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Birmingham men who served in the Zulu Wars in Africa

H

Horatio

Brummie babby
My Great Grandfather Horatio George Turner served as a tracker during the Zulu campaign, l am researching the topic and would welcome any input from members.
Unfortunately I was not able to attend the recent Exhibition during July in London on this military campaign.
I understand that he was a volunteer and a non uniformed mounted scout/tracker. He fortunately survived the war and returned to found his business in Birmingham in 1884.
 
In the 1891 census there is a Horatio George Turner at Warwick Road and down as a Corn Dealer.
In the 1890 Kelly's there is a HGT at 180 Coventry Road as a Corn and Flour Dealer.
In 1890 there was a HGT, seedsman from Coventry Road who was fined 20s and costs for assault.
 
Pedrocut said:
In the 1891 census there is a Horatio George Turner at Warwick Road and down as a Corn Dealer.
In the 1890 Kelly's there is a HGT at 180 Coventry Road as a Corn and Flour Dealer.
In 1890 there was a HGT, seedsman from Coventry Road who was fined 20s and costs for assault.
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Thank you for your reply that all sounds like him our family ran a corn and seed business from 1884 - 2001.
I would be interested to know if any archives exist in Birmingham relating to the Zulu campaign.
 
this battle was one of if not the most bloodiest battles of all time..this report is dated 2015..the film is unforgetable


www.birminghammail.co.uk

Forgotten soldiers who fought 4,000 Zulus during battle of Rorke's Drift

They were the Brummies and Black Country fighting men who thwarted 4,000 Zulus in a battle that will forever be remembered among one of the most heroic stands in British military history.
www.birminghammail.co.uk www.birminghammail.co.uk
 
These may be of background interest.

Source: British Newspaper Archive

Viv
 

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Horatio said:
My Great Grandfather Horatio George Turner served as a tracker during the Zulu campaign, l am researching the topic and would welcome any input from members.
Unfortunately I was not able to attend the recent Exhibition during July in London on this military campaign.
I understand that he was a volunteer and a non uniformed mounted scout/tracker. He fortunately survived the war and returned to found his business in Birmingham in 1884.
Click to expand...
Horatio,
Could you tell us his date of birth and which regiment he served with? This would help to find him on Ancestry.
The National Army Museum has an account of the Anglo-Zulu War.
I think his regiment would be more likely to have archives and you may find his service record.
Derek
 
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Just out of interest the 1891 Census gives the full name as Horatio George Hawkins Turner. The 1911 Census gives his address as 335 Coventry Road, Small Health
 
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There are 2 men from Bham in the list of VC Winners in the Hall of Memory who won it in the Zulu Wars - Samuel Wassall and William Jones.

From what I've read I'm not sure either of them were from Bham, though Jones seems to have lived in Bham for a short while.
 
i am glad this topic has been raised...vivs report post 5 mentions a william tasker who fought but was never recognised....some time ago i tried to research this man as i was told he came from lozells..possibly church st or burbury st ..i must check that out...sad to say i could not confirm his address..most likely he was in lozells in the middle of the census years...this is only what i have been told so maybe a bit more digging is needed

lyn
 
If you have a subscription to findmypast and search the military records, setting an appropriate birth year, year and keyword to Bham included in the results (10 pages in) are service records from the late 1870s early 1880s.
 
thats a great photo ann...hopefully horatio will see it...i wonder which of the men is H G TURNER

lyn
 
Robert Baden-Powell traced his idea of Boy Scouts to his experiences in the Anglo-Boer wars. There is literature on boy soldiers, especially drummer boys in the Zulu war, but I don't see anything on scouts or trackers. Not wearing uniform while being a soldier could mean being taken as a spy. Of course an army scout could be an adult. It appears that the person in question was 19 in 1879.
 
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I studied A level History taking the South Africa option in the 1970s, so the names of the battles, generals and chiefs ring bells. But I discovered a much more complex account of the Colonial and Imperial forces from a South African perspective today. There were many light horse units. http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol045sm.html

These Colonial light horse units were not part of the British Army, but perhaps an adventurous British lad might join one?
 
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pjmburns said:
Would think it has to be.
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Thank you for your input,
Horatio George Hawkins Turner is my Great Grandfather he served in the Zulu campaign, survived the war and founded his corn and seed business in Small Heath 1884. He had two brothers David and Charles, one emigrated to Ohio North America the other emigrated to Kampala North Island New Zealand both around 1882 - 1885. The business carried in until 2005 Horatios son George Stanley Turner expanded the business and had 12 shops in the south Birmingham suburbs,
2168 Coventry Road Sheldon
335 Coventry Road Small Heath
25 Glebe Farm Road Stechford
836 Stratford Road Sparhill
191 Stratford Road Shirley
School Road Shirley
The Parade Sutton Coldfield
Warwick Road Olton
Coventry Road Hay Mills

Over the decades many independent corn and seed merchants were acquired when the owners retired names like,
Lawrence Brothers Shirley
Freers Digbeth

Horatio was a prominent member of the Small Heath Pigeon racing club and l have a photograph of the members circa 1905 featuring local men many of them owned local businesses, William Hill the bookmaker is on the photo.

I will be posting a large collection of photos shortly.
 
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