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Lieutenant Colonel
JAMES MOLESWORTH WADE
Royal Engineers

by

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Edward De Santis, MSCE, PE, MInstRE
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Ó 2020.  All Rights Reserved.

Figure 1.  James Molesworth Wade as a Lieutenant, c. 1887.
(Photograph courtesy of the Royal Engineers Library)  

1.  INTRODUCTION  

            The principal references used in the preparation of this narrative were from a number of sources.  They include census records, official registries in the United Kingdom, medal rolls, family trees, Army Lists, Royal Engineers Lists and The London Gazette.  A document of significant value was provided by the Librarian of the Royal Engineers.  This document gave specific dates regarding Wade’s assignments and promotions.  All sources are contained in the REFERENCE section at the end of the narrative and are cited throughout in the ENDNOTES.  Every effort has been made to accurately portray the life and military service of Lieutenant Colonel Wade.   

2.  FAMILY INFORMATION AND EARLY LIFE

Family Information

            James Molesworth Wade’s father, James Herne Wade (1830-1908), was born in Beccles, a market town in the county of Suffolk, approximately 100 miles northeast of London.  His mother, Catherine Molesworth (1834-1911), was born in Brixton, then a part of the county of Surrey.  She was the daughter of Colonel St. Aubyn Molesworth (1800-1858), an officer in the Royal Engineers.[i]  He retired on full pay on the 17^th of February 1857.[ii]

            James Henry Wade was commissioned in the 53^rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot and served in the Crimean war with the 90^th Light Infantry at the siege and fall of Sebastopol from the 4^th of December 1854.  He was with the storming party at the assault of the Redan on the 8^th of September 1855 and was severely wounded.  For his part in the action he was mentioned in despatches.  His service in the Crimean war earned him the Crimean War Medal with clasp [SEBASTOPOL], the Turkish Crimea Medal, the Sardinia Crimea Medal and the Turkish Order of Medjidie, 5^th Class.  He later served during the Indian Mutiny, 1857-1858, with the 53^rd Regiment of Foot and was with Havelock’s column in the actions of the 21^st and 23^rd of September 1857 during the relief of Lucknow and the subsequent defence of Lucknow.  He was mentioned in despatches for his actions in these operations.  He later served with Outram’s Force at the Alumbagh, including the repulse of numerous attacks on the position from November 1857 to March 1858.  He later took part in the final operations in Oude where he gained a brevet promotion to Major.  In April of 1859 the 53^rd Foot, under Brigadier Walker, struck the final blow on the survivors of the Indian regiments that had perpetrated the massacres at Cawnpore. 

            For his service in India Major James Henry Wade was awarded the Indian Mutiny Medal with clasps [LUCKNOW] and [DEFENCE OF LUCKNOW] and the credit of a year’s service for his participation in the operations at Lucknow.  He returned home with his regiment in 1860.  Wade attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before he retired from the Army.[iii]

Early Life

            James Molesworth Wade was born on the 3^rd of October 1862 at 123 High Street in Portsmouth Town, County of Southampton.[iv]  At the time of his birth his father was a Major and was still serving in the 53^rd Foot.  Young James was baptized on the 26^th of October 1862 at St. Thomas Church in Portsmouth.

            James’ sister, Harriet Lucinda Wade (1865-?) was born in Waterford, Ireland on the 12^th of December 1865, probably while her father’s regiment was serving there.  His brother, Hender Molesworth St. Aubyn Wade (1867-1903) was born in Exeter, Devonshire on the 26^th of November 1867.[v]

            The Wade household in 1871 was as shown in the table below:

1871 Census of England

            James entered Dulwich College in 1873 at the age of 10.  In July of 1880 he left Dulwich College to attend the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich.  This was to be expected since his father and his mother’s father had both served as officers in the Army.  His brother, Hender, had also attended Dulwich College, but he left in the same month as his brother James and went to Germany.  Why Hender left college to go to Germany has not been uncovered during this research. 

            Hender returned from Germany and re-entered Dulwich College in September of 1882 where he was in Blew House and won an Exhibition scholarship.[vi]  He left Dulwich in July of 1884 to attend the Royal Military College like his brother before him.  Hender played for the Woolwich XV in 1885.[vii]

            James appears in the 1881 Census of England at the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich.  Oddly, the 1891 Census of England shows Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) James H. Wade, age 60, and his wife Catherine Wade, age 57, as boarders at St. George, Hanover Square, London in a lodging house owned by one Louis Degasperi and his wife Marie.  In 1891 James was still in India and Hender was serving with the Ordnance Survey and may  have been in Ireland at the time of the census.  Harriet Wade was 25 years old in 1891 and had married one William Shaw Harriss Gastrell and was living in St. Thomas, Devonshire.  The elder Wades, James and Catherine, may have been between residences in 1891, as they appear in their own home again in 1901.

1901 Census of England  

TABLE NOTES:

(a)    Hender Wade is shown as a Captain in the Royal Engineers, but he is living in his parent’s home in 1901.  Given that he died in March of 1903 it may be that he was not serving at the time, but was in fact an invalid due to some illness. 

(b)   Wallis F. Gordon’s occupation is listed as Sick Attendant and Domestic.  This supports the idea that Hender may have been seriously ill and that Gordon was being employed to care for him.  See Section 8 for further details on Hender’s life.

(c)    The town of Poundstock actually was in Cornwall and not in Devonshire.

(d)   This census has Lieutenant Colonel Wade as retired from the 90^th Light Infantry rather than the 53^rd Regiment of Foot.

3.  COMMISSIONING AND TRAINING  

            On the 25^th of July 1882 James Molesworth Wade, following in the steps of his maternal grandfather, was commissioned a Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers.  He was immediately posted to the School of Military Engineering at Chatham, Kent for officer training and he remained at Chatham for two and a half years.[viii]

4.  ASSIGNMENTS AND CAMPAIGN SERVICE

India (1884-1885)

            Lieutenant Wade left Chatham and proceeded to India on the 27^th of December 1884.  Upon his arrival in India he was posted to Roorkee in Bengal where he served with the 4^th Company, Bengal Sappers and Miners.  The company was commanded by Lieutenant William Alan Cairnes, R.E.[ix] with Lieutenant Francis Henry Kelly, R.E.[x] also serving in the company.  This was to be the first of James’ many postings to India.

Burma (1885-1886)

            On the 29^th of October 1885 Lieutenant Wade departed Roorkee with his company, arriving in Rangoon, via Calcutta, on the 8^th of November.  On the 12^th of November his company departed Rangoon with a field force of about 9,000 men under the command of Major General H.N.D. Prendergast, CB, VC[xi]  The field force advanced up the Irrawaddy River to Mandalay with the mission to depose King Thibaw of Burma.

            The background for the British embarking on this expedition is based on the attempts of King Mindon, who tried to modernize the Burmese state and economy, to resist British encroachments into his kingdom.  He established a new capital at Mandalay, which he proceeded to fortify. This was not enough to stop the British, however, who claimed that Mindon's son Thibaw Min (who ruled from 1878 to1885) was a tyrant intending to side with the French,[xii] that he had lost control of the country, thus allowing for disorder at the frontiers, and that he was reneging on a treaty signed by his father.  The British declared war once again in 1885, conquering the remainder of the country in what was to be known as the Third Burma War resulting in total annexation of Burma.

            Wade and his men embarked on three barges that were attached to the river steamer “Shway Myo” and on the 17^th of November they arrived at Thayetmayo, only 18 miles from King Thibaw’s frontier.

Figure 2.  An Irrawaddy River Steamer, c. 1885.
(Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia)

            On the 17^th of November British Indian forces under Brigadier General G.S. White had captured the Italian-designed fort at Minhla after unexpectedly fierce resistance from the Burmese garrison. Over a hundred Burmese were killed. The British side was armed for the first time with machine guns (recoil-operated Maxim guns). Wade’s company arrived at Minhla the day after its capture and remained in the fort as part of its garrison. 

            By the 28^th of November the British had surrounded the royal capital in Mandalay.  The following day, King Thibaw surrendered to British commander Sir Harry Prendergast and was sent into exile to India, eventually ending the monarchy in Burma.

Figure 3.  British Troops Surrounding King Thibaw’s Palace in 1885.

(Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia)

            Lieutenant Wade and his company arrived at Mandalay on the 14^th of December 1885, two weeks after Thibaw’s surrender.  He departed Mandalay on the 18^th of December on the Irrawaddy River with General Prendergast and a force of about 1,000 men to meet the threat of a Chinese force massing on the northeast frontier of Burma. 

            On the 28^th of December he and his company took part in operations to seize Shwebo and to occupy Bhamo.  This operation took place because after the surrender of King Thibaw, the Burmese Resistance Movement occurred almost immediately after the fall of Mandalay.  Due to the rapidity of British advancement up the Irrawaddy River, the bulk of the Burmese army suffered few casualties. Many had not experienced actual fighting. Nevertheless, the issue of the order to surrender on 27^th of November 1885 meant that Burmese garrisons south of Mandalay had to disarm without putting up a fight. Soon widespread resistance started to break out in Upper Burma, Lower Burma, the Shan Hills, Kachin Hills and the Chin Hills. 

            The action at Bhamo was a very important move on the part of Prendergast, as it forestalled the Chinese who had their own claims and border disputes with Burma. Although the king had been dethroned and exiled with the royal family to India, and the capital and the whole of the Irrawaddy was in the hands of the British, bands of insurgents took advantage of the situation to continue an armed resistance which proved very difficult to defeat.

            In January of 1886 Wade and his company took part in operations against Kachin dacoits in heavy jungle areas near Karwan in the Ponkan Hills east of Bhamo.  These operations lasted until September of 1886.[xiii]  In August the command of the 4^th Company, Bengal Sapper and Miners had passed to Lieutenant Fenton John Aylmer, R.E.[xiv] 

Figure 4.  Lieutenant Fenton John Aylmer, R.E.

(Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia)

            While James Wade was involved in these operations in Burma, his brother Hender passed out first from the Royal Military Academy on the 17^th of February 1886.  He received the Pollock Medal and Sword of Honour, and like his brother he was commissioned a Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers.[xv]  Hender was obviously an outstanding cadet and was destined for high rank in the Army.  Unfortunately bad health was to cut his life short.

            In October of 1886 the British forces began operations to restore order in upper Burma.  These operations took Lieutenant James Wade and his company to Pauk, Kanle and Myaing, northwest of Pakokku.  Organized resistance on the part of the Burmese ended in December of 1886. See the map at Annex A.  More detail of the campaign may be found in Red With  Two Blue Stripes by Colonel B.A.H. Parritt, MBE.

Figure 5.  Officers of the Royal Engineers in Burma, 1885-1886.

Lieutenant James Molesworth Wade is standing in the back row,

second from the right.

(See Annex B for a list of all engineer units and officers of the Royal Engineers who served in the campaign)

(Photograph courtesy of The Sapper magazine)

India (1886-1894)

            Wade and his company returned to Roorkee on the 13^th of April 1887.  On the 13^th of July he was awarded the India General Service Medal 1854 with clasp [BURMA 1885-7] for active service in the Third Burma War.  The medal roll was prepared at Roorkee on this date by Colonel Sir Bindon Blood,[xvi] the Commandant of the Bengal Sappers and Miners.  At the time that the medal roll was prepared, Wade had already left the company and was serving in the Military Works Department in India.[xvii]   On the 15^th of January 1891, while he was still in India, Lieutenant Wade was promoted to the rank of Captain.[xviii]  

            Wade’s 1892 posting in the Military Works Department sent him to the Department of Public Works in Simla as an Executive Engineer, 4^th Grade.  By 1895 he was upgraded to Executive Engineer 3^rd Class.[xix] 

Figure 6.  Sir Bindon Blood.

(Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia)

Chatham (1894-1895)

            Captain Wade left India for home on the 2^nd of December 1894 and took leave in Europe on the way.  Once in England he was posted to Chatham.  It may be that his posting was only for a brief period of training and perhaps some home leave.  On the 12^th of March 1895 he left Chatham to return to India.[xx]

India (1895-1899)

            On his return to India Captain Wade was posted to the Military Works Department again as an Executive Engineer, 3^rd Class.  During this period public works in the British India Public Works Department consisted of construction and maintenance of buildings and roads and irrigation projects like canals, dams and reservoirs.  This is the type of work that Wade was engaged in when he reported for duty Bengal in 1895.  He left India for home on the 14^th of April 1899.[xxi]

Portsmouth and Falmouth (1899-1903)

            Presumably after a period of leave Captain Wade was posted to Portsmouth on the 1^st of June 1899.[xxii]  On the 10^th of December 1899 he was promoted to the rank of Major;[xxiii] however, the London Gazette of 26 October 1900 antedated his promotion to the 15^th of November 1899, thereby giving him an additional 25 days of seniority over his peers. 

            On the 1^st of June 1900 Major Wade was assigned to the Office of the Inspector General of Fortifications[xxiv] and then on the 5^th of January 1903 he was posted to Falmouth in Cornwall, probably on the staff of the Commander Royal Engineers (CRE) in that district.  During this period the British Army had been involved in the Second Boer War in South Africa.  With his campaign experience in Burma in 1885 and 1886 he would have been a prime candidate for active service in South Africa with a field company, but he remained at home during the entire period of the war thereby missing out on campaign medals earned by many of his contemporaries.

Colchester (1903-1905)

            On the 8^th of December 1903 Major Wade was assigned as the Officer Commanding the 55^th Company, Royal Engineers at Colchester in Essex.  He commanded the company until the 28^th of February 1905.  The company at that time was part of the Eastern Command. 

            After giving up his command of the 55^th Company, Wade remained at Colchester.  The Royal Engineers List for February of 1905 shows Wade serving at a Staff Officer to the Commander Royal Engineers, Eastern District at Colchester, with orders pending assigning him to India.  The CRE at Colchester at that time was Brevet Colonel W.A.E. St. Clair, R.E.[xxv]

 India (1905-1910)

            From March to April 1905 Major Wade is shown as serving in India with no specific assignment.[xxvi]  In May of 1905 he was serving as the Assistant CRE in the 2^nd (Rawal Pindi) Division of the Rawal Pindi District in the Northern Command, working for Lieutenant Colonel Edward C. Stanton, the CRE.[xxvii]  Wade was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Engineers on the 31^st of December 1906

            In July of 1907 he was granted leave to England from the 13^th of July 1907 to the 27^th of July 1908, a rather lengthy period of one year and 14 days.  The reason for this lengthy leave is not known, although it may have been associated with a health problem requiring treatment in England for either himself or his wife.  In August of 1908 his leave was extended to the 27^th of November 1908.  Although he was still being carried on the rolls as the Assistant CRE in Rawal Pindi, his place had actually been taken by Major G.S. Cartwright, R.E.[xxviii] while Wade was on this extended leave.

            In September of 1908 Wade’s leave was again extended to the 27^th of March 1909,[xxix]  again with no explanation given for this extended period of leave.  It appears that he eventually returned to his posting in India early in 1910. 

            In January of 1910 Major Wade was serving as the Assistant CRE with the 7^th (Meerut) Division in the Meerut District.  He was working at the time for Colonel Harold Frank Chesney, RE,[xxx] the Commander Royal Engineers.  Sadly, his wife Gwendolen died in Meerut on the 15^th of January 1910.  Wade continued to serve at Meerut until he returned to England on the 19^th of September 1910.  From these long and recurring postings to India it seemed that he was becoming an officer of the Indian Army.  His pension, upon retirement, would prove this to be true.

Pembroke Dock (1910-1911)

            Upon his return to England Lieutenant Colonel Wade was posted to Pembroke Dock as the Commander Royal Engineers.[xxxi]  His headquarters was located at Hobbs’ Point in Pembroke Dock and he was co-located with the 35^th (Fortress) Company, R.E. commanded by Captain J.A. Langman.  Other officers in the company included Lieutenants J.B. Heron, H.G. MacGeorge and W.G. Lawrie.  The Inspector of Works for the district was Honorary Captain G.W. Sawyer.[xxxii] 

            The 1911 Census of England and Wales shows him living at 6 Norton Tenby in Pembrokeshire, Wales.  He is listed as a 48-year old widower living as a boarder in the lodging house of one William James. 

            Wade served in the capacity of CRE at Pembroke Dock until the 31^st of December 1911 when he retired from the Army on an Indian Pension after completing five years of service as a regimental Lieutenant Colonel.  Upon his retirement he was placed on the Reserve of Officers list.[xxxiii]          

The Great War (1914-1915)

            On the 5^th of October 1914 Wade was activated for employment with the Royal Engineers from the Reserve of Officers for service in the Great War of 1914-1915.  By April of 1915 he was still serving with the Reserve of Officers and may have had some staff position with the Royal Engineers early in the war.  The April 1915 Army shows him under “Royal Engineers” - “Reserve of Officers” - “removed from the Corps and still on the active list” (page 789).  The Quarterly Army List, October 1916, page 1999 shows him under “Non-Effective Officers (Retired R.E. with an Indian Pension).”  Finally, the Army List, 1924, War Services (page 643) shows him as a “Lieutenant Colonel, retired, Indian Pension.  Burmese Expedition, 1885-86, Medal and Clasp.”  No record has been found indicating that he actually “was called to active service” during the war and there is no record of him having received any medals for service during the war. 

 5.  PROMOTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS

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

 b.      Appointments:  Wade received the following appointments during his time in service:

6. MILITARY TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

a.  Military Training: Other than his training as an engineer officer at the School of Military Engineering following his commissioning, Wade does not appear to have received any specialized training during his time in service. During his time at Chatham in 1895 he may have attended a course, but no evidence of this has been uncovered.

b.      Qualifications:  Wade’s qualifications can be summarized from his appointments above as a company officer and commander of a field company, a staff officer at various levels and a Commander Royal Engineers in a home district.

7.  MEDALS, AWARDS AND DECORATIONS  

            Due to the nature of his campaign service, Lieutenant Colonel Wade was awarded only one medal during his time in service, the India General Service Medal 1854 with the clasp for [BURMA 1885-7].  As previously indicated, had he participated in the Second Boer War between 1899 and 1902 he could have earned the Queen’s South Africa Medal and the King’s South Africa Medal.  Additionally, during the period from 1895 to 1899 when he served in India, there were many small campaigns being fought by the British Army. Had he been posted to a Royal Engineers field company or a company of the Indian Sappers and Miners, he could have earned the India General Service Medal, 1895-1902 with any of the following clasps: [RELIEF OF CHITRAL] [PUNJAB FRONTIER 1897-98] [MALAKAND 1897] [SAMANA 1897] [TIRAH 1897-98]   However, this was not the case.

Figure 7.  The Medal of Lieutenant Colonel James Molesworth Wade.
(Photograph from the author’s collection)  

8.  MARRIAGE AND ADDITIONAL FAMILY INFORMATION  

First Marriage

            James Molesworth Wade married Gwendolen Edith Carter (1883-1910) on the 11^th of April 1904 at St, Michaels Church in Teignmouth, Devonshire.  Gwendolen accompanied her husband to India in 1905 and unfortunately she died in Meerut on the 15^th of January 1910.

Figure 8.  The Grave of Gwendolen Edith Wade.
(Photograph courtesy of Ancestry.com)

Second Marriage  

            According to the family tree (by MParker5000), James Molesworth Wade married Johanna Louis Annie Kretzschmar (1892-1957) in December of 1921 in West Ham, Essex.  It would appear the James and Johanna may have known each other for some time prior to their marriage (see Children below). 

Children  

            Wade’s family tree (by MParker5000) indicates that James Molesworth Wade had a son named Gustav Frederick Wade (1912-1986) born on the 9^th of October 1912 in St. Pancras Somers, London.  His mother is shown as Johanna Louisa Annie Kretzschmar, but James and Annie are not indicated as being married until December of 1921.  G.F. (“Bob”) Wade became a war correspondent in Europe for the BBC during the Second World War.

Figure 9.  BBC Letter to G.F. Wade.
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com)

              Gustav Wade was a recording engineer on the Western Front and in Italy as listed in "War Report D-Day to VE-Day" published by the BBC.  Following the war (1956) Wade made wildlife recordings in Spain. G.F. Wade died on the 20^th of October 1986 in Brighstone on the Isle of Wight. 

Parents

            James’ father, Lieutenant Colonel James Herne Wade, had retired from the Army by sale on the 25^th of March 1869.  At the time of his retirement he was serving in the 90^th Light Infantry.[xxxiv]  He died in St. Thomas, Exeter, Devonshire on the 22^nd of September 1908 at the age of 78.  He was residing at the time with his wife at 8 Morton Crescent in Exmouth.[xxxv]  His will was filed for probate in London on the 27^th of November 1908 leaving all his effects to his wife Catherine.  His effects amounted to £1497-12s-11d (about $199,100 US in 2020 currency).[xxxvi]  James was in India at the time of his father’s death.

            Catherine Wade died on the 19^th of April 1911, also in St. Thomas, Exeter.  She also was residing at 8 Morton Crescent at the time of her death.[xxxvii]  She was 77 years of age.  Catherine’s will was filed for probate in London on the 26^th of May 1911 and her effects were left to her daughter, Harriet Lucinda Gastrell (wife of William Shaw Harriss Gastrell), to one Caroline Ramsey, a widow and presumably a friend of Mrs. Wade, and to James Molesworth Wade, Colonel R.E.  Catherine’s effects amounted to £1849-16s (about $260,750 US in 2020 currency).  Her effects might have been divided equally among the legatees, although no will has been found to confirm this.  It also might be safer to assume that her children, Harriet and James, may have received more than Caroline Ramsay.

Siblings

Harriet Lucinda Wade

            James’ sister Harriet married William Harriss Gastrell (1862-1948) in October of 1890 in St. Thomas, Devonshire.  William and Harriet had one child, Katharine Edith Gastrell (1891-1985) who was born in Argentina on the 21^st of September 1891.  William had been employed as a civil servant and by 1939 he had retired after serving as His Majesty’s Consul General in Paris. William died on the 23^rd of September 1948.  Harriet passed away on the 4^th of September 1952.  Both William and Harriet died in Devonshire.

Hender Molesworth St. Aubyn Wade

            Hender was commissioned a Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on the 17^th of February 1886.  On the 20^th of May 1888 of that year he saved a man from drowning in the River Medway at Chatham and was awarded the Bronze Medal of the Royal Humane Society.  During that same year he also was the Royal Engineers Sculling Champion.[xxxviii]  In 1892 he was serving with the Ordnance Survey in Dublin.

            Hender was promoted to the rank of Captain on the 23^rd of October 1895 and in 1897 he was serving in the Stores Inspection Branch of the Royal Engineers.  In 1898 he was serving with the Ordnance Survey in Southampton and on the 19^th of April 1898 he was posted as an Inspector at the Woolwich Arsenal.[xxxix]  

            Captain Hender Wade died on the 23^rd of March 1903 at 8 Morton Crescent in Littleham, Exmouth, Devonshire.  This was the home of his parents.  He was 35 years old and the causes of his death, as certified by Reginald Martyn, M.R.C.S., were listed as:

a)      Chronic meningo myelitis (an inflammation of the membrane surrounding the brain)

b)      Cystitis (a bladder infection)

c)      Acute nephritis (inflamed kidney)

d)     Convulsions and coma

Hender was not married.  His mother was present at his death.[xl]

            His death was registered on the 26^th of March 1903.  The 1903 Probate calendar shows him as a retired Captain in the Royal Engineers.  Since he only had 17 years of service at the time of his death, it might be assumed that he was retired for ill health given the numerous afflictions recorded as causes of his death.  His will was filed for probate in London on the 18^th of May 1903 with the administrator of the will being his father, retired Lieutenant Colonel James Herne Wade.  Hender Wade’s effects amount to £144-8s-6d (about $19,900 US in 2020 currency).  

9.  RELEASE FROM SERVICE  

            As indicated in Section 4 above, Lieutenant Colonel Wade retired from the Army on an Indian Pension and was placed in the Reserve of Officers on the 31^st December 1911 after completing five years of service as a regimental Lieutenant Colonel.  His total service was reckoned as shown in the tables below:

10.  POST SERVICE LIFE  

            Wade appears to have become an academic and a scholar in his later years.  He had a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering and from his writings for the Royal Engineers Journal between November of 1921 and June of 1927, he appears to have had considerable knowledge in the following technical fields;

• Chemistry
• Gas dynamics
• Mathematics (including calculus, solid geometry, binomial, logarithmic theorems and graphical solutions of cubic equations and differential equations)
• Engineering mechanics (including statics, dynamics and hydrostatics)
• Wave transmissions
• Interior and exterior ballistics of firearms

            He appears to have been considered well-versed in these subjects to the degree that the Institution of Royal Engineers called upon him frequently to write articles and technical book reviews.  In November of 1921 he wrote an article for the journal entitled “Notes on the Design of Tall Chimneys and Their Foundations.”  At the request of the editor of the journal he wrote the following book reviews:

·     March 1923: “Balistique Interieurs” (Interior Ballistics) by Le General Gossot and M. Liouville.  Note: Wade obviously was fluent in French.

·         March 1923:  “Theory of Wave Transmission” by George Constantinesco.

·         March 1925:  “Mathematics for Technical Students” by E.R. Verity.

·         June 1925:  “The Elements of Mechanics” by F.S. Carey and J. Proudman.

·         June 1925: “The Hodsock Ballistic Tables for Rifles” by F.W. Jones.

·         December 1925: “The Theory of Measurements” by Lucius Tuttle.

·         March 1926: “A Practical Treatise on Fourier’s Theorem and Harmonic Analysis for Physicists and Engineers” by Albert Eagle.

·         June 1927: “Ordinary Differential Equations” by E.L. Ince.

            Each of these books had been written by an expert in the field at the time of their publication, so one must assume that Wade was considered to be very knowledgeable in each of the fields for him to be chosen to review these rather very technical books.  His reviews were always thorough and amiable without any harsh criticism. 

            In addition to his work with the R.E. Journal, Wade appears to have been a dog-lover.  The London Gazette of 26 December 1910 indicates that he was shown to be  importing a dog (probably one that he had acquired in India) and that the importation was subject to the Diseases of Animals Acts of 1894 to 1910 (acts probably requiring quarantine of animals being brought into the country).  The London Gazette of 24 October 1922 contained a similar announcement for importing “two Alsatian Wolf dog puppies.”

            Wade lived at 20 Avon Road in Upper Walthamstow after leaving the Army.  In addition to his writing and his raising of dogs, he was a member of the United Services Club in London.

             James Molesworth Wade died on the 5^th of December 1930 at the age of 68.  His death was caused by colon cancer and cancer of the liver.  His wife was present with him when he died.[xli]  He was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium, 62 Hoop Lane, London NW11.  His will was filed for probate in London on the 9^th of February 1931 leaving all his effects to his wife, Johanna Louisa Annie Wade, including the house at 20 Avon Road.  His effects amounted to £130-14s-2d (approximately $15,700 US in 2020 currency). 

Figure 10.  Golders Green Crematorium, 62 Hoop Lane, London, NW11.
(Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia.com)  

            Johanna Louisa Annie Wade died in Stepney, London on the 4^th of March 1957.  She was buried in Shaldon, Devonshire.

ANNEX A  

Figure 11.  Map of the movements of Lieutenant Wade and the 4^th Company, Bengal Sappers and Miners during the Burma campaign of 1885-6.  

ANNEX B

Royal Engineers and Indian Sapper and Miners That Took Part in the Burmese Expedition, 1885-1887.  

            As Major General H.N.D. Prendergast, VC was a Sapper, Engineer representation in the campaign was good.  The key personnel and units involved consisted of the following:  

Colonel G.E.L.S. Sandford, R.E.: Commander Royal Engineers: Awarded the CB

Lieutenant Colonel E.W. Begbie, R.E.: Director of Signalling

Major C.B. Wilkinson, R.E.: Adjutant

4^th Company, Bengal Sapper and Miners

Lieutenant W.A. Carnes, R.E.            Lieutenant F.H. Kelly, R.E.

Lieutenant J.M Wade, R.E.                Lieutenant F.J. Aylmer, R.E.

5^th Company, Bengal Sappers and Miners

Captain M.C. Barton, R.E.                 Lieutenant W.A.J. O’Meara, R.E. – wounded

Lieutenant J.W. Pringle, R.E.

“C” Company, Madras Sappers and Miners

Captain A.R.F. Dorward, R.E.: Mentioned in Despatches and Distinguished Service Order

Lieutenant F.J. Anderson, R.E.: invalided

“D” Company, Madras Sappers and Miners

Captain H.S. Andrews-Speed, R.E.

“H” Company Madras Sappers and Miners

Captain J.M.T. Badgley, R.E. : invalided and died

Telegraph Section

Lieutenant F. Glanville, R.E.: wounded, Mentioned in Despatches and Distinguished Service Order  

2^nd Company, Bombay Sappers and Miners

Captain J.D. Fullerton, R.E.               Lieutenant H.V. Biggs, R.E.

Lieutenant C.E. Baddeley, R.E.

1^st Madras Pioneers

            The following officers of the Royal Engineers also served with the expedition.  Many are shown in Figure 5 in the narrative.

Captain Alexander William Cockburn, R.E.: MID

Captain E.W. Cotter, R.E.     

Lieutenant H.H. Barnet, R.E.: MID

Lieutenant C.D. Learoyd, R.E.: MID

Lieutenant J. Steward, R.E.: invalided

Lieutenant Beever C.N., R.E.: sick

Lieutenant T.F.B. Renny-Tailyour, R.E.: MID

Lieutenant W.R.Morton, R.E.

Lieutenant John Watson Pringle, R.E.

Lieutenant H.E. Goodwyn, R.E.: MID and DSO

Lieutenant Cyril Harcourt Roe, R.E.

Lieutenant R.T.R. Lawrence, R.E.

Lieutenant G. Palmer, R.E.: killed (died of wounds)

Lieutenant H.B.H. Wright, R.E.

Lieutenant H.G.C. Swayne, R.E.: invalided

Lieutenant John Anderson Dealey, R.E.: invalided

Lieutenant C.W. Ewbank, R.E.

Lieutenant L.P. Chapman, R.E.

Lieutenant J.A.S. Tulloch, R.E.

Lieutenant U.W. Evans, R.E.: invalided

Lieutenant Eliot Philipse Johnson, R.E.

Lieutenant G.R. Hutton, R.E.: invalided

Lieutenant C.H. Heycock, R.E.

Lieutenant T. Fraser, R.E.: invalided

Lieutenant C. Ainslie, R.E.

Lieutenant H.J.M. Marshall, R.E.

Lieutenant E.D. Bullen, R.E.

Lieutenant J.R.B. Sergeant, R.E.

Lieutenant A.E. Sandbach, R.E.

Lieutenant B.A. James, R.E.: killed

Lieutenant Joseph Cameron Rimington, R.E.

Lieutenant Ricardo Dartnell Petrie, R.E.

Lieutenant J.A. Tanner, R.E.

REFERENCES:

Army Lists  

1. Monthly Army List, September 1882, p. 244.
2. Monthly Army List, January 1884, p. 244.
3. Monthly Army List, September 1885, p. 244.
4. Hart’s Army List, 1892, pp. 211 and 212.
5. Hart’s Army List, 1895, pp. 210 and 212.
6. Hart’s Army List, 1898, pp. 210, 211, 746 and 786.
7. Monthly Army List, March 1898, p. 448.
8. Hart’s Army List, January 1900, pp. 210 and 211.
9. Hart’s Army List, April 1900, pp. 209 and 211.
10. Hart’s Annual Army List, 1901.
11. Monthly Army List, April 1903, p. 448.
12. Monthly Army List, December 1912, p. 2327.
13. Monthly Army List, April 1914, p. 2326.
14. Monthly Army List, February 1915, pp. 789 and 2326.
15. Monthly Army List, April 1915, pp. 789 and 2326.
16. Quarterly Army List, October 1916, p. 1999.
17. Supplement to the Half-Yearly Army List, 1924, War Services, p. 643.

Books  

1.      BOWIE, J.  The Empire at War.  B.T. Bratsford Limited, London, 1989, pp. 87-89.  

2.      CHRISTISON, McC and HESTER, W.  Dulwich College War Records, 1914-1918. Dulwich College, first edition, 1923, p. 404.  

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

4. ORMISTON, T.L. Dulwich College Register, 1619 – 1926, p. 124.

5. PARRITT, B.A.H.  Red With Two Blue Stripes: The Story of the India General Service Medal, 1854.  Charles A. Lusted, Tunbridge Wells, 1974.

6. SANDES, E.W.C.  The Indian Sappers and Miners.  The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, Kent, 1948.

7.      VIBART, H.M.  Addiscombe, Its Heroes and Men of Note.  A. Constable & Co., Westminster, 1884.

Census  

1.      1871 Census of England (RG 10/2109).

2.      1881 Census of England (RG 11/748).

3.      1891 Census of England (RG 12/72).

4.      1901 Census of England (RG 13/2028).

5.      1911 Census of England and Wales.

6.      1939 England and Wales Register.

Certificates  

1. Birth Certificate of James Molesworth Wade.  Certified Copy of an Entry of Birth Given at the General Record Office, Certificate No. BXBZ 279105, dated 21^st July 1992.

2. Death Certificate of Hender Molesworth St. Aubyn Wade.  Certified Copy of an Entry of Death Given at the General Register Office, Certificate No. DXZ 079598, dated 21^st July 1992.

3. Death Certificate of James Molesworth Wade.  Certified Copy of an Entry of Death Given at the General Register Office, Certificate No. DXZ 178677, dated 21^st February 1994.

Documents  

1. Extract of the Will of Lieutenant Colonel James Molesworth Wade.  Probate Registry, Somerset House, London.

2. Obituary of Lieutenant Colonel James Molesworth Wade. “The Times (London),’ Monday, 8 December 1930.

3. Statement of Services.

4. 1903 Probate Calendar, p. 28.

5. 1908 Probate Calendar, p. 118.

6. 1911 Probate Calendar, p. 126.

7. 1931 Probate Calendar, p. 218.

8. 1986 Probate Calendar, p. 8526.

9. BBC letter to G.F. Wade, dated 23 May 1945, re: War Correspondent Service.

Family Tree

James Molesworth Wade (et. al) by MParker5000

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/32226092/person/19898055486/facts

Internet Web Sites  

1. Historical Conversion of Currency

https://www.uwyo.edu/numimage/currency.htm  

2. Old BBC Radio Broadcasting Equipment and Memories

http://www.orbem.co.uk/repwar/wr_people.htm  

3. The Peerage

http://www.thepeerage.com/p51509.htm  

4. Wikipedia: Francis Kelly (British Army Officer)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Kelly_(British_Army_officer)

Journals  

1. Royal Engineers Journal, November 1921, p. 209.

2. Royal Engineers Journal, March 1923, pp. 136, 152 and 153.

3. Royal Engineers Journal, March 1925, p. 136.

4. Royal Engineers Journal, June 1925, pp. 335 and 336.

5. Royal Engineers Journal, December 1925, pp. 692 and 693.

6. Royal Engineers Journal, March 1926, pp. 158 and 159.

7. Royal Engineers Journal, June 1927, pp. 364 and 365.

London Gazette  

1. The London Gazette, March 27, 1857, p. 1136.

2. The London Gazette, August 8, 1882, p. 3690.

3. The London Gazette, January 16, 1891, p. 291.

4. The London Gazette, February 20, 1900, p. 1172.

5. The London Gazette, October 26, 1900, pp. 6547 and 6548.

6. The London Gazette, 3 January 1911, p. 35.

7. The London Gazette, 5 January 1912, p. 130.

8. The London Gazette, 24 October 1922, p. 7470.

Medal Rolls  

WO 100/69: Medal Roll, Bengal Sappers and Miners, Burma 1885-87.  

Periodicals  

McINNES, I.  Reporting on Medals: Wearing Their Crimean Medals.  “Fighting Forces” magazine, Volume 1, Number 3, January/February 1988.  

Personal Communications  

1. ALEXANDER, D.D.  King George V’s Own Bengal Sappers and Miners.  Letter dated 7 December 1993.

2. ALEXANDER, D.D.  King George V’s Own Bengal Sappers and Miners.  Letter dated 24 January 1994.

3. ALEXANDER, D.D.  King George V’s Own Bengal Sappers and Miners.  Letter dated 18 April 1994.

4. FARRINGTON, J.  Letter dated 16 September 1992.

5. GIBBONS, Doctor J.  Letter dated 28 November 1993.
   

6. Royal Engineers Library, Note dated 31 January 1994, including

a.       Statement of the Services of the Late Lieutenant Colonel J.M. Wade, R.E.

b.      Unidentified document dated February 1931 showing a brief outline of the services and date of death.

Royal Engineers Lists  

1. Royal Engineers Monthly Lists, 1905, January through December.

2. Royal Engineers Monthly Lists, 1908, January through December.

3. Royal Engineers Monthly Lists, 1910, January through December.

 ENDNOTES