Richard William COUCHER

1871 - 1920  (48 years)

• Name	Richard William COUCHER
  Birth	Sep 1871	Clifton, York, Yorks   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Newspaper Report	20 Jul 1900	South Africa   [2]
  YORK HERALD: SOLDIERS' LETTERS. AN OLD YORK FOOTBALLER AT THE TUGELA. Private R.W. Coucher, of the Durham Light Infantry, son of George Coucher, who is a waiter at Harker's Hotel, York, writes to his father as follows: I suppose you will have already heard about us being in action before this reaches you. We left here last Thursday morning and marched to a place called Chieveley, where we camped one night. At 2am on the 15th we struck camp and paraded to attack the Boers who held a very strong position about four miles in front of us. The Fusilier Brigade were on the right, our Brigade in the centre, and the Irish Brigade on the left. The attack commenced by a bombardment by the Naval Brigade and Artillery, and after about half an hour's shelling the advance was ordered. Fortunately, for our company we were told off as escort to the Navy's big gun, which was very busy trying to silence the enemy's Long Tom which was stationed on the top of a big hill. We had a very anxious time of it throughout the action, which lasted just over six hours. Shells were dropping all round us, and we had to take advantage of all cover available. The Boers seemed to be doing very good shooting, in fact I thought every minute they would be hitting our biggest gun. If they had done so it would have been a very bad job for us, as our field artillery were practically useless. The range was too long for them. The only guns which reached the Boer position were the Navy's. I don't know what they have published in the papers, but you can take it from me that, although we were commanded by Buller, the engagement was a proper defeat for us. The Irish Brigade, under General Hart, were almost cut up. In the first place the Boer position was not properly reconnoitred, and owing to General Hart not knowing where or how they were situated, he marched his whole brigade up in close formation, with the result that, when they got within about 200 yards from the bottom of the hill which was strongly entrenched and lined by some 7,000 Boers they (the Boers) opened fire on our chaps with awful results. Our men were practically marched up to their deaths, without the slightest chance of hitting any of the enemy, who could not be seen in the trenches. When the firing had been going on for a while we, who were in the rear, were surprised to see our chaps retiring in disorder, on one of the scouts passing us we asked him what was the matter. He said our chaps on the left had fallen into a trap and were suffering dreadfully. His words only proved too true, as a few minutes afterwards the wounded began to pass our line. And what a sight it was; words almost fail me when I try to describe it. Some of the poor fellows were covered with blood, and the poor devils who were brought in on stretchers were something frightful to look at. I thank God I was spared in this, our first engagement, and don't care if I never see another. We lost altogether, as far as I can learn, about 60 killed and 500 wounded. But that is only a rough guess. I should say we had at the least 1,500 wounded. The ambulance waggons were bringing in the wounded all night on Friday. We had two wounded, one a sergeant named Flowers and a private named Milligan, who were hit by fragments of a shell which burst just in front of their company, which was trying to cover the retreat of the Irish Brigade. To make matters worse during the retreat, two batteries of artillery which had been driven back by the Boer guns foolishly galloped right behind our ambulance waggons, with the result that the Boers in sending shells after them dropped some of their shells right into our ambulance, upsetting one waggon completely. Some say the Boers wilfully fired on the hospital, but I think if the artillery had been better commanded and taken up a different line of retreat the Boers would not have fired in that direction at all. Whilst this was going on the left of the line our right was very busy driving the Boers back, in which they succeeded to a certain extent. They were trying to get through to Colenso, which is between Chieveley and Ladysmith. They got through right enough, but not without loss, and after getting through they had to fight their way back again, as they could not hold Colenso, having only two days' grub with them. We lost two batteries of artillery on the right, but I don't know how many men. We have now retired on to Frere again to guard the railway bridge here, which has been blown up once by the Boers, which the authorities are afraid the Boers will try to do again. If they succeeded in doing so our supplies would be cut off, and we should not be able to go on up country. It appears now that Buller is trying a different way to get the Boers out of their position. He is now bombarding it, and I can assure you it will take a lot of shells to move them. The rumour is that after three or four days' shelling we shall have to attack the position again. If we do so, and I don't see how we are going to relieve Ladysmith until the enemy are driven back, under the same idea as last Friday it will be a poor look out for us. Fancy having to advance across an open plain with a big ridge of hills in front of you literally swarming with Boers, and our own artillery of little or no use to cover our advance whilst they are dropping their shells right into us. I fancy our Navy gun succeeded in putting one of the Boer big guns out of action, as during the retreat of the Irish Brigade the Boers sent shell after shell amongst them, whilst during the retreat of our regiment not one was fired from it, and we were watching it all the time. Only one of their shells dropped anything like near to our gun, and luckily that was about 100 yards to the rear of us, where it burst without doing any damage. All our wounded have been sent down to Pietermaritzburg, and the dead were buried where they fell. According to what I have heard, there were two of our men found who could not be recognised owing to the Boers having taken every stitch of the poor chaps' clothing, and the sun had turned the bodies black. We are having a very rough time of it. Have not had six hours sleep since last Thursday. After fighting all day on Friday we were for post duty at night, and on Saturday night we paraded at midnight to march back to this place arriving about 4.30 a.m. We had to wait until 10.30 for a drop of tea, owing to our having no wood to boil the water with. We got our dinner at 4.30, consisting of a pound of bully beef and nothing else except a hard biscuit, not a very substantial fare, is it? The 14th West Yorks are with us. I have met a lot of York chaps. I met one named Watson in the Scottish Rifles who remembered me when I used to play football for Fulford Rovers, and that is a few years ago isn't it? I will write again after the next battle, if I am spared, and try to tell you how we go on. You must not believe all you read in the papers, all the news from here has to go through the Censor's hand.
  Newspaper Report	23 Jul 1900	South Africa   [2]
  YORK HERALD: LETTERS FROM THE FRONT. A YORK SOLDIER AT BOTHA'S PASS. Private R.W. Coucher, 1st Durham Mounted Infantry writes to his father, George Coucher who is a waiter at Harker's Hotel, York, from Standerton:- You will see by the heading of this letter that we are well into the Transvaal now. We had a big fight at Holman's Nek on the 12th of this month. We of the Composite Regiment, as we are called, under the command of Major Gough, got great praise for the work we did. We were in front on that day and got in touch with the enemy about 11 a.m. We saw them moving about in their position and sent word back to the artillery, who commenced shelling them. In the meantime our section ("The Durhams") were ordered out to reconnoitre a bit of a wood at the foot of the hills the Boers were holding, and a very warm reception we got for going. We had to cross a valley about a mile wide to reach the wood, which proved to be swarming with Boers, who allowed us to get within 800 yards of them before they opened fire on us. They took us completely by surprise for although we knew they held the top of the hills, we did not for a moment imagine they were in force in the wood as well. We quickly turned about when they fired at us, and galloped back as hard as we could and reached a place of safety without a man being hit. How we escaped as we did is a marvel to me, as we had to ride at least a thousand yards and cross a big swamp on the way before we got any cover at all. I have been in some tight corners during the war but I think this, the last one, was as bad as any of them. Our casuality (sic) list on the day's fighting was two captains, named Johnson and O'Brien, and one private, named Anderson, killed. We had to go right round through Botha's Pass to get at the enemy the way we did. It was his right flank we attacked, and in consequence of us going that way and driving them back as we did, our troops at Ingogo were enabled to get through Laing's Nek without firing a shot. The day after the battle we advanced on to the first town in the Transvaal, named Volksrust, where we stayed two days. (No time to write letters.) After taking over the town and hoisting the old flag on the Town Hall, we went on to Wakkerstroom and took that place over. Leaving there we marched on to here, meeting with no opposition on the way. We are, I believe, to have a few days' rest here. I do not know when we move, or where we are going to; anyhow I don't think we shall have much more fighting until we join Roberts, unless we come across those we drove out of Botha's Pass and Holman's Nek. We have got Strathcona's Horse with us (Canadians). They joined our brigade a few days ago. They joined our brigade a few days ago. They are a fine body of men and are very anxious to get a smack at the Boers. They have not been in action yet and want something to talk about. No doubt they will have a sufficiency of fighting before it is done with. Anyhow, they are quite welcome to take my place. I think I have done enough for my Queen and country. I have been in every battle the Natal force has had. I don't remember the exact number, but if a bar is given for each engagement I shall have enough to make a chain with if I pull through. Our regiment is with us, also the West Yorkshire. I have not come across Major Hepworth, but hear he is with the regiment. The weather is very trying just now. We are in the middle of winter, and get almost frozen to death every night. We have not got our tents, and have to sleep in the open air the best way we can.
  Death	1920	Sheffield, Yorks   [3]
  Person ID	I477	Cowcher
  Last Modified	14 Jul 2018

  
  

  Father	George Thomas COUCHER,   b. 19 Nov 1840, Marylebone, London d. 1915, Fulford, York, Yorks (Age 74 years)
  Mother	Ann SCOTT,   b. Abt 1840
  Marriage	28 Jan 1869	Acomb, Yorks   [4, 5]
  Family ID	F51	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Gertrude GRANT,   b. c 1875
  Marriage	1902	Sheffield, Yorks   [6]
  Family ID	F181	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	16 Jun 2016

  
  

• Sources

  [S2] GRO Indexes, (www.ancestry.co.uk), SQ1871, York, 9d 6 (mother=Scott). [S59] British Newspaper Archive, (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/). [S2] GRO Indexes, (www.ancestry.co.uk), SQ1920, Sheffield, 9c 404, age 48. [S11] VRI. [S2] GRO Indexes, (www.ancestry.co.uk), MQ1869, Great Ousebourn, 9a 115. [S2] GRO Indexes, (www.ancestry.co.uk), JQ1902, Sheffield, 9c 827.