Private John Connolly – Rorke’s Drift Grave
Rededication in Swansea - Wales

Peter Hall and John Thomas, local Swansea Historians, recently discovered that a Private John Connolly from Bearahaven, County Cork, was at the Battle of Rourke’s Drift in Africa in 1879. He survived the battle but died at his Swansea home, 35 Llangyfelach Street penniless and a pauper and lay buried in an unmarked pauper’s grave and forgotten at Danygraig Cemetery in Port Tennant in Swansea for the 113 years.

In 1879 the British 24th Regiment, later to be called the South Wales Borderers, fought a brave defence against overwhelming Zulu numbers at Rourke’s drift in Natal, Africa.

Following the battle, 11 Victoria crosses, the highest award for gallantry in the British military were awarded. Peter Hall discovered that Private Connolly was injured and place in the hospital prior to the battle and carried to safety from the hospital by Private Henry Hook. Pte Hook was awarded a VC for his bravery.

After being discharged from Army, on medical grounds John Connolly was given a pension of ten pence a day.

The then Head Constable (Chief Constable) of the Swansea Borough Police (1877-1913) Captain Issac Colquhoun an Irishman, a junior member of the Colquhouns of Luss, Northern Ireland, was responsible for getting John Connolly’s pension of 1 shilling a day increased to 1 shilling and six pence to ease the burden of poverty on the Connolly family.

Before John Connolly’s death, he was visited by a reporter of The Daily Post who said that Connolly was full of his old-time grit.
The sunlight streamed through the little window across the bed on which he lay. “If the world frowns on me, the sun shines”, he said in humorous sadness.

Death has only now relieved him from constant suffering - rheumatic fever set in, complications ensued and dropsy ended him. John Connolly died in 1906 and was buried in Danygraig Cemetery, Port Tennant Swansea. However, despite being buried with full military honours his family were unable to afford a headstone for his grave and he was therefore buried in an unmarked pauper’s grave.

Although Peter is still trying to trace any remaining descendants of John Connolly. a Swansea Monumental Masons, Nurse and Payne of Fforestfach, have honoured John Connolly by supplying and placing a headstone on his grave free of charge and by doing this recognising his part in one of the major battles of the nineteenth century.

Nurse and Payne Monumental Masons of Fforestfach supplied, inscribed and place the headstone on the grave free of charge.

Mike is an artist in his own right and when he showed me the proposed inscription with the badge of the 24th Warwickshire Regiment (South Wales Borderers), and how it would look on the headstone you can see how his skills as an artist are shown in his work as an engraver.

The grave of John Connolly also contains the remains of one other person who died a pauper and they will also be honoured with their name inscribed on the headstone.

The story of John Connolly appears to have an uncanny link between the kindness and generosity shown to him just prior to his death and now some 113 years later.

Captain ISSAC Colquhoun (Chief Constable) Swansea Borough Police, helped to ease the family burden of poverty by having a pension increase for John Connolly and today Mike and Mathew ISSAC of Nurse and Payne Memorials have honoured the memory of John Connolly by supplying his memorial headstone free of charge.

The rededication of the grave of Private John Connolly will take place sometime this year at Danygraig Cemetery Port Tennant, Swansea, 113 years after his death and 140 years since the battle of Rorke’s Drift, together with Regimental Goat and Bugler of The Royal Welsh.

Peter Hall
January 2019

Swansea Borough Police Childrens Christmas Party believed to be 1956/57.
This is a picture of Marjorie Owen with her son David who is now aged 70.

Okey Cokey dance at the same Childrens Party – the group on the right led by Marjorie and the group on left  includes the late Beryl Williams and Marjorie Griffiths, widows of Wally and Dai Book and Pencil.

Conga Dance Swansea Police Children’s Party . The dance is led by Marjorie Owen and her late husband Ken is one of the men standing at the rear. At the tail of the dance, the man could well be the late Bob Carter?

All photographs kindly submitted by Marjorie Owen - January 2019.

The below photos are from Steve Daniels - "Other than those with labelling I cannot tell you much about them other than the fact that my dad, Joe Daniels is in all of them. There is one featuring an ad hoc H Division touring rugby team that visited Glasgow and played against a Strathclyde Police Team on the weekend of a Five Nations Scotland v Wales match. The game took place in 1997 and the result was a draw. You may have featured this on the Facebook page previously".

Steve Daniels
17th Sept 2018

Peter Hall - In the 1990s I initiated a project where Gendros Primary School Swansea were linked with Timberlane Elementary School, Virginia USA. Both schools learnt about each others cultures and studied both country’s history, culture, government, police and other emergency services.

I took Gendros school to 10 Downing St and Parliament where Prime Minister Thatcher was interviewed by the pupils. She also gave a greeting to the American Pupils. All these events where videod by myself. The still's shown are from video at Downing Street which include Supt Merry Bowden in the background.

After a year of the Cultural Exchange I arranged for Gendros School to link up with Timberlane School USA via a live 1 and a half hour satellite link from HTV Cardiff.

In the still photos taken from video, (above and below) included are myself in HTV studios with Arfon Haines Davies and Randall Killa, Headmaster of Gendros School. A Traffic car in the studio with Pc's Suzan Hughes, Graham Thomas (traffic) Dai Walters (Dog Handler) with Ricky the Police Dog. Arfon Haines Davies and pupil from Gendros. Angharad James presented Ricky the dog with birthday cake because we arranged for it to be the dogs birthday on the day of the live satellite link! - Angharad later joined South Wales Police and last I heard was a Sergeant in Cardiff.

Other photos include Susan Hughes - Graham etc Photo of an American child dressed in Police Uniform and more of Dai Walters and Ricky the Dog.

Peter Hall
8th July 2018

Coffee Morning March 2018

(Kindly taken by Cherryl Taylor)

A 1940 Police Box at Morriston Cross
Kindly submitted by Terry Townend
(Origin not known)
Facebook - July 2017

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Here is a 'Photo Album' of some really old photos donated by Audrey Vincent, widow of former Swansea PC John Vincent.

Audrey nee Price was also a Swansea WPC and joined the same day as 2 others Hazel Huxtable and Betty Dagnell. Having joined, their uniform had not arrived so they attended Initial Training in plain clothes as you will see clearly in the pictures.

Audrey was the daughter of a Swansea Sergeant 130 David Price

Her husband John, joined the Swansea Borough Force on 3rd July 1959 together with a certain Bryon Tucker who appears in the top Training School photo standing with arms folded behind John Vincent - note the Swansea helmets.

Please click here or the below photograph to view the full Album.

Bryon Tucker
July 2017