Bemand; black officer, Royal Field Artillery, KiA 1916.

[wizzie]

Thank you high wood. I was not sure such a thing existed !

Wizzie

[PhilB]

By this point in the war, to bar a non-white man from becoming an officer was against the King's Regulations.

Were the regulations specific about what exactly "non-white" meant? Tull was half "white", Bemand three quarter "white". It`s all a bit vague, especially as few of us are sure of our own ethnic background before the last few generations. My own grandfather, a Lincolnshire poultry dealer whom I never met, was described by his sons as a bit of a diddecoy. I haven`t a clue what they meant!

[eairicbloodaxe]

Hi Phil_B

"Didicoy is a term of the Romanichal for travellers with mixed Romani blood. There was often fierce competition between the groups, and the Romanichal tended to blame their own reputation for criminality on the didicoys and other nomadic groups masquerading as "Gypsies"."

Do you have any liking for caravans, perchance?

Regards

Ian

[bruce]

A diddecoy was a name that my late Mother used. She came from north Essex, and a diddecoy was a traveller, a gypsy, roma.

The way in which she spat out the word, I got the impression that it was not high praise!

Bruce

[PhilB]

Hi Phil_B

Do you have any liking for caravans, perchance?

Regards

Ian

Always fancied a bandana and a large gold ring in one ear.

However, back to the topic - what was the definition of "non-white"?

[Bingo794]

I was interested to read this on the word 'Diddycoy'.

My old Dad knew and had some dealings with a few travellers in the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's who had been in the Brigg area for many years, in fact most are still here today, or at least their families.

When I was a kid, I asked what one was and Dad said they were local gypsies and business men.....some of whom you had to count your rings after shaking on a deal. Then again, after a handshake with one or two of them, you had to count your fingers.

It wasn't a derogatory term.....the old man thought it was something to do with one of their calls when out collecting scrap.

Most are pretty much integrated and keep undesirables under control.

Some do, however, have a reputation.

RW

[wizzie]

According to the Dulwich College War Record 1914=1918 George Bemand was killed by shell fire. You would need to see the Battery War diary in order to get a more detailed account.

My Transcript from the War Diary

"26^th December 1916

From 10.30am onwards we kept up a slow rate of fire practically all along the front, according to programme, during which we fired 233 rounds of 1 ½ & 2.0 mm. From time to time we had a few minutes of Intense Fire, one gun in particular superintended by Corpl. Cook got off 40 rounds in 30 minutes.

26^th Cont

Excellent shooting was done throughout the whole day and the Enemy’s Trenches must have suffered severely. Good direction was obtained on all targets. An Enemy Dug-Out at S22C 68/74, used by snipers, was completely destroyed by our fire. Considerable damage was done to Enemy Trenches & C.T’s. No Retaliation was offered until 3.30pm when the enemy opened with 4.2’s, 77mm’s & M.T.M.’s on to our Cover Trench Positions, off Shetland Rd. These Guns had a very good line but were mostly well over. Our Gun continued firing on to the Parabola until the Hostile fire got too close. One 4.2 shell pierced an Ammunition Recess in which 2/Lt Bemand & Cpl Cook were sheltering along with Driver Frewin 2/Lt. Bemand & Cpl Cook were killed outright & Dv. Frewin was badly wounded about the face. Until this occurrence the shoot had been admirably conducted by “/Lt. Bemand, ably assisted by Cpl. Cook. Enemy firing ceased shortly after this. 2/Lt Sykes relieved & took the place of 2/Lt Bemand."

[high wood]

Very interesting; thank you for posting.

[wizzie]

Your welcome high wood

My further research has now brought to light that George Bemand was actually injured on Christmas Day, the day before his death, and presumably continued in his role until his sad death the following day, what kind of injury is not recorded.

? It it possible that someone would be able to help me locate the Trench Map that would have Rope Street and Shetland Road on it ? Please

I am keen to identify the area where these two men met their end.

Thanks

Wizzie

[Guest]

I would like to tentalively propose Captain John Dalrymple Callender (born 10th April 1862, Stoke Damerel - died
16th November 1938, Shardlow) of the Territorial Force as an addition to the list of officers with African ancestry.
This is just a tentative proposal as it is based only on two words in a description of his father, John Harvey
Callender (born 17th November 1823, Hamilton, Bermuda - died 27th January 1904, Birkenhead): "complexion mulatto."

 

John Harvey Callender's career was spent at sea. He joined HMS Stag as a boy on 11th February 1837 and was
chief boatswain by the time he was pensioned from the Navy on 10th December 1878. Next, he worked as chief
officer on a reformatory ship, the Akbar, in Liverpool, before retiring. I have found three records that
help in revealing his ancestry:

 

1. On 5th December 1845 he registered with the Merchant Service (ticket number 314.009). He is described as
having mulatto complexion and black hair and eyes.

 

2. On 19th July 1853 a Continuous and General Service form was completed for him. On this occasion, his complexion
is given as dark, with black hair and hazel eyes.

 

3. On 13th January 1856 he married Johannah Pearce in Stoke Damerel. His father is stated to be Timothy Callender,
a solicitor.

 

Returning to John Dalrymple Callender, he served with the Army for two periods. He joined the Royal Warwickshire
Regiment as a private on 19th May 1882 and was colour sergeant at the time of his leaving on 31st January 1907.
Both his description on enlistment and discharge say that his complexion was dark, eyes grey and hair dark brown.
The second period of his service was during World War I, he had worked as a clerk in Warwick from 1907. The London
Gazette of 22nd October 1915 details his commission:

 

"Quartermaster and Honorary Lieutenant John D. Callender resigns his commission. Dated 23rd October, 1915.
John Dalrymple Callender (late Quartermaster and Honorary Lieutenant) to be Lieutenant (temporary). Dated 23rd October, 1915.
Lieut John D. Callender to be temporary Captain and Adjutant. Dated 23rd October, 1915."

 

Finally, I enclose a picture of John Dalrymple Callender.

 

 

Tom

 

[MaureenE]

In respect of the British Army in India,

Enlistment was possible for men with European parents, or Eurasian men of fair complexion―those whose looks allowed them to ‘pass’ as white.^[7]

[7] Loyalty, Parity, and Social Control-The Competing Visions on the Creation of an ‘Eurasian’ Military Regiment in late British India by Satoshi Mizutani The International Journal of Anglo-Indian Studies Volume 10, No. 1, 2010

 

Presumably it was the same elsewhere.

 

Cheers

Maureen

[Guest]

Hello Maureen,

Thank you for replying.

As far as I know, John Dalrymple Callender had no Indian ancestry. He joined
the British Army in Calcutta in 1882, but this was his first connection to
India. The little I know of his early life is that he was born in Stoke Damerel
in 1862 and baptised in the parish of Devonport in 1862, on the 1871 census he
was living with his mother and three siblings in Stoke Damerel (his father was
away at sea) and on the 1881 census he was living with his mother and father and
three siblings in Tranmere and described as "studying for examination." It would
seem he left education, took work as a seaman (in Liverpool, presumably) and
this work resulted in him being in Calcutta on 19th May 1882, at which point
he committed to a new career in the army.

 

The people that are of interest to me in the ancestry of John Dalrymple
Callender are his father, John Harvey Callender, and his paternal grandmother.
Unfortunately, I can't identify John Harvey Callender's mother, as records of
baptisms in Hamilton, Bermuda are not held for 1823, 1824 or 1825. However,
given a birthplace of Bermuda in 1823 and that the term "mulatto" was used in
reference to him, it is likely that John Harvey Callender had black ancestry
and there is even the chance that he was born into slavery.

 

Noting the above, I'm only making the tentative suggestion that John Dalrymple
Callender was another first world war officer with black ancestry (albeit in
the Territorial Force and, being the best part of 30 years older than George
Bemand, David Clemetson and Walter Tull, his responsibilities were for training
in England and he was never sent to the front).

 

Tom

[GrenPen]

On 29/10/2013 at 13:50, PhilB said:

Were the regulations specific about what exactly "non-white" meant? Tull was half "white", Bemand three quarter "white". It`s all a bit vague, especially as few of us are sure of our own ethnic background before the last few generations. My own grandfather, a Lincolnshire poultry dealer whom I never met, was described by his sons as a bit of a diddecoy. I haven`t a clue what they meant!

 

Just to round back on an earlier comment in relation to the above. For question 4 of Army Form B 201, the officer candidate has to respond as to 'whether of pure European descent'. I came across this when researching a Grenadier Guards VC winner who lived a mile from Walter Tull's orphanage, and viewing his officer's service record at Kew.

 

Army Form B 201 Application for Appointment to a Commission in the Special Reserve of Officers