Captain Edward Lovegrove

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

"Captain Edward Lovegrove  was dangerously  wounded during  the Battle  of  Laingsnek on 28 January  1881 shortly  after  taking  over  the  command  of the 58th  Foot from his senior officer who had become  a casualty.  His  military  career  commenced when  he  purchased  an  Ensigncy  in  the 3rd West India  Regiment  in February  1868. He  was promoted Lieutenant  some  15 months later in May  1869  and is recorded in  the 1871  Census  as  living  on  half pay  with  his widowed father shortly  before his appointment to  the 58th  Foot in  June 1871. He  assumed the role  of Adjutant in May  1877 and  was present in the engagement at Ulundi during the final  phase of  the Zulu  War. He was advanced to Captain on  18 October  1879.   Reports on the  Battle of Laingsnek  state  that after all the other  senior officer’s  having been killed  or  seriously  wounded  that  he “the  acting  second-in-command”  led  the men  on, but  he too fell wounded,  a Regimental history  recording  “Private Godfrey and  Band-Boy Martin, 58th Regiment, remained  with  Major  Hingeston and  Captain  Lovegrove respectively,  when these officers were wounded, and  notwithstanding  the heavy fire, refused  to leave  them until they  had been  carried down the hill and  taken  to  the ambulance.”  For  his  gallantry  Charles Godfrey  was subsequently  awarded the Distinguished Conduct  Medal. Godfrey later served  during the Anglo Boer War and  was wounded during the armoured train disaster near Chievely  when Winston Churchill  was  captured. For a similar  act of  gallantry  2nd Lieutenant  Alan  Hill  of  the 58th  was awarded the Victoria Cross for endeavouring  to save the life  of  Lieutenant  Baillie  who,  carrying the Regimental  Colour, had  led  the 58th  up the  hillside.  In all the 58th  suffered nearly  80 killed and more than  90 wounded during  this single  action.  Later writing in  his diary  Lovegrove recorded  that an  attack  such as his Regiment  had  been  called  upon to undertake, relying on  the bayonet against entrenched  marksmen,  was doomed to  failure and was against  “the  recognised principles  of warfare”.   Edward Lovegrove was promoted Major  in December 1882 and receiving  a gratuity  retired  from the Service on  18  November 1885.   In later  years,  as  a  retired senior  officer  living  in  Cape Town, he  offered  his services during  the Anglo Boer War and was duly  appointed to  assist the Red Cross. He took charge  of their Depot at Wynberg where he assumed responsibility  for the  distribution of gifts to hospitals both at  the base  and on  the lines. After  the  conclusion  of hostilities he  was  appointed  as the Officer Commanding  the Discharge Depot for  the South  African  Irregular  Force and  it is  in this  capacity that his  name and his  signature  recorded  on innumerable  QSA and  KSA medal rolls  will  be well-known to  South African  medal collectors.  He was  promoted Lieutenant  Colonel on 18 October 1902. The ease  of  archival  and historical research  now  affords medal  collectors many  opportunities to add  colour  to  the recipient of  a group  of  medals. Such  is  the case  with  Edward  Lovegrove. Edward was born in September  1846 and was baptised  4 weeks later  in the parish of  Greenwich in  the County  of  Kent. His father, Samuel of  Ludgate Hill, was  a  well-known  tavern owner  and wine merchant,  having joined his  father Samuel  Lovegrove, Edward’s grandfather, who first started  his  business in  operating  the well-known  Horn  tavern  in  Doctor’s  Commons. He  later moved to  the Crown and Sceptre at Greenwich  and then  built  two splendid  taverns at Blackwall on  the Greenwich Waterfront. At  the same time  he ran  the well-known London  Coffee-House, Ludgate-Hill. Grandfather Samuel Lovegrove was  held  in very  high  regard  and was admitted  to the Freedom of the Worshipful Company  of Cooks in 1841. A contemporary  writer colourfully described  him as being  the  “reputed Prince  of  Artistes”  and  “that presiding  genius of the kitchen”  and  even Charles  Dickens wrote  about his  splendid  white-bait dinners  served  at the Brunswick Tavern on the Wharf  near  the  passenger embarkation  point for  boats  to  America.  The white-bait is  a  small fish caught  in  the River  Thames which  requires special cooking  and preparation.  It  was  clearly  intended that  grandson Edward  would follow  in  his father’s  and grandfather’s footsteps and  in September  1867  Edward was  admitted  into  the  Freedom  of  the Worshipful Company  of  Vintners in  London. His  intentions  evidently  changed and  coming from a relatively wealthy  family  he  purchased his  Ensigncy  just a few  months later.  After his  eventful military  career  it  would seem  that his father’s  death on  9 April 1885 induced  Edward to  resign his Major’s Commission. The  London Gazette  of  28 September  records his name, being one of the  co-executors  of  his father’s  Will, being  added to  three other individuals who had  already been granted probate  of his father’s will by  the  High Court of  Justice. In January  1894 Edward, still  unmarried, returned to  the Cape Colony.  It  is evident  that sometime  thereafter, but before  1905, he married. Interestingly  his wife  was Florence Annie Robertson. She  was a widow having previously  been married to  Richard Henry  Keats  D’Arcy who had  died in the Transvaal  in 1885. Richard  Henry  Keates  D’Arcy  was  the brother  of the Colonial Zulu  War hero and Victoria  Cross  recipient Cecil D’Arcy. Richard had served as  an acting Magistrate in  Kimberley  during the mid-1870’s and  as an Officer with  the Dutoitspan Hussars later  to  be  called  the Diamonds Fields  Horse with whom  he earned the South Africa General Service  medal  with bar 1877-8. He  subsequently  went to Pretoria  in 1879 and  is remembered for  organising  the Pretoria Horse,  often referred  to as D’Arcy’s Horse, during  the Siege of  Pretoria during  the First  Boer War. He was  badly  wounded in  the foot  in  the vicinity  of Pretoria  on 29  December  1880  and never  really  recovered.   ROB MITCHELL  CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA, JULY 2017 copyright."