination and were then transferred to engineer formations, where they received higher pay and could earn extra allowances by working at their special trades.  As he was a carpenter and joiner in civil life, the SME probably provided instruction for Wickham to improve his skills in that trade.

4.      POSTINGS, ASSIGNMENTS AND CAMPAIGN SERVICE

Chatham (1888-1890) 

On 29 March 1889, while at Chatham, Sapper Wickham was awarded a Third Class Certificate of Education.  The Third Class Certificate specified the standard for promotion to the rank of corporal: the candidate was to read aloud and to write from dictation passages from an easy narrative, and to work examples in the four compound rules of arithmetic and the reduction of money.[2]   

Wickham was awarded Good Conduct Pay at the rate of one pence (1d.) per day on 13 August 1890.  For good conduct, which means that the soldier had never been punished for an offense against regulations, he received this additional pay.  He also was authorized to wear a badge in the shape of an inverted  “V”, pointing upwards, on the lower sleeve of the left arm.  The first of these badges was awarded after 2 years of service.[3]  

Shorncliffe (1891) 

The 1891 Census of England shows that Sapper Wickham was at Shorncliffe Camp at Hythe, Kent on 5 April 1891 under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Allan Joseph Champneys Cunningham, R.E., presumably the commandant of the camp at that time.  As Hythe was the location of the School of Musketry at that time, Wickham and his unit probably were in training there. 

On 12 August 1891 Wickham was transferred to the 1^st Class Army Reserve, having completed his three years of active service.  

Army Reserve (1891-1899) 

Following his transfer to the Army Reserve, Wickham quickly settled into civil life.  On 9 June 1892 he was appointed a Postman, without competition, in Crewe, Cheshire.[4]  “Without  competition” appears to indicate that when applying for the position there was no other candidate vying for it, so Wickham was simply selected. 

Now with a steady job John George Wickham married Emma Street (1865-1955) in July 1892 at Wybunbury, Cheshire.[5]  Their first child, Edmund Cecil Wickham (1893-1962) was born in Crewe on 10 December 1893.  Their second child, Malcolm John Wickham (1895-1918) also was born in Crewe, in July 1895. 

South Africa (1899-1900) 

On 4 December 1899 Sapper Wickham was recalled by the Army for service in the South African War against the Boers.  He was posted to the 38^th Field Company, R.E. and on 17 December he sailed for South Africa.  The company was assigned to the Sixth Infantry Division under the Commander Royal Engineers (CRE) Lieutenant Colonel Philip Thomas Buston, R.E.[6]  

Officers of the 38th Field Company Shown in Figure 3 

Major Alexander William Roper, Officer Commanding, who is seated center, with Captain Edward Dashwood Haggitt, Second-in-Command (seated left) and Lieutenant Paget Kemmis Betty (seated right), while behind them stand (left to right) Second Lieutenants Harold St. John Lloyd Winterbotham, Crofton Edward Pym Sankey, and Philip Osbert Gordon Usborne, with Captain Hodgens, R.A.M.C. 

The 38^th Field Company was well employed upon the line of communications, where the presence of the Engineers had been very necessary. The company was provided with a large amount of equipment consisting of tools, explosives, and other technical materials to enable it to undertake all necessary engineering operations, including the construction of field defences, entrenchments, such as were used for sapping the enemy's position, making or destroying railways, roads, and other field engineering projects. The company carried bridging material to enable small streams and rivers to be crossed without the help of the pontooning troops. In an ordinary way, the company was able to build a bridge 45 feet long for the passage of all arms, and light bridging to the extent of 75 feet for infantry. When field fortification was to be undertaken upon a large scale, the company could superintend the work, which was mainly executed by working parties supplied by the infantry. The company, however, would provide labour as well as necessary tools from its organic equipment.[7] 

Wickham and his company took part in the following major actions during the war: 

The Relief of Kimberley (11-15 February 1900) 

For the relief of Kimberley the British force was concentrated along the railway from Graspan Station to the Modder River by February 10^th and on the 12^th the Cavalry Division marched by Ramdam to the Riet River, the Field Troop, R.E. and C Pontoon Troop, R.E. being with the centre brigade. It had been intended to cross at Waterval Drift, but this was found to be strongly held by the Boers, and the cavalry crossed at De Kiel's Drift, five miles higher up the river. They were followed by the Seventh Division, which arrived in the evening. The next morning, the cavalry started for the Modder River, and reached Klip Drift after a march of 36 miles. The Field Troop crossed the Modder, and accompanied the cavalry in the rapid march for the relief of Kimberley, which was reached late on February 15^th after a skirmish north of Klip Drift, where the Boer position was carried by a cavalry charge, one of the brilliant episodes of the war.  C Pontoon Troop, R.E. and the 38^th Field Company arrived at the Modder with the Sixth Division on the 14^th .[8] 

Map 1. The Siege of Kimberley.
(Image courtesy of Wikipedia) 

The Battle of Paardeberg (18-27 February 1900) 

Kimberley having been thus relieved after a siege of four months, Lord Roberts devoted his attention to the Boer army under General Cronje, which had stopped Lord Methuen’s advance, and which was, at this time, attempting to make good its retreat to Bloemfontein, along the north bank of the Modder River. Cronje succeeded in getting past the British force at Klip Drift, and formed a laager near Paardeberg Drift on the north bank of the river, while the British took up a position with the infantry on the south, and the cavalry on the north of the Modder and east of the Boer laager, so as to cut the road between Cronje and Bloemfontein. The Field Troop remained with the cavalry, while with the infantry were the 7^th , 9^th and 38^th Field Companies and the Balloon Section. 

Map 2.  The Battle of Paardeberg.
(Image courtesy of Wikipedia) 

An attempt was made to capture the laager on February 18^th , but it was not successful, and Lord Roberts, who had been away from the force at the time, decided on his return to reduce the Boers to submission by investment. Trenches were commenced and pushed on towards the laager both from east and west, the work on the east side being carried out by Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Charles Maxwell, R.E. with the 9th and 38th Field Companies, and that on the west by Lieutenant Colonel William Francis Henry Style Kincaid, R.E. and the 7th Field Company. By February 26^th the 19^th Infantry Brigade and the 7^th Company had made a trench nearly 500 yards long on the right bank of the Modder, and another trench on the left bank, and the approaches had got so close to the Boer entrenchments that it was decided to make a night attack on the latter. The assault was made by Major-General Smith-Dorrien with the 19^th Brigade, of which the Royal Canadian Regiment and a detachment of the 7^th Field Company under Lieut.-Colonel Kincaid formed the vanguard. The latter got within 100 yards of the Boer trenches without being observed, and then, about 3 a.m., a heavy fire was opened upon them, and the sappers with some of the Canadians succeeded in entrenching themselves close to the enemy’s lines. By 5 a.m. the trench was completed, and fire was opened at short range on the Boers, who, after defending themselves for a time, made proposals for surrender. Shortly afterwards, a white flag was hoisted over the main laager, and Cronje submitted unconditionally, feeling that resistance was no longer possible, and gave himself up to Lord Roberts, followed by the whole of his force, about 4,000 fighting men, who were sent as prisoners to Cape Town. The action of the 7^th Company in this battle was highly commended by Lord Roberts, who inspected them the same day and congratulated them on their gallant conduct.[9] 

The Battle of Driefontein (10 March 1900) 

Map 3. The Battle of Driefontein.
(Image courtesy of Wikipedia) 

The 38^th Company remained with the Sixth Division, while the 26^th Company, which had been brought up from Modder River Station joined the Seventh Division, taking the place of the 9^th Company, while the latter was detailed for work with the Corps Troops. All was ready for an advance on March 6^th and the following morning, the Cavalry Division started on its march round the left flank of the Boer position, while the Sixth Infantry Division attacked it in front, and, after some hard fighting, the enemy were compelled to retreat, but de Wet, who was in command, succeeded in re-forming them at Abraham’s Kraal and Driefontein, having managed to get away from Poplar’s Grove before the cavalry could cut off his communications. After some further fighting the Boers retreated in disorder, and dispersed, leaving the way to Bloemfontein open to the British Army. General French then pushed on with the 1^st Cavalry Brigade, with which were the 2^nd and 3^rd Sections of the Field Troop, and the 1^st Section of the Telegraph Division, and, on the afternoon of March 12^th , Lieutenant James Ronald Edmonston Charles, R.E. was sent forward with a small party to cut the railway south of Bloemfontein near Ferreira Spruit siding. The same evening Major Aylmer Gould Hunter-Weston, R.E. was entrusted by General French with the task of cutting the railway north of Bloemfontein a dangerous duty, as it was necessary to ride round the east of the town through the Boer lines. Taking with him Lieutenant Charles and three sappers of the Field Troop, together with Sergeant Englehart and two pioneers of the 10^th Hussars, Hunter-Weston started at 1 a.m., and, after eluding the Boer patrols, and cutting the telegraph line, reached the railway at 4.30 a.m. and destroyed the lines with dynamite charges. The duty having been successfully accomplished, the party withdrew as quietly as possible, but came across a Boer patrol, which opened fire upon them. Hunter-Weston ordered his men to charge the enemy, and they succeeded in forcing their way through, but with considerable difficulty. This daring and successful exploit proved of great importance, as it led to the capture of 35 locomotives, and over 100 carriages and wagons, which the Boers had been unable to remove on account of the break in the line.  There was little further resistance on the part of the Boers, and on March 13^th Lord Roberts entered Bloemfontein with the British Army.[10] 

Sapper Wickham was invalided home on 14 May 1900 while his company remained in South Africa.  It appears that he was temporarily posted, for administrative purposes, to the 59^th Field Company at Chatham while awaiting his discharge.  He was allowed to return to his duties as a Postman in Crewe and resided with his family at 21 Lord Street.  

Figure 4.  The Wickham Home (right) at 21 Lord Street in Crewe, Cheshire.
(Image courtesy of Google Earth) 

The 1901 Census of England

On 21 November 1901 John George Wickham was discharged from the Army at Chatham on termination of his 1^st period of limited engagement.  At the time of his discharge he was rated as a “Good” Carpenter and in December 1901 he was paid the £5 South African War gratuity.

5.      MEDALS, AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

For his service in the Boer War Sapper Wickham was awarded the Queen’s South Africa medal with clasps [PAARDEBERG][DRIEFONTEIN] and [RELIEF OF KIMBERLEY].  The roll awarding him this medal was prepared at Kroonstad, South Africa on 19 July 1901 while the 38^th Field Company was still in South Africa.[11] 

 6.      POST SERVICE LIFE

In 1921 Wickham, his wife and his unmarried son Edmund were living at 19 Lord Street in Crewe, the house next door to their previous residence at 21 Lord Street.  Wickham was still working as a Postman.

Figure 6.  19 Lord Street, Crewe, Cheshire.
(Image courtesy of Google Earth) 

John George Wickham died on 7 March 1942.  At the time of his death he and his wife were living at 75 Lord Street in Crewe.  It seems that Wickham spent the greatest part of his life living in different residences on Lord Street.  Wickham left his effects of £292, 6 shillings and 8 pence (about $22,710 US in 2024 currency) to his widow Emma. 

 7.   FAMILY AND PERSONAL INFORMATION

Siblings 

John George Wickham had a half-brother, James Henry Langridge (1875-1952) born at Hurstpierpoint, Sussex on 14 June 1875.  He also had a sister, Charlotte Amelia Wickham (1863-?) born in Brighton, Sussex in January 1963.

Children 

Edmund Cecil Wickham(1893-1962) 

The Wickham’s first son, Edmund Cecil Wickham, enlisted in the Royal Army Medical Corps, 88606 Private, for service in the Great War on 5 November 1914.  During the war he was severely wounded in the right leg fracturing his tibia.  He was discharged from the Army on 10 May 1918 with a 70 percent disability due to his wound and was awarded the Silver Wound Badge number 364272.  It is likely that he also was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal, although a copy of his Medal Index Card could not be located.  After his discharge he resided for a while at 21 Lora Place in Crewe. 

Figure 9.  The Discharge Card of 88606 Private Edmund Cecil Wickham, R.A.M.C.
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com)

Edmund’s disability pension commenced on 11 August 1918.  In 1921 he was working for W.H. Smith & Sons as a Bookseller’s Assistant and was living at 21 Lord Street in Crewe.

On 5 July 1925 he married Winnie Lewis at St. Paul’s Church in Crewe. 

Malcolm John Wickham (1895-1918) 

The Wickham’s youngest son enlisted in the 8^th (King’s Royal Irish) Hussars for service in the Great War, probably at the regimental depot in Dublin.  By August 1914 the regiment had moved to Ambala in India where it formed part of the Ambala Cavalry Brigade.
The 8^th Hussars moved with the brigade to France as part of the 1^st Indian Cavalry Division at the start of the Great War.[13] 

The 8th Hussars entered the trenches on the Western Front for the first time on 9 December 1914, not having arrived in time to take any part in the Retreat from Mons. The first action that the 8^th encountered was in December 1914 at the Battle of Givenchy. The majority of their time was spent sending large parties forward to dig trenches and this continued for the whole of the war. In May 1915, they took part in the Second battle of Ypres where the Germans first used chlorine gas. In September 1915 the 8th Hussars transferred to the 2^nd Indian Cavalry Division.  H/11799 Private Edmund Cecil Wickham joined the regiment in France on 17 October 1915.[14] 

The majority of the regiment’s casualties during the war occurred from the unsanitary conditions of the trenches, the cavalry being held almost exclusively in reserve, waiting for "the gap" constantly warned off, but never used. In July 1916, the King's Royal Irish Hussars fought at Bazentin, then Flers-Courcelette the following month, both battles being in the Somme area. They returned to the Somme area in March 1917 to clear the small pockets of machine guns left by the retreating Germans. They took part in what would be the regiment's last mounted charge at Villers-Faucon when “B” and “D” Squadrons, supported by a howitzer battery and two armoured cars, attacked a heavily defended German position. “B” Squadron charged, then attacked on foot (the armoured cars were quickly put out of action) and drew the enemy's fire. “D” Squadron charged and captured the village with few casualties. The Squadron Commander, Major Van der Byl, was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for the action. Two Maxim machine guns were captured in this action and have been used as guardroom adornments by the 8th Hussars and successor regiments since 1918. During the German spring offensive of 1918, "C" Squadron under Captain Adlercron, defended the village of Hervilly until being forced to retreat, only to recapture it later that day at the loss of 66 casualties.[15]

In March 1918, the regiment was transferred to the 9^th Cavalry Brigade, 1^st Cavalry Division, and on 11 March, they came on the British War Establishment. “D” squadron was absorbed into the others. The Germans began to collapse soon after the allies began their final offensive in August, the 8^th Hussars fighting at St Quentin, Beaurevoir and Cambrai and the Pursuit to Mons. On 11 November 1918, whilst camped at Maffles, the regiment heard that the Armistice had been signed. The 8^th Hussars had 105 soldiers killed and countless wounded throughout the four years of the war.[16]

At some point, probably near the end of the war, Private Wickham was transferred to Egypt.  No information could be uncovered regarding this transfer.  He died there on 15 October 1918 of malaria and was buried in the Damascus Commonwealth Cemetery, Row B, Grave 30.[17]   

REFERENCES 

Books 

1.      CONOLLY, T.W.J.  Roll of Officers of the Corps of Royal Engineers From 1660 to 1898.  The Royal Engineers Institute, Chatham, Kent, 1898.

2.      GRIERSON, J.M.  Scarlet Into Khaki: The British Army on the Eve of the Boer War.  Greenhill Books, London, 1988.

3.      ROBINSON, C.N. (editor). The Transvaal War Album: The British Forces in South Africa, George Newnes, London, ca. 1910.

4.      SKELLEY, A.R.  The Victorian Army At Home: The Recruitment and Terms and Conditions of the British Regular, 1859-1899.  Mc Gill-Queen’s University Press, Montreal, 1977.

5.      WATSON, C.M.  The History of the Corps of Royal Engineers.  Volume III.  The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, Kent, 1954.

Census 

1. 1871 Census of England (RG 10/1000).

2. 1881 Census of England (RG 11/1088).

3. 1891 Census of England (RG 12/751).

4. 1901 Census of England (RG 13/3355).

5. 1911 Census of England and Wales.

6. 1921 Census of England.  

Civil Documents 

1. UK, 1942 Probate Calendar, p. 283.

2. Letter, Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood, 19 July 1978.

3. Marriage Certificate, Edmund Cecil Wickham and Winnie Lewis, 5 July 1926.  

Family Trees 

1. Ancestry.com: John George Wickham by George Edwards.

2. Ancestry.com: Michael Wickham (father) by George Edwards.

3. Ancestry.com: Malcolm John Wickham (son) by George Edwards.  

Internet Web Sites 

1. Anglo-Boer War.

file:///C:/Users/DeSantis/OneDrive/Desktop/Royal%20Engineers%20Research/Royal%20Engineers%20in%20South%20Africa%201899-1902/Anglo%20Boer%20War%20-%20Royal%20Engineers.htm

2. Wikipedia: Relief of Kimberley.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Kimberley

3. Wikipedia: Battle of Paardeberg.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Paardeberg

4. Wikipedia: Battle of Driefontein. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Driefontein

5.      The Long, Long Trail: The Hussars (Regiments of the Cavalry of the Line).

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/cavalry-regiments/the-hussars/

6.      Wikipedia: 8^th King’s Royal Irish Hussars.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8th_King%27s_Royal_Irish_Hussars

London Gazette 

1. The London Gazette, 14 June 1892, p. 3461.

2. The London Gazette, 12 May 1925, pp. 3202 and 3203.  

Military Documents 

1. Medal card of 88606 Private Edmund Cecil Wickham, R.A.M.C.

2. Medal Index Card of 11799 Private Malcolm John Wickham, 8^th Hussars.

3. Pension Form No. S.B. 36 (Edmund Cecil Wickham).

4. Dependant’s Pension Form. Malcolm J. Wickham.

5. War Badge Roll, Royal Army Medical Corps.

6. Commonwealth War Graves Commission Memorial for 11799 Private M.J. Wickham, 8^th (King’s Royal Irish) Hussars.

7. Medal Roll, Queen’s South Africa Medal, 38^th Field Company, Royal Engineers, Kroonstad, 19 July 1901 (WO 100/158).  

Soldier’s Service Papers 

1. Short Service Attestation (Army Form B. 217).

2. Description on Enlistment.

3. Statement of Services.

4. Military History Sheet.  

ENDNOTES