Victoria Cross

[Swanseajock]

Just after 11/11/11 I was browsing many military sites and went on the Victoria Cross website -
http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/vcross.htm
Looking at the burial sites of VC holders, it would appear that one is buried in Kintyre. That will be Major General William Henry Snyder NICKERSON. He won it as a medical officer in the 2nd Boer War in 1900. He is buried at his home in Cour, (private burial ground).
Now call me ignorant, or forgetful, but even coming from Peninver I had never heard (or can't remember hearing of) of Cour, and certainly not General Nickerson. I googled it and saw it was up from Grogport towards Claonaig. Although I have probably passed through/near it years ago heading for the Lochranza ferry
My question is, what is known in the town, or Carradale, of the General and his burial place? He died in 1954 aged 79 - good effort.

[Crowth]

Interesting post.

By coincidence, I happened to be looking at Cour on the map the other day and when doing so noticed a burial ground marked to the east of the road and just to the south of Cour at grid reference NR82284771. The Generals final resting place?

[jdcarra]

And what another coincidence.
I just had a request this morning through the Goat website guestbook asking for info on Major Nickerson.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_He ... _Nickerson

I have known the Nickerson's at Cour for many years having done work for them in the past.The late Majors daughter-in-law still lives in the big house on the estate which is now under the reigns of her son Harry (army also).Her late husband sadly died many years ago (date I cannot remember off hand) in a peat cutting incident up in the hills above Cour.The family graveyard is within the grounds which i have seen some years ago.

[Crowth]

After a visit to the burial ground at Cour today and a rummage around the internet, here's what I gleaned about
William Henry Snyder Nickerson:

NICKERSON, WILLIAM HENRY SNYDER, Lieutenant, was born 27 March, 1875, at New Brunswick, Canada, son of the Reverend D Nickerson, MA, Chaplain to HM's Forces, and Catherine Snyder, daughter of Reverend W H Snyder, MA. He was educated at Portsmouth Grammar School, and at Owens College, Manchester University (MB, ChB, 1896), and entered the Royal Army Medical Corps on 27 July, 1898; serving in South Africa during every day of the Boer War from 11 August 1899, to 31 May, 1902, attached to the Mounted Infantry.

Brigadier General Sitwell says that one of the two Victoria Crosses won on 20th April 1900, the day he seized Bwab's Hill, near Dewetsdorp, was that "awarded to Lieutenant Nickerson, RAMC, for going out under shell and rifle fire and stitching up a man's stomach whose entrails were protruding, thereby saving his life. The man belonged to the Worcestershire Regiment and was lying in the open, and the enemy were concentrating their fire on this spot to prevent reinforcements from coming up to support the Mounted Infantry, who had been busily engaged all day. The man could not be moved and stretcher-bearers could not reach him until the fire slackened". For his services in the South African War Lieutenant Nickerson was mentioned in Despatches April, 1901; promoted Captain, and awarded the Victoria Cross [London Gazette, 12 February 1901]: "William Henry Snyder Nickerson, Lieutenant, Royal Army Medical Corps. At Wakkerstroom on the evening of the 20th April, 1900, during the advance of the infantry to support the mounted troops, Lieutenant Nickerson went in a most gallant manner, under a heavy shell and rifle fire, to attend a wounded man, dressed his wounds, and remained with him until he had him conveyed to a place of safety".
Nickerson became a Major on 25th July 1909. He served in the European War from 1914, with Cavalry during the retreat from Antwerp, first and second battles of Ypres, Neuve Chapelle, in the trenches at Ypres, and on other occasions; on the Somme from September to November 1915, and in Salonika from December 1915. During the latter part of the war he held the appointment of ADMS, 2nd Division. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, 1st March, 1915, was created a CMG in 1916 and was mentioned in Despatches on three separate occasions: 16 February 1915; 1 January 1916, and October 1916.

Lieutenant Colonel Nickerson later achieved the rank of Major General after his service in World War I and was appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the RAMC in 1933. He died on the 10th April 1954 aged 79 years and his grave is in the private burial ground at his home in Cour, Kintyre, Scotland.

Heading down to Cour. The burial site is located in the trees.


The burial site


The Nickerson grave is the one to the right

[Swanseajock]

Brillant. Thanks Crowth. I'll have to try and have a look next time I am up. I was just surprised that I had never heard of him before when I was growing up in Peninver, and i was a fairly regular visitor to carradale with Uncle Tommy and Auntie Margaret from the PO, when they visited relatives.

[Mestre]

Hi,
Thanks for posting. I've been tracking the Nickerson family because we appear to share Y DNA. So this info is of great interest.
Does anyone know if he had a son called Brigadier Harry Nickerson?
Thanks again
Mick