Flag Day - St. Ives Fashion 1899

by Tom Richards, Bristol

Originally published in The St. Ives Times & Echo, the
only independently owned and published local newspaper in
Cornwall.

Reproduced here with permission of Tom Richards and The St. Ives Times & Echo.

mailto:tom.richards@virgin.net

Except for national events such as coronations, royal weddings or anniversaries of victories, decorations are not usual in our streets. At Christmas time we used to have coloured lights, Santa Claus and angels suspended on wires, and during the summer we have floral displays in window boxes provided by the Town Gardeners. Flags and bunting are not much in evidence except on the fishermen’s lodges when flags of all nations are flown to celebrate local weddings. We would be hard put however, to match the show put on by the townsfolk and businesses on Whit Monday 1899 when the town welcomed men of the 2nd battalion of the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry.

The battalion was formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of two Regiments of Foot and recruited mainly in London and Birmingham. With war clouds gathering in South Africa in 1899 the DCLI sought to attract Cornish recruits by a march through Cornwall from 12th May to 2nd June, starting at Callington and ending at St. Germans, covering some 200 miles and visiting 17 towns on the way. This involved eleven officers and three hundred non-commissioned officers and men with 50 horses and ten four-horsed Army Service wagons to convey the tents and stores.

On the morning of the 22nd May, Whit Monday, they set off for St. Ives from Camborne and after stops at Hayle and Lelant (where nineteen caddies from the Golf Club who had been drilled by Sgt. Collins, a former member of the regiment, were inspected by the Colonel) arrived at the Malakoff at 2.0pm where they were met by civic dignitaries and local organisations, including the coastguards with drawn cutlasses. Thousands of spectators lined the Terrace and the Town Band played the lively strains of "The Soldiers of the Queen". Following appropriate speeches they marched to the Island where they set up camp and each man was presented with a shilling and two ounces of tobacco.

In his Book of St. Ives Cyril Noall included a photograph of the regimental band at the Island campground, and James Uren White the proprietor of the Weekly Summary has given us a splendid description of the decorations from Treloyhan to Island Road. Apart from indicating the degree of involvement of the community it also provides an interesting exercise for us to match the premises then with those which exist today.

The first greeting to the soldiers was at the entrance to the town - at Treloyhan - the residence of Mr. Edward Hain J.P., where two fine and tastefully decorated arches were erected, the first one bearing the greeting "Welcome to the men of Dettingen, 1743" and the other "Welcome to the men of the Nile, 1884-1885". At Scots Craig (Mr. J.E. Brown’s residence), was the legend "Salamanca". The coastguards made a very fine show at their station; an archway stretched across the road bore the Cornish motto "One and All" surrounded by the device "United we stand", a shield on either side bearing the words "Army" - "Navy". Lieut A. Hackman R.N. (Tren Crom) made a brilliant show of bunting.

Flags were also exhibited by the Mayor, Mr.R.S. Read (Beaumont), Mr. Olsson (St. Eia), Mr. Adams (Porthia), Capt. W.J. Paynter (Shun Lee), Mrs. Morris (Albany-terrace), and Mr. J. Read (Palermo); and in addition to the bunting flying from the tower of the Parish Church, Tregenna Castle and Porthminster Hotels, a capital show was made in Draycot-terrace, Mr. S. Taylor Rowe (Pednolver), Mr.T.J. Chellew, Mr. Sandrey, Mr.C.L.Williams, Mrs. Nicholas, and Mrs. Uren, and down the Terrace by Dr. Staff (Chyanporth), the Misses Snook (Chyandrea), Capt. Edward Hain, Dr. Rosewall and Capt. A. Pitt. A fine string of flags was also stretched across the Malakoff from Miss Kevern’s. Dr. Nicholls (Penwyn), erected three Venetian poles - those on either side of the road being surmounted with the Prince of Wales’ plumes, and from which was suspended a banner bearing the greeting "St. Ives heartily greets Cornwall’s Own ‘Soldiers of the Queen’;" and on the reverse side the lines,

"And firm within the vanguard

The Duke of Cornwall’s stood

Proud of the glorious post they held

Proud of their ancient blood."

A string of flags spanned Tregenna Hill. The Western Hotel was gaily decorated. Across the street from Mrs. Hodge’s restaurant to Mr. Uren’s was an evergreen arch bearing the name of the battle "Tel-el-Kebir". From the Free Library to Mrs. Pascoe’s was a string of flags and around the trees in front of Messrs. Ed. Hain’s Shipping Offices some red art muslin was prettily festooned; from the Consolidated Bank fluttered many gaily coloured flags, and in large letters was displayed the greeting "Welcome, Cornwall’s Own"; on the western side of the Bank, on a large shield, were placed fifteen fairy lamps in the shape of the Cornish Coat of Arms. An attractive show of flags was made in Bedford-road by Mrs. Edwards, Mr. Gentry and Mr. Grenfell.

An archway in front of the Queen’s Hotel was decked with evergreens. On the top was a fine portrait of Her Majesty the Queen, and several flags. From Mr. Lanham’s to Messrs. Docton’s in High Street was the name of the battle "Lucknow", and across the road from Mr. Dunstan’s to Mr. Pearce’s was suspended "Peninsula". Messrs. Chirgwin’s premises were bright with the Prince of Wales’ plumes and several flags. In the Market Place bunting was flying from Mr. Major’s to Mr. Pearce’s. Mr. Jenkyn’s and Mr. Hamlyn’s premises were gay with flags, and from the residence of the latter across to the Town Hall was the name of the battle "Waterloo". Mr. Hamlyn had also the Cornish motto gaily bedecked. A string of flags spanned the road from the Town Hall to Mr. Johns’ house, and also across to Mr. Ashton’s. Flags floated from the top of the Police Station. Mr. Daniel, J.P., Bellair-terrace, and Mr. Gaylard, Trenwith-terrace, made a fine show of bunting.

At the entrance to Fore-street, suspended from the Summary office, to Dr. Nicholls’ surgery "The Nile" greeted the eye, and from the Post Office to Mr. Faull’s "Sevastopol". Flags were also displayed in Fore-street from the top of Mr. Cooper’s premises, across the street from Messrs. Cooper’s and Humphrys’, Messrs. Jacobs’ and Heddon’s, Mr. Honey’s and the Castle Inn, Mr. Praed’s and Mr. Short’s, Mr. Herbert’s (Chy-an-chy), the White Hart Hotel, the Sloop Inn, and Mr. W.H.Trevorrow’s on the Wharf: also through the Island-road, Back-road &c. The windows of the Island-road School were very prettily draped for the occasion and at the entrance to the Island (the camping ground), was the greeting "Welcome Cornwall’s Own", and from the signal station and the shipping in the harbour many "colours" were floating in the breeze. Many of the public places and private residences were illuminated at night, the town presenting a very pretty and festive appearance.

The battalion broke camp at the Island the following morning and after entertaining a large concourse of people in Tregenna Place with music by the regimental band, struck out for the next stage of their march through Cornwall, heading for Penzance via Halsetown, stops for rest and refreshment being made at Cripple’s Ease and Gulval.

The arrangements for their reception at St. Ives were a remarkable example of what can be achieved when local people have control of their affairs and there is unanimity of purpose. In about a fortnight a Committee set up by the Mayor, Mr. Read, with the enthusiastic support of all the Council members, had organised a programme of events which involved residents and businesses alike and resulted in a tremendous response, self-evident from the reception at the Malakoff and the decorations in the streets. During the afternoon the Lawn Tennis Club received the officers at an "At home" on the Club grounds at Higher Tregenna attended by some 150 members.and guests.

In the evening the Mayor gave a dinner at Porthminster Hotel for the officers and selected guests followed by a reception there by the Mayoress involving a large number of local people. The non-commissioned officers were entertained to dinner by members of the Fire Brigade at the Queen’s Hotel and the corporals at the Western Hotel. The Mayor met the cost of the dinner at Porthminster and the rest of the costs involved in providing entertainment and refreshment for the visiting troops were met by public subscription, which in the final accounting turned in a small surplus.

The occasion was voted a great success and while thanks were received from Lieutenant Colonel Aldworth on behalf of the regiment it was not only St. Ives folk who contributed to the success of the event. Regimental Quarter-master W. H. Taylor was closely involved with the detailed arrangements in the 17 towns including the campground on the Island and catering for nearly 300 men who would not be having dinner at Porthminster.

What is interesting about the events of Whit Monday is how everything was arranged in such a short time. Presumably the arches were made from wooden scaffold poles set in barrels of sand, with cross members lashed by ropes and the whole discreetly covered with greenery from Treloyhan Manor grounds or Tregenna woods. Permission to set them up across the highway would be a local matter - how easy would it be now to find someone in Penzance or Truro to give the necessary approval? Where would they have obtained the bunting, flags, shields and banners, and who would have put up the ropes or wires between the properties - possibly local Council workmen? While the Weekly Summary advertised almost everything from Wind Pills to steam capstans no-one in St. Ives appears to have had flags and bunting on offer. And what about the traffic?

Six months after the visit to St. Ives the battalion with nearly one thousand men left their barracks at Devonport for active service in the Transvaal. On the day they departed Captain John Pearce of the St. Ives Fire Brigade sent a telegram on behalf of the town to Sergeant-Major Powers with good wishes for their safe return, and on the parade ground the regimental band played "The Soldiers of the Queen" as the Town Band had done on the Malakoff six months earlier. From their arrival at Table Bay at the end of November until they marched into Pretoria on June 5th 1900 they were involved in many battles with the Boer forces, including a suicidal attack on a position at Paardeberg held by the Boer general Cronje in which Lt. Colonel Aldworth was killed and the battalion suffered its heaviest losses in the campaign. Quartermaster Taylor survived and was subsequently gazetted with the honorary rank of Captain.

Those associated with the events of 22nd May 1899 have long since departed, but if on Whit Monday you take a "round" along Hain Walk, up Wheal Margery and down Trelyon Avenue, and listen very very carefully as you pass Treloyhan Manor and the coastguard station you may just hear above the noise of the traffic the rustle of the breeze in the garland arches. Further on, past Porthminster Hotel you can imagine the cheers of the excited spectators. You may be lucky enough to hear our Town Band on the Malakoff playing "The Soldiers of the Queen", but as for the rest, the flags, the bunting and the banners from Scots Craig down through the town as far as Island Road, you will have to rely on James Uren White’s descriptions and use your imagination as I doubt that the town will ever see their like again.

The author acknowledges the help of Major Vyvyan-Robinson, Curator of the DCLI Museum at The Keep, Bodmin, in confirming the details of the march through Cornwall and the DCLI service in South Africa. The Museum holds a number of items of that war, which are on display.