South Africa memorial Edinburgh Castle

William DAY

Birth Name DAY, William
Gender male
Age at Death about 25 years, 5 days

Events

Event Date Place Description Sources
Birth about 1875 Sunderland, Durham   1a 2a
Death 6 January 1900 Ladysmith, South Africa   3 4a
Military Service 1899   Black Watch 4b

Parents

Relation to main person Name Birth date Death date Relation within this family (if not by birth)
Father Albert Daniel DAY18 April 18509 June 1897
Mother Mary Ann AYREabout 1856
         William DAY about 1875 6 January 1900
    Brother     Arthur DAY about 1876
    Brother     James DAY about 1878
    Brother     Edward DAY 18 May 1885 11 November 1944
 
Henry SEWELLabout 1853before 1921
Mother Mary Ann AYREabout 1856

Attributes

Type Value Notes Sources
_UID ADF85CD7592CC947BDE85DE662E80F07B505
 

Source References

  1. 1881 census
      • Citation:

        Name: William Day
        Age: 6
        Estimated birth year: abt 1875
        Relationship to Head: Son
        Father: Albert Day
        Mother: Mary Day
        Gender: Male
        Where born: Sunderland, Durham, England
        Civil Parish: Bishopwearmouth
        County/Island: Durham
        Country: England
        Street address: E Cottage In Hirsts Brickfield
        Education:
        Employment status:
        View image
        Occupation: Scholar
        Registration district: Sunderland
        Sub registration district: North Bishop Wearmouth
        ED, institution, or vessel: 9
        Neighbors:
        Piece: 4988
        Folio: 79
        Page Number: 48

  2. 1891 census
      • Citation:

        Name: William Day
        Gender: Male
        Age: 16
        Relationship: Son
        Birth Year: 1875
        Father:
        Albert Day
        Mother:
        Mary Day
        Birth Place: Sunderland, Durham, England
        Civil parish: Bishop Wearmouth
        Ecclesiastical parish: St Hilda
        Residence Place: Bishop Wearmouth, Durham, England
        Registration district: Sunderland
        Sub registration district: North Bishop Wearmouth
        ED, Institution or Vessel: 7
        Neighbors:
        Piece: 4127
        Folio: 112

  3. Family information
  4. FindMyPast
      • Citation:

        First name(s) W
        Last name Day
        Year 1899-1902
        Rank Private
        Service number 4575
        Regiment 2 Battalion The Gordon Highlanders
        Rolls WO100/203 page 359
        Memorials Edinburgh Castle. Tablet. Gordon Highlanders, Edinburgh, Lothian, SCOTLAND
        Event unit 2 Battalion The Gordon Highlanders
        Event detail Killed on 06/01/1900 at Ladysmith
        Event source Natal Field Force. JB Hayward & Sons
        Gazetteer [2828: 2834-2949] a town in Natal Colony (Klip River district; KwaZulu-Natal), 25 km north of Colenso. Strategically located on the junction of rail and road routes to the Orange Free State and northern Natal, the town was selected as a location for a garrison of regular British troops in the event of war. On 11 October 1899 Lt-Gen Sir G.S. White, commanding troops in Natal, arrived in the town. The column retreating from Dundee* under Maj-Gen J.H. Yule arrived in Ladysmith on 26 October. Four days later, a naval brigade with two 4.7 in, three long 12 pdrs, one short 12 pdr and four maxims arrived. That day White moved to attack the laagers of the Boer forces which had advanced from northern Natal and down the Drakensberg passes. This action is referred to as the battle of Ladysmith, Lombards Kop* or Modderspruit*. The British retired to the town and on 2 November telegraph comunications were cut and the garrison isolated. Gen Sir R.H. Buller arrived in Durban on 25 November to lead the effort to relieve the besieged town himself. The Boer forces were commanded by Cmdt-Gen P.J. Joubert until 30 November when he left, because of ill-health, and then by Asst Cmdt-Gen S.W. Burger. Both the siege and the defense were relatively passive except for exchanges of artillery fire. From 7 December, permanent heliograpic communications were established with Buller. On 22 December a shell from the Boer Creusot gun nick-named 'Long Tom' killed 9, mortally wounded 2 and wounded 6 men from the Gloucester Regiment. The Boers made a determined attack on 6 January 1900 on the town's southern defences at Caesar's Camp* and Wagon Hill*, but were repulsed. After a series of reverses, Buller's Natal Army eventually broke the Boer lines on the north bank of the Thukela Rive and after success at Pieter's Hill*, Col Lord Dundonald with 300 men of the Imperial Light Horse, Border Mounted Rifles and Natal Carbineers entered the town on 28 February. The siege had lasted for 120 days. Buller arrived on 1 March and established his headquarters there on the following day. At the close of the siege there were over 2,000 sick in the hospital at Intombi Camp*. Not until 11 May did the Natal Army move against the Boer positions now along the Biggarsberg*. It was the location of a white concentration refugee camp. HMG I pp.44, 47, 120, 151, 262 and 456 (map no.4), II pp. 527-530 and caps.XXX, XXXI (map no.31), III pp.249-251, 259 (map no.45), IV p.669; Times III caps.VII and VIII (maps facing pp.200 and 216), IV pp.165-169 and cap.XV (map facing p.196); Breytenbach I caps.XIII and XIV (maps facing pp.340 and 384), II cap.XIII (map facing p.412), III pp.557-567 and caps.I and II (map facing p.62); Cd.819; Burnett pp.47-84 (map no.II); Griffith. CR.
        Literary references Photos taken by John Scott/E/36
        Notes QSA Clasps: DoL

      • Citation:

        First name(s) William
        Last name Day
        Year 1899-1902
        Rank Private
        Service number 5962
        Regiment 1 Battalion The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)
        Rolls WO100/190 page 261; WO100/190 page 451
        Notes QSA Clasps: OFS,T,SA01,SA02
        Country Great Britain
        Record set Anglo-Boer War Records 1899-1902
        Category Military, armed forces & conflict
        Subcategory Boer Wars