Private Edmund St. John Vincent Broderick
1st Queensland Mounted Infantry
By Robert Simpson
Edmund St. John Vincent Brodrick, as the records have him, seems to be a bit of an enigma. Not much information can be found about his short life. The name is too common to establish a lot of details. There are few records listed in Australia or in Queensland. There was an Edmund James Vincent Broderick, born in Victoria in 1872. There are no direct matches listed as Brodrick, Brodbrick or Broadbrick. Further investigations of the Edmond born in Victoria reveal some clues on him. His parents were James Broderick and Mary Ann Neagle (1848 Ireland – 1907 Adelaide), who were married in 1871 in Victoria. They then had Mary Selina born in 1875 in Victoria before James (Father) died in the same year. Mary then had another son to another person illegitimately in 1878, the day after he committed suicide by strangulation as reported in the Evening Journal of Adelaide on Saturday 28 September 1878 in page 3: ‘KAPUNDA: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27. [Before Mr. J. Varley, S.M.] — Wansborough was charged on the information of Mrs. Broderick with refusing to maintain his destitute grandchild. Mr. Foster, from Mr. Emerson’s office, appeared for the informant, and Mr. Dashwood for the defendant. Informant deposed that in November, 1876, she went to live with defendant and his sons as housekeeper. She left at Easter time this year, and shortly afterwards the child was born. The father of it was James Howard Wansbrough, since deceased, son of the defendant. His Worship said that the child being illegitimate no claim could be made on the defendant to charge him as a grandfather within the meaning of the Destitute Act, and dismissed the information.’ Mary then had a de-facto relationship with John Diment Bagg (1818-1891 in Bridport, Dorset) and had two children, Rose Ann Bagg born 1881 in South Australia and Bartha Mary Bagg born 1882 in Dorset England. So, they had moved to England between the two births.
The 1891 England census shows the family was living at Bridport, Bradpole, Dorset, England at 129 St Andrew Villas. Mary (age 43) was the head and widow, living on her own means, with Edmond J V Broderick, her son age 18 (born in Victoria), a ‘Student (for the Army)’ and Minnie, Rose and Bertha as students. They also had a servant.
The London Gazette of 2 June 1893 on page 3183 has an entry for him under Militia: ‘5th Battalion, The Rifle Brigade (the Prince Consort’s Own), Lieutenant E. St. J. V. Brodrick, from the 4th Battalion the Sherwood Foresters (Derbyshire Regiment), to be Lieutenant. Dated 23rd May, 1893.’ Why he changed his middle name from James to St. John is not known.
Edmund must have moved to Queensland at some time and joined the 1st Queensland Mounted Infantry, in B Company as Private 134. He may have joined on 16 October 1899, as indicated in the below register. In the photos of the regiment before it left Queensland, he is listed as Broadbrick (shown below). A roll lists him as 134 S Brodrick and his next-of-kin address as St. Andrews, Bradford, Dorsetshire, England.
The Morning Bulletin of Rockhampton on Saturday 21 October 1899 in page 6 had:
‘THE TRANSVAAL CONTINGENT.
THE ROCKHAMPTON DETACHMENT.
ENTHUSIASTIC SEND-OFF.
At the invitation of the Mayor of Rockhampton (Alderman H. Fiddes) and a number of gentlemen over 200 citizens of Rockhampton met in the Belmore Arms Hotel last evening to say good-bye to the volunteers forming the Rockhampton detachment of the Transvaal contingent. The Mayor occupied the chair, and seated at the table with him were the nineteen members of the detachment. Among those present were the whole of the officers of the local military forces, the Medical Staff Corps, and the pipers. After a short delay, which was occasioned by having to wait for the remainder of the Mount Morgan men, during which time the pipers, at the request of the Mayor, played several airs.’
Edmond is mentioned twice in the long article:
‘Mr. E. S. V. Brodrick said it was the first time he had made a speech in his life, but he was thankful on behalf of himself and bis comrades for the kind way they were treated. He was not a native of Rockhampton, unfortunately, but he wished he was. At any rate it showed there was nothing like blood – blood was thicker than water. (Applause.)’
‘The following are the names of the Rockhampton detachment of the contingent who will leave North Rockhampton at 6 a.m. to-day by train for Brisbane’ :-
‘Edmund St. John Vincent Broderick, 25, employee Harbour Office, Second Lieutenant Fourth Battalion, Sherwood Foresters, in 1892; also Second Lieutenant with West Riding Regiment: also First Lieutenant Fifth Battalion Rifle Brigade, Imperial Army.’ This would indicate he was born in 1874 and is confirmed by the London Gazette entry above.
The same paper had an article on Monday 23 October 1899 in page 5: ‘The Rockhampton and Mount Morgan contingent for the Transvaal left by the train on Saturday morning at half-past six o’clock, there being upwards of 150 people present to bid them good-bye. His Worship the Mayor was in attendance, and called for three cheers for the departing volunteers, which were very lustily given. Mr. Broderick, one of the contingent, by some mischance missed the train, but left later on by the steamer Mullarra.’
The Brisbane Courier of Saturday 18 November 1899 in page 7 had a complete roll of the members of the Queensland Contingent to South Africa, which included in ‘B Company’, ‘Private S. Brodrick, single St. Andrews, Bradford, Dorsetshire, England’ (his private address), but there is no Bradford in Dorsetshire, it is in West Yorkshire. His address shown on the names and addresses of members of first Queensland Contingent is the same, so possibly they confused Bridport with Bradford?
He was in service before the Boer War, as noted above. Murray’s says the contingent was raised from men who were in or had been in the Queensland Mounted Infantry or Queensland Defence Force. It was raised between 13 and 28 October 1899 in Brisbane. The contingent was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Ricardo. They left on 1 November 1899, embarking on the SS Cornwall from Brisbane and arrived at Table Bay on 12 December. The disembarked at Cape Town the following day and went in two trains to Orange River. They proceeded to Belmont and played a prominent part in the action at Sunnyside on 1 January 1900, where the first Australian casualties occurred. They were also involved in the Relief of Douglas on the 2nd and in February it was involved in the Relief of Kimberley. They proceeded to Koodoosrand and were employed in operations at Paardeburg between 17 and 26 February. The contingent was then involved in engagements at Poplar Grove on 7 March and Driefontein on 10th, and the occupation of Bloemfontein on 13 March and rested at Springfontein until 31 March. They were involved in the engagement at Sanna’s Post on the 31 March, where the Boers ambushed the British and caused many casualties, took many prisoners and captured some guns and wagons. More serious than the loss in action was the loss of the water supply to Blomfontein, which was situated at Sanna’s Post. This greatly aggravated an epidemic of enteric fever, dysentery and cholera amongst the British army. In April they combined with other contingents to form the 3rd Mounted Infantry Corps. They left Bloemfontein on 1 May, when the general advance on Pretoria commenced and were involved in various engagements in May and June.
The Morning Bulletin in Rockhampton on 19 May 1900 said Private Edmund St J Broderick (Queensland) was seriously ill at Cape Colony and he was from the Central Division.
In the list of Boer War Casualties, he is just listed as E Broderick with the QMI regiment and service number 134 and it states he died on 10 June 1900 at Wynberg. Murray’s remarks he died of enteric at Bloemfontein on 25 June and has his surname spelt Broderick. His listings at the Australian War Memorial have his surname spelt as Brodrick on the 2 pages he is mentioned in and he died on 25 June. So even in death confusion surrounds him. It may be Winburg he died at, as it is 120 kilometres north from Bloemfontein, on the road to Pretoria. Wynberg is a suburb Cape Town and to make things more confusing, also a suburb in Johannesburg. He may have died at Blomfontein and his body was transported to Wynberg for burial. His grave has now been shifted to Maitland Cemetery.
The Sydney Morning Herald of 18 June 1900 had an article under the heading of Queensland Casualties that ‘His Excellency Lord Lamington has received the following telegram from Sir Alfred Milner … and that Private E. G. Brodrick, of the First Queensland Contingent, died of dysentery at Wnyberg on June 5’.
Official records of the Australian military contingents to the war in South Africa, 1899-1902 by P L Murray list him in the nominal roll of B Company as ‘134. Brodrick, Edmund St. John Vincent Private Died of enteric at Bloemfontein, 25.6.00’. Also in the book, under the List of Officers and Others of Queensland Contingents who were killed or died, he is listed under 1st Contingent as ‘134. Private Broderick, E. St. J. V.’ There is a document at National Archives Australia in Melbourne for ‘Brodrick E.S. – death in South Africa’ under NAA: MP744/3, 1900/6316, which is open but not online.
The Records of Deceased Soldier’s Effects shows record number 80097, Registry number 8259/3 for E S Brodrick Private 134 of Queensland Mounted Infantry died on 10.6.00 at ‘Winburg’ and had enlisted on 16.10.99 and was a Clerk. Recorded in the ledger is Account and Date ‘Cape “S” 4.01” for 10 pounds 10 shillings and 11 pence. Warrant 8/3161 on 14.10.01/3 to the Agent General of Queensland for that amount was entered in the ledger. In the notes on the right side of the ledger it has added ‘+ £5 under A.O. 150/1900’ and +£5 against Vote 1. S.A. War Grats.’ No family names are listed. Queensland State Archives also has an index to the Boer War Pay Books which includes E S Broderick under QSA Ref: COL/434. The museum has a copy of the page, but it is not able to be clearly read.
Edmond was entitled to the Queens South Africa medal with Paardeburg, Dreifontein and Relief of Kimberley clasps.
He is remembered at the Anzac Square Boer War Memorial in Brisbane which reads “In memory of the Queensland heroes who fell in the South African War 1899-1902”. Edmund St John Vincent Brodrick’s name is located at panel 1 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial. Edmund was initially buried in the Roman Catholic Allotment, Wetton Road, Kenilworth (a suburb in Cape Town and just above Wynberg) before being reinterred at Maitland (another suburb of Cape Town) (according to this site – https://familyhistoryact.org.au/boer_war/sa_memorials/person_search.php ).
His name is also on this memorial at Cape Town (Maitland) Cemetery, Cape Town, South Africa.
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