Captain Robert Cooke Otway, 13th (Somersetshire) Prince Alert’s Light Infantry

Posts : 3362 Join date : 2009-03-03 Location : Devon

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Grave, Tonbridge Cemetery, Tonbridge, Kent, England

Date of Birth - 2nd October 1846
Ensign - 13th Foot 9th March 1867
Lieutenant - 13th Foot 6th July 1870
Captain - Somerset Light Infantry (1st Battalion) 1st May 1878
South African War - 1879 - Kaffir Campaign, Expedition against Sekukuni - Zulu Campaign, Battle of Ulundi. Medal with Clasp ‘1878-9’.

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Subject: Robert Cooke Otway, 1st/13th Light Infantry Thu May 31, 2018 5:04 pm

I appreciate that there is already a post on him in the Graves & Memorial Section, but here’s another photograph of him.

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The then Ensign Robert Cooke Otway, 1st/13th P.A.L.I.
Dated 18th May 1869, Tonbridge.
John Young Collection.

JY

Posts : 3 Join date : 2012-12-06

Great picture John.

He is carrying his sword that we have in our Freemasons' Lodge in Plymouth. Purchased from Henry Wilkinson when he was commissioned as an ensign (we have a copy of the original order form). Otway was a Freemason having been initiated in Gibraltar when his battalion was stationed there. Not sure how the sword ended up in a lodge in Plymouth but we do know that 1/13th were stationed in Devonport (now part of Plymouth) in 1880 on their return from South Africa and the lodge was consecrated in the same year...maybe he was a guest...research is ongoing.

I also understand that his Zulu War medal was sold last year.

Peter,

Thanks for the information, is the sword still in use or on just display?

I actually have another photograph of him taken in Gibraltar which would be contemporary with his initiation.

I will look for it this afternoon, he is in ‘mufti’ so there might be a tie-pin or other clue on it.

Do you have details of the Lodge in Gibraltar, or the date of his initiation?

Regards,

JY

Posts : 3 Join date : 2012-12-06

John

The sword is in regular use, it is carried by the Tyler at every ceremony. I became interested in its provenance when I was Tyler many years ago. We were able to track it down by its Wilkinson serial number and, what turned out to be, the Otway crest and Robert's "RCO" initials engraved on the blade. It is not in a good condition, lacks its steel scabbard, and was not valued highly at the Antiques Roadshow that was filmed in Plymouth several years ago...

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A recent Google search uncovered that he was initiated into the Lodge of Friendship No 278 in Gibraltar on 17 Jan 1868, passed to the Second degree on 14 Feb 1868 and raised to the Third degree on 11 Mar 1868, aged 21 and an ensign in the 13 Regt. Interestingly, 5 years later, in 1874 both Coghill and Melvill joined the same lodge when the 1/24 was in Gibraltar. I am sure that they would all have known each other.

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