Brig.-Gen. Sir Charles Preston Crewe

Brig.-Gen. Sir Charles Preston Crewe fought in the Kaffir War between 1878 and 1879. He fought in the Basutoland War between 1880 and 1881. He held the office of Member of the Legislative Assembly (M.L.A.) [Cape of Good Hope] between 1899 and 1910. He gained the rank of Brigadier-General in the service of the South African Defence Force. He was invested as a Companion, Order of the Bath (C.B.). He was decorated with the award of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Officers' Decoration (V.D.). He fought in the Boer War between 1900 and 1902. He held the office of Colonial Secretary of the Cape of Good Hope between 1904 and 1907. He held the office of Secretary for Agriculture [Cape of Good Hope] between 1907 and 1908. He was invested as a Knight Commander, Order of St. Michael and St. George (K.C.M.G.). He held the office of Member of the Legislative Assembly (M.L.A.) [Union of South Africa] between 1910 and 1919, for East London. He fought in the First World War, in East Africa. He was chief owner of the East London Daily Despatch and the Queentown Daily Representative.

http://thepeerage.com/p23238.htm

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CREWE, Col. the Hon. Sir Charles Preston, K.C.M.G., C.B.— Cr. 1915.

Only son of Capt. Frederic Crewe, 17th Madras Infantry, who d. 1859, by Leila, only child of the late Capt. Frederic Chamier, R.N. ; h. 1858; m. 1887 Helen Agnes Josephine, O.B. E., eldest dau. of Joseph Millerd Orpen, Esq., formerly Surveyor-Gen. of Rho- desia. Sir Charles Crewe, who was educated at Portsmouth, is Hon. Col. Kaffrarian Rifles; was M.L.A. Cape Colony 1899-1910, Colonial Secretary 1904-7 and Secretary for Agriculture 1907-8 ; has been a Member of tjie House of Assembly of the Union of S. Africa since 1910; served in the Cape Mounted Riflemen 1878-81 and commanded the Border H (which he raised) in S. Africa 1899-1902; was a temp. Brigadier-Gen., E. Africa Expeditionary Force, 1916. — Woodleigh, East London, Cape of Good Hope, S. Africa; City, and Civil Service Clubs, Capetown.

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http://www.dispatch.co.za/history/

Sir Charles Preston Crewe and Will Crosby form a partnership

Early in 1903 Sir Charles Preston Crewe, the Hon A.J. Fuller and Will Crosby formed a partnership to take over the business. Sir Charles bought Mr Fuller’s shareholding shortly after wards and he and Crosby continued to run the newspaper. Sir Charles was to have a most significant influence on the Daily Dispatch over the next three decades. He created the Charles Crewe Trust and the R.O. Crewe Trust for charitable purposes. They controlled 70 per cent of the newspaper’s shareholding. All the other shareholders were Daily Dispatch staff members. This financial arrangement prevailed until 1978 when the Crewe trustees felt it would be wiser to sell the shares and diversify. The trust holdings were bought by the directors, who also secured the minority shares. Sir Charles, who was destined to become one of South Africa’s most distinguished men, was born in London on January 11, 1858. His father, Captain Frederick Crewe, of the l7th Madras Infantry, was a member of an old Cheshire family, the Crewes of Crewe Hall, and his mother was descended from a Huguenot family which had settled in Britain. Sir Charles arrived in South Africa in March 1878, at the time of the Gaika-Galeka war. He joined the Frontier Mounted Police, which subsequently became the Cape Mounted Riflemen (CMR), was engaged in campaigns on the Border, and fought in every important engagement in the Basuto war. He was present at the capture of Moirosi’s stronghold and was mentioned in despatches. Sir Charles joined the old Kaffrarian Bank at King William’s Town in 1881, and the Cape Police two years later. In 1885 he went farming in the Barkly East area and in 1887 he married Helen, the eldest daughter of J.M Orpen, of Avoca, New England. In 1896 Sir Charles entered politics. He helped to organise the South Africa League and he contested the Aliwal North seat at a general election in 1898, losing by two votes, but he became a member of parliament for East Griqualand before the end of the year. When the Anglo-Boer War started, Sir Charles recruited and organised various defence regiments and returned to active service early in 1900. He raised the Border Horse, which became part of a mobile column under his command. He received several mentions in despatches and was awarded the CB for his services. He settled in East London when the war ended. He represented the Aliwal North constituency from 1904. Sir Charles was appointed joint whip of the Progressive Party, led by Cecil Rhodes. A year after he had acquired controlling interest of the Daily Dispatch, Sir Charles accepted an invitation from the prime minister of the Cape, Dr Starr Jameson, to become colonial secretary, along with the port folios of defence, police and education. He later took over from Arthur Fuller the additional portfolio of agriculture. The Jameson government was defeated in 1908 but Sir Charles was returned as member for East London, which he represented until he resigned in 1919, retiring from active politics. At the start of World War I Sir Charles was appointed director of war recruiting and he helped to raise the first South African infantry brigade and other units for service overseas. He was knighted in 1915. Sir Charles commanded a unit in the German East African campaign with the rank of brigadier- general. He was national chairman of the 1820 Settlers’ Association from 1920-32, and was then unanimously elected honorary life chairman. Barber said that one of the first improvements made by Sir Charles when he bought the controlling interest was to establish a process engraving department to make blocks for the commercial side of the business. It was only in the 1920s that it began to make pictures for editorial. The respected craftsman, Harry Aldous, who started with the Dispatch as an apprentice, and who was in charge of the process department for more than four decades, retired in June 1976 after 50 years loyal service.

Fair treatment for all races

A historic document was found when changes were being made to the old Daily Dispatch library in the 1960s. It was addressed to Sir Charles and came from Cecil Rhodes, who said he would be happy to lend 500 pounds to help the Daily Dispatch buy some new equipment, as long as the newspaper adhered to its policy of fair treatment for all races – an early indication of the liberal values that were to stiffen into active opposition of apartheid policies. There was an echo of this when Donald Woods was appointed editor in 1965. In his letter of appointment from the chairman and managing director, Mr I.D. Ross-Thompson, he was re minded the Daily Dispatch had a long standing tradition of adhering to the Rhodes policy of fair treatment for all. Sir Charles’ farming years at Barkly East and his knowledge of Border agriculture were undoubtedly factors that helped to induce him to extend the circulation of the Daily Dispatch from East London into the country areas, laying the basis of today’s wide regional coverage and support.

• Reference: FamilySearch Family Tree - SmartCopy: Apr 13 2019, 4:16:41 UTC