Sir William Penn Symons
Who was Sir William Penn Symons (1843 – 1899)? I thought it might be fitting to look at who the man was in charge of the British forces.
William Penn Symons, was the eldest son of William Symons and Caroline Anne Southwell and was born at Hatt, Cornwall, England on 17 July 1843. Educated at Crediton School and at Sandhurst, he was commissioned as ensign in the 24th Regiment of Foot (later renamed the South Wales Borderers) in 1863. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1866 and Captain in 1878.
As a member of the 2nd Battalion, Symons fought against Sandile in the Ninth Frontier War in the eastern Cape in 1878. He also fought in the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879.
On 22 January 1879 Symons accompanied Lord Chelmsford’s contingent and thereby escaped the Zulu attack and destruction of the British camp at Isandlwana. However, he did write a report on events.
In 1880 Symons served in India and was appointed Assistant Adjutant-General for musketry in Madras in 1892. He served on the staff in the expedition to Burma in 1885, and 4 years later commanded the Burma Column. He was frequently mentioned in dispatches and was given rank of brevet Lieutenant-Colonel (1886), appointed C.B. (1890), promoted to regimental Lieutenant-Colonel (1891), and commanded the 2nd Battalion South Wales Borderers until 1893 when he became Assistant Adjutant-General for musketry in Bengal, India. He was an excellent shot and skilful swordsman and did his best to raise the standard of shooting in the Army.
In May 1899 he was sent to Natal to take precautionary measures in the event of war with the Transvaal Republic. Given a temporary rank of Brigadier-General he undertook extensive reconnaissance along the Natal frontier and realised the need for a much larger force than the British had sent to protect the Natal northern districts. At the request of the Natal Government he divided his troops between Ladysmith and Dundee.
On 3 October 1899 Sir George White arrived in Natal and took command of all British troops in the Colony. With the outbreak of the second Anglo-Boer War (11 October 1899). Symons remained in command of the advance British position in Dundee.
With him were four battalions of infantry (Royal Irish Fusiliers, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, Kings Royal Rifles), three batteries of artillery (13th, 67th and 69th) and one of a cavalry regiment, the 18th Hussars.
On 19 October 1899 the Boers captured Elandslaagte station and several rail, telegraph and road communications between Dundee and Ladysmith were cut off; thus the force at Dundee was in danger of being completely cut off and surrounded.
After occupying Talana and Lennox Hills east of Dundee, a Boer force of 2500 under General Lukas Meyer attacked the British camp on 20 October 1899.
In the attempt to drive the Boers off Talana Hill, Symons, after riding out from camp and passing through a plantation of eucalyptus tree, climbed over a low stone wall where he was shot in the abdomen. He was assisted back to his horse, and rode off until he was out of sight of his men, then dismounted and was taken by stretcher to hospital.
The Boer position on Talana was taken by assault, and while tactically it had been a British victory, the battle had resulted in many more British than Boer casualties British 52 killed, Boers 31 killed, 203 British wounded and Boers 66 wounded. POW’s British 246 and Boers 20).
Although cleared from Talana, the Boers on Mpati Mountain to the north of Dundee were still in a commanding position, and despite moving camp the British forces made a tactical withdrawal to Ladysmith.
The British stores and wounded, including Symons, remained in Dundee. The Boers occupied the town on 23 October 1899 and Symons died of his wounds the same day. He was buried the next day in St. James’s churchyard, Dundee, where a marble cross marks his grave. There is a stone cairn at the foot of Talana Hill marking the spot where he received his mortal wound. In the United Kingdom there is a memorial window to him in Botus Fleming Church near Saltash, Cornwall.
The Union flag that flew over Dundee at the outbreak of the war, had been draped over the coffin of Gen Penn Symons and then his grave. The Anglican minister, Rev Bailey, buried the flag together with the church silver under the floorboards of the church to protect them during the occupation of the town by Boer forces. Today the flag is on display in Talana Museum.
When the British troops relieved the town, seven months later, Rev Bailey flew this flag on a branch of a tree to welcome the troops back to the town.
In 1982 when we were setting up the Talana museum and collecting items and publicising what we were doing, a parcel arrived from Cornwall with this flag and a note to explain its history and connections with Dundee and that it should be kept in the museum.
Many years later I inherited a letter written by Lady Penn Symons and addressed to my great grandfather’s brother. He had taken a photo of the general’s grave and enclosed a copy of the account of his burial in the local newspaper and sent them to her. This was her letter of thanks and a comment she made in the letter, of hoping one day to possibly have his body taken back to Cornwall, has led to much controversy over the years, as some people believed this to have happened. It never did.
And let’s correct another centenary long error. His surname is Symons not Penn-Symons. Penn is his second name and he was named for the family connection, Penns, who were settlers to America in 1861 and after whom Pennsylvania is named.
Each year on the anniversary of the battle there is a Ghost Walk up Talana hill – and yes there are ghosts and many of them are there on the anniversary. There is also a commemorative tour of the battle and related sites in and around the town.
For further details about these tours and the museum contact Talana Museum info@talana,co,za or the website www.talana.co.za.
