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23068 Foreman of Works Quartermaster Sergeant
EDWARD HOSKISON
(aka Isaac Edward R. Hoskison)
Royal Engineers  

by  

Lieutenant Colonel Edward De Santis, MSCE, P.E., MInstRE
(2003, revised June 2022)  

Figure 1.  Crest of the Corps of Royal Engineers (Victorian)
(Image courtesy of Stuart Gase)  

1.  INTRODUCTION  

            To begin the story of Edward Hoskison’s life and military service it is first necessary to discuss his name.  All of his military service papers show his name to be Edward Hoskison.  A family tree found on Amazon.com as part of the Lane family tree (see Reference section below) shows his name as Isaac Edward R. Hoskison.  Wherever family information was provided by Hoskison for his military records that family information coincides exactly with information found in the Lane family tree.  The Lane family tree does not reference Hoskison’s service papers, so it must be assumed that the information was obtained independently from the military papers; therefore, the name Isaac Edward R. Hoskison must also be assumed to have been his full name.  For reasons known only to him, he chose to call himself Edward Hoskison when he enlisted in the Army.  He will be referred to as Edward Hoskison throughout this research except where his name is cited in a document using his full name.        

            Unless otherwise noted, the majority of the details supplied in this narrative were extracted from Hoskison’s service papers, WO97/5161, obtained from the Public Record Office at Kew, Richmond, Surrey.[1]  Secondary sources are primarily Hoskison’s family tree and census data from 1871 to 1911. 

2.  EARLY LIFE AND FAMILY INFORMATION  

Early Life

            Edward Hoskison was born in the Parish of Patrington,[2] near the Town of Hull[3] in the County of Yorkshire in February of 1867.  As stated in his service papers, he and his family were members of the Church of England.              As a young man, Hoskison worked as a Surveyor's Apprentice for Mr. W.H. Wellsted of Hull.  He also appears to have had some skills as a draughtsman.  The knowledge and skills he gained while working for Mr. Wellsted undoubtedly was considered an asset when he decided to enlist in the Corps of Royal Engineers since surveyor and draughtsman were both considered to be Corps Trades.

Family Information

            Edward’s father, Thomas Hoskison (1817-1879) was born in Wilnecote, Warwickshire on 6 May 1917.  He married Sarah Atkinson (1828-1861) at Patrington, East Yorkshire on 2 November 1847.  Thomas and Sarah had six children before Sarah died in October 1861 at the age of 33.  Thomas married Ann Dunn (1833-1917) in Patrington on 5 April 1864.  They had three children; Frances Mary Hoskison (1865-1867), Isaac Edward R. Hoskison (1867-1922) and Olive A.T. Hoskison (1869-1950).

            Since Edward was born in 1867 the first census in which he appears is the 1871 Census of England, the details of which are shown in the table below.  The 1871 census form is rather difficult to interpret because it does not indicate the road or street name next to the residence of each family.  In the Description of Enumeration District on the census form the Enumerator, on Mr, Alexander P. Firth, lists a number of lanes and roadways where people were living and he numbered the houses sequentially from Humber Lane to Wineshead Road.  He did not indicate the road of the Hoskison residence, only to assign it number 11 on the road.   

1871 Census of England (RG 10/4798)

NOTE: The census shows that Ann Elizabeth Hoskison (1852-?), a daughter by Thomas’s first wife, was living in her father’s household at the time.  Ann was the eldest of Thomas’s children by his first wife.

The size of the Hoskison family was much reduced by 1881 as shown in the census below.

1881 Census of England (RG 11/4785)

            Thomas Hoskison had died in 1879 so Ann became the head of the family and appears to have taken over the family business.  Ann Elizabeth Hoskison had left the household and was probably out on her own.  The family tree provided no information about her in 1881.  She may have married.  There was no domestic servant working in the house in 1881, presumably because Ann Hoskison could not afford to pay a servant after her husband died. 

            Hoskison's military records show that prior to his enlistment in the Army in 1888 he lived with his mother, Ann Hoskison, at 7 Jarrett Street in Hull, Yorkshire.[4] 

Figure 2.  7 Jarrett Street, Hull.
(Photograph courtesy of Google Earth)  

3.  PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION  

By the standards of the late Victorian period, Edward Hoskison was a big man.  The following is a description of him at the time he enlisted in the Army in 1888:

 The following is a description of Edward Hoskison at the time he was discharged from the Army in 1909:

 4.  ENLISTMENT AND TRAINING  

Enlistment

            Edward Hoskison was recruited for enlistment in the Royal Engineers on 15 August 1888 by a Sergeant Bushby of the East Yorkshire Regiment at the 15^th Regimental District depot in Beverley, Yorkshire.  At the time of his enlistment he was asked the routine questions normally put to a recruit.  He indicated that he had been an Apprentice, that he was not married and that he had never been imprisoned by civil power.  He further indicated that he had never served in the Regular Army, Royal Navy or Militia, he had never been previously discharged from Her Majesty's forces and that he had never been rejected as unfit for military service.  In fact, prior to his enlistment, he had served in the 2^nd East Yorkshire Artillery Volunteers with headquarters located at Hull, apparently for only one day.[6]

                Hoskison attested for service at Beverley on the same day as his enlistment.  His was a Short Service enlistment for a period of 7 years with the Colours and 5 years in the Reserve.[7]  Lieutenant Colonel J. McD. Allardice, the commander of the 15th Regimental District, certified his attestation.  Hoskison's Certificate of Final Medical Examination was completed by J. Hoysted, the Brigade Surgeon at Beverley.  He was found to be fit for service in the Army by "Special Authority."  There is no indication in his service papers describing this "Special Authority" or why it was required.  It appears that Hoskison may have had some medical condition that ordinarily would have made him unfit for service.  It appears, however, that his civil trades as a Surveyor's Assistant and as a Draughtsman may have been sufficient for his condition to be waived.

            A Primary Military Examination was administered to Hoskison at Beverley by the Recruiting Officer of the 15^th Regimental District.  He was certified fit for service in the Royal Engineers, no doubt because of his prior training and skills as a Surveyor's Assistant and Draughtsman.  Following these certifications, Lieutenant Colonel Allardice gave his final certification of Hoskison's enlistment as the Approving Field Officer. 

Training

            Hoskison reported to the School of Military Engineering at Brompton Barracks in Chatham, Kent on 17 August 1888.  There he was assigned Regimental Number 23068 and the rank of Sapper.  His skills as a draughtsman were evaluated upon his arrival at Chatham and were noted to be "Good."  He then entered into a period of recruit training to learn the skills required of an engineer soldier.[8]

            Sapper Hoskison’s training began with the basics that were required for each man to learn to be a soldier.  This involved military customs, the wearing of his uniform and insignia, military discipline and the use, care and maintenance of his weapon.  Following a period of basic training, Hoskison then received the training necessary to make him an engineer soldier.  This involved such field engineering subjects as tunnelling, trench-building, bridging and other skills necessary to support the infantry, cavalry and artillery in the field.  

5.  ASSIGNMENTS AND CAMPAIGN SERVICE  

Chatham (1888-1892)

            Upon completion of his recruit training it appears that Sapper Hoskison remained at Chatham and completed a course of instruction as a Draughtsman.  Although he was a "Good" Draughtsman when he enlisted, the Army wanted to provide him with additional training probably so that he could learn the elements of military drawing.  His total time at Chatham appears to have been on the order of three and a half years, or about two years beyond what would normally have been his recruit training. 

The Curragh (1892-1894)

            Following a period of leave, Hoskison left Chatham for the Curragh in Ireland.  As with so many records of soldiers in the Royal Engineers during the Victorian period, his service papers do not show to which unit he was posted at this time.  During the time that Hoskison served at the Curragh, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) was Major-General Lord Ralph Drury Kerr, CB (1837-1916).[9]  The garrison then consisted of the 1^st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment, the 1^st Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers and the 2^nd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment (31st Foot). In 1894, the Worcestershires were replaced by the 2^nd Battalion the Hampshire Regiment.  The units of the Royal Engineers that were at the Curragh for various periods during his time there were the 12^th, 17^th and 23^rd Field Companies and the 29^th Fortress Company.  Hoskison could have served in any one of these units.

            It appears that Hoskison served at the Curragh for a period of two to two and half years before being posted to Aldershot.  Again, his service papers are not specific with regard to his date of transfer or the unit to which he was posted.

Aldershot (1894-1895)

            While at Aldershot Hoskison was promoted to the rank of 2^nd Corporal.  It appears that Army life agreed with him, for on 30 July 1895 he extended his enlistment to complete 12 years with the Colours.[10]  The 23^rd and 38^th Field Companies were at Aldershot during 1894 and 1895, so it is possible that Hoskison served with one of these units. In fact, if he had served with the 23^rd Field Company in the Curragh, he may have transferred with that company when it moved to Aldershot.  His daughter Anne Esther was born while he was serving at Aldershot.  

Bermuda (1895-1899)

            On 5 November 1895, Hoskison left England for his new posting to the 36^th (Fortress) Company on the island of Bermuda.  Since his marriage had not been recognized at this time, it is not known for certain whether his wife and daughter accompanied him to Bermuda.

            The role of a fortress company was to assist in the defence of ports and harbours that had significant military importance.  This was accomplished by the use of mines and searchlights and by supporting the Royal Artillery garrison co-located with the fortress company.  A Royal Engineers fortress company typical would provide the following services in defence of ports and harbours:

• Construction and maintenance of fortifications and gun emplacements.
• Construction of ammunition storage areas and magazines.
• Construction and maintenance of roadways.
• Water supply to units manning the fortifications.
• Supply of electricity to installations within the fortress area.
• Provide searchlight support to anti-aircraft and anti-shipping artillery batteries.
• Provide engineer works in and around the harbour and port areas.

            Hoskison apparently continued to enjoy army life for on 30 October 1899 he re-engaged to complete 21 years of service with the Colours.  His re-engagement was approved by the Commander Royal Engineers (CRE) Bermuda.[11]

Liverpool and Preston (1899-1904)

            Hoskison's tour of duty on Bermuda lasted until about late November of 1899 when he was ordered home.  He arrived in England on 7 December 1899 and although many companies of the Royal Engineers were preparing to go to South Africa, Hoskison was not posted to one of these units, thereby missing his opportunity to see active service during the Boer War of 1899-1902.[12]  Instead he was posted to the office of the Commander Royal Engineers (CRE) in Liverpool, the headquarters of which was at 14 Elliott Street in the town of Liverpool.[13]  However, Hoskison did not remain in Liverpool.  He was posted to a District Office located at Preston in Lancashire, an office that came under the control of the CRE Liverpool.  The 1901 Census of England shows Edward Hoskison, age 33, at Fulwood Barracks in Broughton, Preston, Lancashire.  The Hoskison’s son Thomas was born while he was serving in Preston.

Figure 3.  Fulwood Barracks, Preston, Lancashire.
(Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia)  

            Hoskison remained at Preston until 1 July 1904 when he departed England for the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.  His marriage had been recognized by this time and it is very likely that his wife and children accompanied him on this posting.

Mauritius (1904-1907)

            The Royal Engineers on the island of Mauritius in 1904 consisted of the office of the CRE Mauritius (Brevet Colonel F.H. Horniblow, R.E.) with headquarters at Vacoas[14] and the 43^rd (Fortress) Company, Royal Engineers.  The 43^rd (Fortress) Company performed duties on Mauritius much like those performed by the 36^th (Fortress) Company on Bermuda.  As a member of the Supernumerary Staff of the Royal Engineers it is most likely that Hoskison was serving in the office of the CRE during his time on Mauritius, rather than with the company, although it is likely that he was on the roster of the company for administrative purposes.  He remained there until 26 November 1907 when he and his family arrived back in England.

Dover (1907-1909)

            Hoskison's next assignment was in the office of the CRE Dover District located at Archcliffe Fort in Kent.  He was then serving with the Establishment for Engineer Services[15] and was again working for Colonel F.H. Horniblow, R.E. who must have left Mauritius to return to England at about the same time as Hoskison.  Hoskison served in this assignment until the summer of 1909 when he applied for discharge upon the termination of his second period of limited engagement.

Figure 4.  Entrance to Archcliffe Fort.
(Photograph courtesy of Castle and Fortifications of England & Wales)

________________________________________________________________

                        The following sections are presented in tabular form to summarize Hoskison’s   promotions, appointments, military training and qualifications and the medal that he was awarded during his time in the Army.  They are provided to give the reader easy access to these aspects of his military career.  The tables are followed by sections dealing with his marriage, personal information and post-service life.

__________________________________________________________________________

6.  PROMOTIONS AND CONDUCT  

a.  Promotions:  Edward Hoskison received the following promotions during his time in service:

 b.  Conduct:  Edward Hoskison received the following Good Conduct Badges during his time in service:[16]

 7.  MEDALS, AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

On 15 August 1906 Foreman of Works Staff Sergeant Edward Hoskison completed 18 years of service with the Colours and became eligible for the award of the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.  This medal subsequently was awarded to him in accordance with Army Orders dated April 1907.[17]  The Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (EVIIR) is the only medal that Hoskison earned during his 21 years of service in the Army.  As previously mentioned, other than numerous campaigns on the North West Frontier of India, the only significant military action during Hoskison’s time in the Army was the South African War of 1899 to 1902.  He was not involved in any of these.

Figure 5.  The Long Service and Good Conduct Medal of Foreman of Works Quartermaster Sergeant Edward Hoskison.
(Photograph from the author’s collection)  

The medal is named to him on the rim in upper case letters as follows:  

23068 F. OF W. S.SJT. E.HOSKISON. R.E.  

            At the time of his discharge in 1909, Hoskison's conduct was rated as "Exemplary" by his commanding officer with a notation on his discharge papers indicating that he had committed no offenses during his 21-year period of service.  This would indicate that his name never appeared in the Regimental Defaulters Book and that he had never been court-martialed.

8. EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS

a.  Education:  Edward Hoskison earned the following Certificates of Education during his time in service:[18]

 b.                  Qualifications: Edward Hoskison earned the following qualifications during his time in service.

9. MEDICAL INFORMATION

            The following medical information was taken from Edward Hoskison's service records during his time in the Army.  His Medical History Sheet was not found in his records under WO97/5161.  The missing Medical History Sheet might have provided information regarding a physical condition, if any, that required Hoskison to be enlisted by "Special Authority."

 10.  MARRIAGE AND PERSONAL INFORMATION  

            Edward Hoskison married Esther Burke, a spinster, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Aldershot, Hampshire on 25 November 1894, without leave.[22]  They were married by Father E.A. Riordan with Herbert and Catherine Nice acting as witnesses at the wedding.  It was not until 15 June 1904 that their marriage was recognized by the Army.  On that date Hoskison was placed on the married rolls and his wife Esther was taken on the strength of his unit.  It is curious that although the Hoskison family were members of the Church of England, as stated on Edward Hoskison’s enlistment papers, he chose to be married in a Catholic church.  Perhaps his wife, Esther Burk was Catholic.

            Edward and Esther Hoskison had two children while he was serving in the Army.  Their daughter Esther Ann was born at Frimley, Surrey on 30 August 1895.  Frimley is located approximately five miles north of Aldershot, Hampshire.  Their son Thomas was born at Fulwood near Preston in Lancashire on 18 June 1903.  

11.  DISCHARGE  

            Foreman of Works Quartermaster Sergeant Edward Hoskison was discharged from the Army at Brighton, Sussex on 14 August 1909 on the termination of his second  period of limited engagement.  His total service was reckoned as shown in the tables below:

             Hoskison's trade at the time of his discharge was listed as "Draughtsman."  His commanding officer noted that he was a "very superior" draughtsman and that he had performed duties as a Foreman of Works for 8½ years.  He was considered by Colonel Horniblow to be a "thoroughly honest, reliable and straightforward man."

            At the time of his discharge, Edward Hoskison indicated that his intended place of residence upon leaving the Army would be 50 Buller Road in Brighton, Sussex.  Although this might have been his intended place of residence, by 1911 he and his family were living in Portsmouth, Hampshire.          

Figure 6.  50 Buller Road, Brighton.
(Photograph courtesy of Google Earth)  

12.  POST SERVICE LIFE AND FAMILY INFORMATION  

Post Service Life

            The only information regarding Quartermaster Sergeant Hoskison’s post service life was found in the 1911 Census of England and Wales and shown in the table below.  It appears that as an Army Pensioner he was able to secure a position as a Clerk in the War Department.  Just which agency of the War Department he worked for in Portsmouth is not known.  

1911 Census of England and Wales

NOTE: Anne Esther is noted simply as Esther in the census.

Figure 7.  2 Clegg Road, Eastney, Portsmouth, Hampshire.
(Photograph courtesy of Google Earth)  

Family Information

Parents

            Edward Hoskison’s father, Thomas, was born on 6 May 1817 in Wilnecote, Warwickshire.  He was the son of Thomas Hoskison (1787-1833) also of Wilnecote.  Thomas first married Sarah Atkinson (1828-1861) in Patrington, East Yorkshire on 2 November 1847.  After Sarah’s death in October 1861, Thomas married Edward’s mother, Ann Dunn (1833-1917) in Patrington on 5 April 1864.  Thomas Hoskison died in Patrington on 17 June 1879, aged 62.

            Ann Hoskison lived with her husband in Patrington and had three children there with him.  She continued to live in Patrington for about two years after Thomas’s death when she moved to Sculcoates, Yorkshire.  Ann Hoskison died in Hull, East Yorkshire in 1917, aged 84.

Wife

            Edward Hoskison married Esther Burk on 25 November 1894 in St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Aldershot, Hampshire.  Esther was born in Gibraltar, and as Catholicism was the predominant religion in Gibraltar, Esther was probably a Catholic; hence, their marriage in a Catholic church.  Although Edward’s family were members of the Church of England, he appears to have agreed to Esther’s wish to be married as a Catholic.  No information could be found regarding Esther’s family, so specific information about her family’s religion could not be found.

Children

            Edward and Esther Hoskison had two children.  Their first child, Anne Esther (1895-?) with born on 30 August 1895 at Frimley, Surrey, a town about seven miles due north of Aldershot where Edward Hoskison was posted at the time.  No additional information could be found regarding Anne’s life.  Their second child, Thomas (1903-1973), was born in Fulwood, Lancashire on 18 June 1903 while Hoskison was serving at the District Engineer Office in Preston.  Thomas would have been too young to have served in the Great War of 1914-1918.  No information could be found regarding his later life.

Siblings

            Edward Hoskison had two half sisters and four half brothers by his father’s first marriage.  These siblings were:

·         Ann Elizabeth Hoskison (1852-?)

·         Thomas Hoskison (1853-1934)

·         Henry John Hoskison (1856-1856)

·         Kate Hoskison (1858-1858)

·         Charles Hoskison (1860-1863)

·         Walter Hoskison (1861-1861)

      As can be seen, Henry, Kate and Walter lived for less than a year after they were born and Charles lived for only three years.  Thomas and Sarah Hoskison must have suffered greatly as they lost three of their new-born children between 1856 and 1863 and one infant child during that same period.  Sarah actually died in 1861 at the age of 33, so she never knew of the death of her son Charles.  She may have died of grief. 

      When his father married for a second time after the death of his first wife, he and his wife had two children in addition to Edward.  Frances Mary Hoskison (1865-1867) was born in Patrington in July 1865 and she died in October 1867.  Thomas Hoskison’s grief continued even after his second marriage.  He had lost four children and his first wife between 1856 and 1863 and then lost another child by his second wife in 1867. 

      Olive A.T. Hoskison (1869-1950) also was born in Patrington on 11 November 1869.  Olive married one Thomas Escritt (1868-?) of Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland in 1918.  She died in Hull on 14 April 1950.

REFERENCES

Books  

1. BAKER BROWN, W.  The History of the Corps of Royal Engineers.  Volume IV.  The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, Kent, 1952.

2. FARWELL, B.  Mr. Kipling’s Army: All the Queen’s Men.  W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 1981.

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

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

Census  

1.  1871 Census of England (RG 10/4798).

2.  1881 Census of England (RG 11/4785).

3.  1901 Census of England (RG 13/3963).

4.  1911 Census of England (RG 26/5547).  

Computer Software  

1881 British Census and National Index.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, 1999.  

Documents  

1.   Short Service Attestation Papers (Army Form B. 265) consisting of the following pages and sections:  

a. Questions to be put to the Recruit before Enlistment.

b. Oath of Attestation.

c. Certificate of Magistrate or Attesting Officer.

d. Description on Enlistment.

e. Certificate of Primary Medical Examination.

f. Certificate of Final Medical Examination.

g. Certificate of Primary Military Examination.

h. Certificate of Approving Field Officer.

i. Statement of Services Military History Sheet.  

2. Proceeding on Discharge (Army Form B. 268).

Family Trees  

Lane Family Tree:Ancestry.com: Isaac Edward R. Hoskison (1867-1922)

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/891216/person/-1739990542/facts?_phsrc=iWN7368&_phstart=successSource  

Internet Web Sites  

1. Castles and Fortifications of England & Wales.

http://www.ecastles.co.uk/archcliffe.html  

2.      Fulwood Barracks

By Rept0n1x - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31933684  

Periodicals  

Monthly Army List, September 1885.

ENDNOTES