h.6. Joseph Theodore
Rose, geb. 01/09/1895, oorl. 01/06/1955, militêre begrafnis x Florence Mary
HENMAN, geb. c. 1870, Santa Cruz, Madeira, Portugal.
Joseph Theodore Rose was die seun van Paulus Adriaan Petrus (Johannes) Nel en Maria Partridge Rose.
(https://www.geni.com/people/Joseph-Rose-Nel/6000000020279917026)
(https://www.geni.com/people/Florence-Mary-Rose-Nel/6000000021591414040)
The
following information was provided to me by my mother (Patricia 'Paddy'
Johnstone) in 1995. Some of the facts cannot be verified by existing
sources. Peter Johnstone August 2011.
Theodore
Joseph Rose-Nel was born in a cottage in the grounds of the Union Buildings in
Pretoria where his father Paul was employed as Financial Adviser to the
Government of the day. He was born on
1st September 1890. He was the youngest
of 12 children. There were streets in
Pretoria and Johannesburg that were named after Paul, Paddy’s grandfather. (Paul Nel Street in Hillbrow Johannesburg)
Joseph
Theodore joined the army in the Transvaal at the outbreak of the First World
War. He was then stationed
in German West Africa, as it was known then. He contracted Black Water fever and as
a result was discharged from the army. At
his own expense he went over to England and joined the British Army
there. He soon became the
youngest Commissioned Officer in the British Army. He was a survivor of the Delville Wood
battle. http://www.myheritage.com/site-family-tree-133339582/rose-nel
The Battle of Delville Wood, 1916: A subsidiary attack of the Somme Offensive, and fought from July 15 until
3 September 1916, the Battle of Delville Wood saw the capture of the wood that
had been skirted during the Battle
of Bazentin Ridge when Longueval fell to the
British on 9 July. It was essential to the British that the wood be cleared of
Germans before any attack could be launched on the formidable, and notorious,
German Switch Line. The task of capturing the wood was handed to the
South African Brigade of some 3,150 men, attached to the 9th Scottish Division.
On July 15 at dawn the South African regiment went in following a heavy
artillery battle: they managed to clear the southern edge of German
forces. The remainder of the wood remained in German hands. Hand to hand fighting ensued until the South
Africans were relieved on the night of July 19, having lost 766 dead among the
four battalions alone; the dead outnumbered the wounded by four to one.
Throughout poor weather (it rained often) and enemy artillery fire which
reached a crescendo of 400 shells a minute, the surrounding landscape was
transformed into a mess of broken, stumpy tree roots and massive shell holes. Mud and rainwater covered bodies of South
African and German forces alike - many bodies remain in the wood today (which
is now in private hands). The Germans lost 9,500 men by August alone.
The wood was never entirely taken by the South African forces, despite huge efforts to do so. It wasn't until after another month of fierce fighting had taken place, on August 25, that 14th (Light) Division finally took the wood and overcame German resistance.
Delville Wood remained the most costly action the South African Brigade fought on the Western Front. During the final great German push of March 1918 the wood was again taken by the Germans on March 24 but was recaptured by 38th (Welsh) Division on August 28. Today the wood and nearby memorial is looked after by the South African Government. The Delville Wood Cemetery contains 5,493 burials. Almost two-third of these are unknown. (https://www.myheritage.com/person-5011262_148888701_148888701/joseph-theodore-farva-rose-nel-a1b2c3d10e1f4g-h6)
The wood was never entirely taken by the South African forces, despite huge efforts to do so. It wasn't until after another month of fierce fighting had taken place, on August 25, that 14th (Light) Division finally took the wood and overcame German resistance.
Delville Wood remained the most costly action the South African Brigade fought on the Western Front. During the final great German push of March 1918 the wood was again taken by the Germans on March 24 but was recaptured by 38th (Welsh) Division on August 28. Today the wood and nearby memorial is looked after by the South African Government. The Delville Wood Cemetery contains 5,493 burials. Almost two-third of these are unknown. (https://www.myheritage.com/person-5011262_148888701_148888701/joseph-theodore-farva-rose-nel-a1b2c3d10e1f4g-h6)
During the war,
Theodore Joseph’s parents received notification that their son had been killed
in action. It was a mistake. It was then decided to combine Rose with Nel
so that their surname could be different.
He was a Major in Witwatersrand Rifles.
(Refer to
Rose-Nel Family Tree. (http://www.myheritage.com/site-family-tree-133339582/rose-nel)
