5794 Private A H Copp, 2nd Battalion (Prince Albert's) Somerset Light Infantry. The battalion deployed to South Africa for the Second Anglo Boer War, sailing on the Briton on 5 Dec 1899, and arrived at the Cape on the 20 Dec 1899 and were sent round to Durban on the Orcana, and joined the 10th Brigade under Major General Talbot Coke with the 2nd Dorsets and 2nd Middlesex. They were part of the Ladysmith relief force and fought at Venter's Spruit and Spion Kop between 20-24 Jan 1900 but were not heavily engaged. On 21 Feb 1900 during the battle of Tugela Heights (13-27 Feb 1900), the last and successful attempt to relieve Ladysmith, the battalion had their first heavy fighting among the hills north of Colenso. Their losses during the final 14 days of fighting were 14 killed and about 80 wounded. After the relief of Ladysmith, they were taken round to the Cape for the relief of Wepener (24 Apr 1900) and then provided garrisons at Vryburg and Heidelberg (later to Rhenoster, on the Bloemfontein-Pretoria Railway and undertaking column work before returning to Heidelberg). Private Copp died of disease at Bloemfontein on 9 Dec 1900. He was buried the same day. He is also commemorated on the Somerset Regiments Boer War memorial in Wells Cathedral, Cathedral Green, Wells, Somerset, England (see: https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/252312/).
5794 Private A H Copp, 2nd Battalion (Prince Albert's) Somerset Light Infantry. The battalion deployed to South Africa for the Second Anglo Boer War, sailing on the Briton on 5 Dec 1899, and arrived at the Cape on the 20 Dec 1899 and were sent round to Durban on the Orcana, and joined the 10th Brigade under Major General Talbot Coke with the 2nd Dorsets and 2nd Middlesex. They were part of the Ladysmith relief force and fought at Venter's Spruit and Spion Kop between 20-24 Jan 1900 but were not heavily engaged. On 21 Feb 1900 during the battle of Tugela Heights (13-27 Feb 1900), the last and successful attempt to relieve Ladysmith, the battalion had their first heavy fighting among the hills north of Colenso. Their losses during the final 14 days of fighting were 14 killed and about 80 wounded. After the relief of Ladysmith, they were taken round to the Cape for the relief of Wepener (24 Apr 1900) and then provided garrisons at Vryburg and Heidelberg (later to Rhenoster, on the Bloemfontein-Pretoria Railway and undertaking column work before returning to Heidelberg). Private Copp died of disease at Bloemfontein on 9 Dec 1900. He was buried the same day. He is also commemorated on the Somerset Regiments Boer War memorial in Wells Cathedral, Cathedral Green, Wells, Somerset, England (see: https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/252312/).
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