William Partridge was born in

Ross-on-Wye Ross-on-Wye ( Welsh: ''Rhosan ar Wy'') is a market town in England, near the border with Wales. It had a population of 10,582 according to the 2011 census, estimated at 11,309 in 2019. It lies in south-eastern Herefordshire, on the River Wye ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...

on 27 June 1858. William moved to

Blaina Blaina ( cy, Blaenau ) is a small town, situated deep within the South Wales Valleys between Brynmawr and Abertillery in the unitary authority of Blaenau Gwent, ancient parish of Aberystruth, preserved county of Gwent and historic county o ...

, Monmouthshire when he was a young boy with his parents. He enlisted into the

24th Regiment of Foot Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

at Newport on 7 June 1877 having previously served in the Royal Monmouthshire Militia.

From Blaina to South Africa

William was one of a draft that joined the 2/24th in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

in July 1878. In January 1878, he was one of the small garrison at

Rorke's Drift The Battle of Rorke's Drift (1879), also known as the Defence of Rorke's Drift, was an engagement in the Anglo-Zulu War. The successful British defence of the mission station of Rorke's Drift, under the command of Lieutenants John Chard of the ...

which held out from over 12 hours when the mission station was attacked by a Zulu force of 4,500 warriors. Following the end of the

Zulu war The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, coup ...

, William remained with the 2nd Battalion when it moved to

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

, but was soon back in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

Marriage

Whilst at the Regimental Depot in

Brecon Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the coun ...

, William met, and in November 1880 married, local girl Mary Reeves. Mary was the sister to Sarah Reeves who in 1876 had married

Corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...

William Wilson Allen William Wilson Allen, VC ( – 12 March 1890) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC) for his actions at the Battle of Rorke's Drift in January 1879, the highest and most prestigious award for valour in the face of the enemy that can ...

– Corporal Allen was awarded a

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

for his actions at Rorke's Drift.

Service and later life

William Partridge was medically discharged with a pension from the army in November 1881. On 16 April 1930, he died at Blaina, aged 71 years.

Memorial

William Partridge was buried at Blaina Cemetery in sunken ground, the plot is marked by a simple wooden cross, which was made by his great-grandson on discovering his resting place 10 years ago. On 21 September 2008 the grave was rededicated with a headstone which donated by Co-Operative Funeral Care. A service at St. Peter's Parish Church, Blaina, was followed by a march to Blaina cemetery, the parade was led by the Regimental band of the

Royal Welsh The Royal Welsh (R WELSH) ( cy, Y Cymry Brenhinol) is an armoured infantry regiment of the British Army. It was established in 2006 from the Royal Welch Fusiliers (23rd Foot) and the Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot). History The ...

with

Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in ...

standard bearers, 1879 Group Living History Company, and members of the Partridge Family in attendance. At an emotional graveside ceremony Beaufort Choir, accompanied by the band of the Royal Welsh, sang

Men of Harlech "Men of Harlech" or "The March of the Men of Harlech" (Welsh: ) is a song and military march which is traditionally saidFuld, James J., ''The Book of World-famous Music: Classical, Popular, and Folk'', Dover, 5th ed. 2000, p. 394 to describe even ...

. The Last Post and a gunfire salute from Martini-Henry rifles, the same type as those used at Rorke’s Drift, concluded the ceremonies. The services were organised by the

Royal Welsh Regiment The Royal Welsh Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Territorial Army in the United Kingdom. It existed from 1999, until it was re-designated as the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Welsh in 2006. History The regiment was formed in 1999 as part of th ...

, Blaina

and Blaina

Communities First Communities First was a Welsh Government programme aimed at reducing poverty. The programme was community focused and supported the most disadvantaged people in the most deprived areas of Wales with the aim of contributing to alleviating persisten ...

. Present was his last surviving direct descendant grandson William Arthur Coles (

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

veteran) and great-great-grandson Khi Burgess.

References

External links

Wales Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Partridge, William People from Ross-on-Wye People from Blaina 1858 births 1930 deaths Military personnel from Herefordshire South Wales Borderers soldiers British Army personnel of the Anglo-Zulu War