Fair use notice.
This website may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorised by the copyright owner.
We are making such material and images are available in our efforts to advance the understanding of the “Anglo Zulu War of 1879. For educational & recreational purposes.
We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material, as provided for in UK copyright law. The information is purely for educational and research purposes only. No profit is made from any part of this website.
If you hold the copyright on any material on the site, or material refers to you, and you would like it to be removed, please let us know and we will work with you to reach a resolution.
Subject: Re: 228 Pte. T. Westwood, 80th Foot Thu Jun 17, 2010 8:38 pm
Rolf Harris” song Two Little Boys. Was based on Wassal saving Westwood . Now i didn't know that !!!!
littlehand
Posts : 7077 Join date : 2009-04-24 Age : 53 Location : Down South.
Subject: Re: 228 Pte. T. Westwood, 80th Foot Thu Jun 17, 2010 9:39 pm
If I had the money that would be a definite purchase. Lets just hope they go to a good home. Your be lucky to see theses on sale again in our lifetime. I guess it’s the story behind the Westwood medal that makes it that much more desirable. With a bit of luck they might be place in a museum collection that’s on view to the public. Nice find Graves. I wonder what they would fetch if they went on sale with Wassal V.C.
littlehand
Posts : 7077 Join date : 2009-04-24 Age : 53 Location : Down South.
Subject: Re: 228 Pte. T. Westwood, 80th Foot Thu Jun 17, 2010 9:47 pm
Just out of interest !!! Did Westwood leave an account of his rescue by Wassal. As I can only find the Wassal account.
90th
Posts : 10482 Join date : 2009-04-07 Age : 66 Location : Melbourne, Australia
Subject: Pvt . T. Westwood Fri Jun 18, 2010 12:53 am
Hi littlehand. Once again courtesy of that wonderful work by Julian Whybra.
19 / 228 Private . Thomas . Westwood , 80th Regt , attached to the 1st Sqdn Imperial Mounted Infantry.
His statement of the 12th Feb 1879 and his further statement of 11th April 1879 , are both in the National Archives WO 32 / 7387 / 55603 . RELATING TO A SUBMISSION FOR A V.C , for Pvt . Wassall 80th IMI. Escaped via Fugitives Drft to Helpmekaar . I have had only a quick look , but I dont think I have his account , Will try and have a better search later . cheers 90th.
90th
Posts : 10482 Join date : 2009-04-07 Age : 66 Location : Melbourne, Australia
Subject: westwood medal and wassall's VC. Fri Jun 18, 2010 1:00 am
hi littlehand . Forgot to put my pennies worth in with a stab at your medal question , I dont think you would get much change out of 600,000 pounds !. it may even cost a lot more , but seeing as it will never happen ( in our lifetimes ) we will never know. There is talk the Westwood Medals may run into 25 ,000 pd according to some knowledgable lads on RDVC Forum and they may most likely be a tad short !!!. Would be a great buy , count me in if I am lucky enough to win the lottery before hammer time . :) . cheers 90th.
90th
Posts : 10482 Join date : 2009-04-07 Age : 66 Location : Melbourne, Australia
Subject: westwood 80th regt. Fri Jun 18, 2010 10:45 am
Hi Littlehand. As promised I had a very good search in my collection of " stuff " and sadly no account by Westwood , may be worth a shot contacting the Staffordshire regimental Museum , they may have an account or possibly a transcript of the accounts left by Westwood which are in the National Archive . I can tell you that while Westwood was recouperating in the Hospital at Helpmekaar , he overheard a group of officers talking about an unknown man who had rescued someone from the river at Fugitives Drift , Westwood got their attention and then he proceeded to tell them of his story. So , luckily he overheard the conversation otherwise Wassall more than likely wouldn't have been awarded his V.C. cheers 90th.
Subject: Re: 228 Pte. T. Westwood, 80th Foot Fri Nov 25, 2011 11:59 am
Good morning all, I am an ancestor of Thomas Westwood & without your information I wouldn't be able to state to the rest of the family that this brave man was rescued by another very brave Pte Wassell. We were aware that a family member had served but no idea rescued & was part of history in the frame of Rolf Harris' song! I'm wondering if anyone knows where the medals went after being sold in 2010? Are they in a museum as we thought they were still in the family, would now be nice to see the medals & take photos to pass along
Cheers
90th
Posts : 10482 Join date : 2009-04-07 Age : 66 Location : Melbourne, Australia
Subject: Pte. T. Westwood , 80th foot. Fri Nov 25, 2011 2:09 pm
Hi Dave / Scaryb. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I was watching a Doco / Story last week about Rolf Harris and sorry to say the two little boys is about his Father and uncle during WW1 . From what I saw I think his father was wounded and died in a hospital in France and his brother was lying wounded in the same hospital , neither apparantly knew of the others presence there at the same time . I may have it wrong possibly the uncle died and his father didnt know he was there . But there is certainly no connection to Wassal & Westwood & the zulu war . cheers 90th.
johann engelbrecht
Posts : 108 Join date : 2010-06-06 Age : 58 Location : Piet Retief
Subject: Re: 228 Pte. T. Westwood, 80th Foot Fri Nov 25, 2011 5:00 pm
By the way.... how old are you to be his ancestor?
tasker224
Posts : 2101 Join date : 2010-07-30 Age : 55 Location : North London
Subject: Re: 228 Pte. T. Westwood, 80th Foot Fri Nov 25, 2011 6:37 pm
scaryb wrote:
Good morning all, I am an ancestor of Thomas Westwood & without your information I wouldn't be able to state to the rest of the family that this brave man was rescued by another very brave Pte Wassell. We were aware that a family member had served but no idea rescued & was part of history in the frame of Rolf Harris' song! I'm wondering if anyone knows where the medals went after being sold in 2010? Are they in a museum as we thought they were still in the family, would now be nice to see the medals & take photos to pass along
Cheers
Hi Scaryb, welcome to the forum. if you can't find the location of your ancestor's medals using a quick internet search, they are likely to be in a private collection not a museum. museums don't have that kind of money and rarely pay for medals. most have a policy not to pay for medals, artefacts or anything else. they tend to rely on donations, either directly - see the recent post re Lt Edgar Antey's family donating his campaign medal to the SWB museum in Brecon - or groups of members essentially having a whip round and buying an artefact to donate to the museum.
kwajimu1879
Posts : 420 Join date : 2011-05-14
Subject: Re: 228 Pte. T. Westwood, 80th Foot Fri Nov 25, 2011 6:56 pm
I thought I'd post this engraving from 'The Penny Illustrated Paper' of 26th July 1879 that features Privates Wassall & Westwood as its centrepiece and depicts four other VC actions.
(Tasker, I like the Violette Szabo poem tagline by-the-way.)
kwaJimu1879
tasker224
Posts : 2101 Join date : 2010-07-30 Age : 55 Location : North London
Subject: Re: 228 Pte. T. Westwood, 80th Foot Fri Nov 25, 2011 7:09 pm
Beautiful engraving Kwajimu. I admire bravery in all of its forms, but I am moved most by bravery which saves lives. Noel Chavasse: 2 VCs won and he killed no one, but saved countless lives. If ever a man deserved to be made a saint...
Home 
Gallery 
Search 
Register 
Log in 
I wonder what they would fetch if they went on sale with Wassal V.C.
