Transcript 

of

Captain Laurence Augusten Wainwright [Obituary]

Trans. Devon Assoc., vol. 47, (1915), p. 58.

by

Maxwell Adams (Ed.)

Prepared by Michael Steer

The obituary was read at the Association’s July 1915 Exeter meeting. Captain Wainwright was a career soldier with an interest in Geography. His first regiment, the Royal Dublin Fusiliers was an infantry regiment that recruited in the east of Ireland. It was disbanded in 1922. The West India Regiment to which Captain Wright exchanged was considered a valued part of the British forces garrisoning the Caribbean islands, where losses from disease and climate were heavy among white troops. The harsh environment of the Caribbean took a heavy toll on European units, with disease resulting in many deaths. Consequently the War Office decided to raise regiments of black soldiers, who were believed to be more tolerant of the climate and better suited to tropical service. The two regiments in which Captain Wainwright served in Africa during the Boer War were mounted infantry.  A comprehensive record of the Kitchener’s Flying Scouts participation in the campaign is available at the Anglo Boer War website. The obituary, from a copy of a rare and much sought-after journal can be downloaded from the Internet Archive. Google has sponsored the digitisation of books from several libraries. These books, on which copyright has expired, are available for free educational and research use, both as individual books and as full collections to aid researchers

Captain Wainright, who joined the Association in 1907, obtained his commission in the Royal Dublin Fusiliers in 1874, afterwards exchanging into the 2nd West India Regiment. He attained the rank of captain in 1885, and retired from the Army in 1894. During the South African War, he served with Roberts' Horse and Kitchener's Fighting Scouts. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He died on 14 April, 1915.