MASSY – HAMPDEN HUGH
| Born: 1858/02/00 Rank: MAJOR Regiment: ROYAL ENGINEERS GPS: S28°38.888 E29°30.995 |
Reason for death: KILLED IA Place of death: UPPER TUGELA – SPIOENKOP Date of death: 1900/01/24 Memorial: SPIOENKOP |
Note:
IN HIS BOOK “HILL OF SQUANDERED VALOUR“, RON LOCK SAYS THE FOLLOWING:-
IT WAS ABOUT NOON WHEN THORNEYCROFT HEARD OF HIS PROMOTION, BUT HIS ATTENTION WAS FOCUSSED ELSWHERE. MAJOR MASSEY (BOTH DOONER AND THE GRAVE MARKER READ MASSY) OF THE ROYAL ENGINEERS HAD, BUT A MOMENT BEFORE, BEEN KILLED LEADING A CHARGE OF ASSORTED TROOPS, AND A YOUNG LIEUTENANT RAPHAEL OF THE SOUTH LANCS WAS ALSO DEAD, AS WERE CAPTAINS VERTUE AND BIRCH OF THE SOUTH LANCS.
A MUTUAL FRIEND OF RAPHAEL AND BIRCH WROTE THAT THEY HAD A REGIMENTAL NICKNAME OF ‘DAMON AND PLYTHIAS‘ BECAUSE THEY WERE SO CLOSE. THEY HAD BEEN KILLED ALMOST AT THE SAME TIME TRYING TO PULL A WOUNDED MAN INTO A TRENCH”
