ARTHUR HENRY FOY 

Sapper Arthur Henry Foy, 8th (Railway) Company, Royal Engineers, regimental number 2558, died of enteric fever at the Orange River Station, on April 15, 1900. He was 20 years old. He was buried at Kimberley West End Cemetery, South Africa.

 

Born in Chester, on 26th October 1879, Arthur was the eldest son of John Foy (1857 – 1929) and Selina nee Wainwright (1856 – 1942). He was baptised on 4th Jan 1880. His father was a painter, and the family's address in 1881 was 17 Curzon Street, Chester. In April 1891, 11-year-old Arthur was living at 20 St Paul’s Street, Monks Coppenhall, Crewe with his parents and siblings Mary, John, Herbert and Selina.

On 27th March 1894, at the age  of 14, Arthur joined the London and North Western Railway Company as an apprentice, employee number 4642. 




He enlisted with the Crewe Engineer Corps when he was about 16. "He had been connected with the Crewe Engineer Corps for about four years, being a member of B Company" (according to a newspaper article 1900). The 8th (Railway) Company, Royal Engineers were sent to Orange River (now Orange Free State Province) in South Africa. On February 8th 1900, Arthur received a half pound tin of chocolates, sent by Queen Victoria to all troops serving in South Africa. All recipients had to sign a receipt on delivery. The tin box was designed by J. S. Fry & Sons of Bristol and carried an embossed portrait of the Queen and was bound with red, white and blue ribbon. It was inscribed: "Thank you- a Happy New Year. Victoria R"

The boxes were highly valued both in South Africa and at home and regularly fetched £5 when sold. Arthur wrote to his parents telling of his gift:

"I have sent my chocolate box home along with some more friends, as one by itself may have got lost, so we have chanced them all together and I have sent you half the chocolate, as it is not every day you can have a present from the Queen. lt is not necessary to tell you to take great care of the box for me. It has gone to Mrs Bowyer, 94, Mill Street, with the same mail as this letter."




His parents were living at 10 Beech Street, Crewe, where they received the official notification of his death in a letter sent on 18th April 1900:

 

Arthur died, aged 20 years, of enteric fever (typhoid) in the military hospital, Orange River Station on April 15th, 1900. He was initially buried in the nearby military cemetery. His funeral was attended by fellow Crewe man Charles Henry Powell  who himself died of enteric fever nine months later in January 1901. On 12th June 1900, Charles wrote from No.3 General Hospital, Kroonstad:

“I think the event which caused greatest excitement and the greatest display of patriotism was the Relief of Mafeking, When the news was confirmed everybody (except the Boers) appeared overcome with joy, But we who are engaged in hospital work are often bearers of news which is not joyous and in many cases, as in the present, most sad. I refer to the illness and death of one of our Crewe Engineers, Sapper Foy at Orange River. Although not actually under my care I often visited him and endeavoured to cheer him up by retailing scraps of home news, and as a last token of respect for him, as the only Crewe person at Orange River, followed him to his last resting place.”

Arthur’s remains were later reinterred in West End Cemetery, Kimberley. He is also commemorated on the Royal Engineers South African Memorial Arch in Brompton Barracks, Gillingham, Kent

 

A CREWE ENGINEER'S DEATH FROM ENTERIC FEVER.

The sad news was received at Crewe on Wednesday of the death of Sapper A. H. Foy, a Crewe Engineers' Reservist, who has been attached to the 8th Company of the Royal Engineers, and who died at Orange River on April 15th from an attack of enteric fever. Sapper Foy was about 20 years of age, and had been connected with the Crewe Engineer Corps for about four years, being a member of B Company, of which the Acting Adjutant of the battalion (Captain Stones) is the company officer. The painful intelligence was received with feelings of deep regret on the part of the late sapper's colleagues in the corps, and also his shopmates in the railway works, and universal sympathy is expressed with his parents, who reside in Beech Street, in their bereavement.