William Percival Denton Craig Elsted

Biography

He spent his short life as a soldier first and a printer second. He was apprenticed to his uncle John Craig who became more well known as John Knott-Craig when he married a Knott. He reportedly had quite a temper and would just leave a job if there was a problem. He was very good at his work and could get frustrated with the machines as he could load the lettering faster by hand than the machines at the time could.

The Elsted surname comes from his step-father, Edward William Hays Elsted (abt.1861-bef.1902). It doesn't appear that his mother and biological father were married. It looks like after his mother married he took on the step-father's surname.

He died on the 10th of January 1926[1] in Addington Hospital, Durban, South Africa[1] after a long battle in hospital with his lungs as a result of being gassed at Delville Wood in July 1916, a major part of the Battle of The Somme.

He also served in the Boer War, The Natal Native Rebellion of 1906 and in the First World War in German South West Africa, Egypt, and France.

He worked in the printing division of the above newspaper and was one of the first recruits. He in turn then went on to recruit others.

Recruiting for WW I began on 21 July 1915, they were kitted out at Potchefstroom and by September they were in Bordon Hampshire for training. Then off to Egypt where they won the battle of Sollum against the Turks defending the Suez Canal then to France and going by his discharge in November/December 1917, he was last wounded at Passchendale in that September. They had in France gone to Delville Wood then Vimy then Butte de Wallencort then Arran and finally Passchendale.

The Castle of the Cape of Good Hope used to have a display of Delville Wood which included a photo of WPC Elsted.

WPC Elsted spent 2 years in Addington Hospital as an invalid ex-serviceman without any military pension. His son Percy raised their plight with Dr Shearer, their MP, who took it to Parliament in 1924. It was recorded in Hansard (records of Parliament debates/discussions) that Percy was a young teenager!

The family memory is that when he died the military refused to give him a military funeral when initially requested but then changed their mind later after his burial. But the family said that they were not going to dig him up and bury him a second time!

The Military Pension Board on the 28th of October 1926 awarded him an amount of 342 pounds posthumously covering the period from the 1st of January 1924 until his death on the 10th of January 1926 at Addington Hospital. It was listed as his only asset.

So, somewhere along the line, it would appear the military were overruled. The pension came through from January 1924 to the date of death in January 1926 and his wife received her widow's pension from that date.

Birth

Date: 21st Jan 1884 Place: Cape Town, Cape Colony, South Africa

Baptism

Name: William Percy Denton Surname: Craig
Date: 13 February 1884
Place: St.George's Cathedral, Cape Town, Cape Colony, South Africa
Father: William Charles Thompson Van der Horst (Salesman)
Mother: Annie Hilda Craig
Residence: 25 Caledon Street
Witnesses: Peter Benditus Ziersvogel, W C T Van Der Horst, Elizabeth Boyce

Marriage

Date: 24 Sep 1906 Place: Durban, Natal, South Africa
Groom: William Percival Denton Craig Elsted
Bride: Mabel Audrey Birch

Children

Audrey Vivian Elsted born 6 Oct 1907 Percival Edmund Elsted born 30 Jan 1911
Mabel Hilda Joyce Elsted born 11 May 1915
Gwendoline Lilian Elsted born 19 May 1919

Death

Age: 41 years and 354 days Date: 10 Jan 1926
Place: Addington Hospital, Durban, Natal, South Africa

Burial

Date: 1926 Place: Stellawood Cemetery, Durban, Natal, South Africa

Estate

Date: 1926 Place: Natal, South Africa

Military Service

Boer War - Military Service (from 1899 to 1902) W P C Elsted had regimental number 151 and was a corporal in B Company Cape Medical Staff for the Second Boer War serving the entire period (1899-1902 I believe). He is listed on the medals list for those entitled to a medal. He was entitled to the King's South Africa Medal and also entitled both the Clasps for 1901 and Clasps for 1902. These were issued on the 1st October 1902.

Natal Rebellion - Military Service (1906) Private in the Natal Rangers (Natal, South Africa)

World War 1 - Company Sergeant Major W.P. ELSTED - 4th SAI (South African Infantry) - served in World War 1 in German South West Africa, Egypt, and France and was involved in the battle of Delville Wood where he was gassed. See his military service record at FamilySearch or at WikiTree for more details. He was awarded Silver War Badge (The Silver War Badge was issued to service personnel who had been honourably discharged due to wounds or sickness during World War I), Kings Certificate, 1914–15_Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal (South Africa).

Research Notes

• His estate death notice lists the incorrect date of birth for daughter Audrey Vivian Elsted, the correct date is later in the estate file.
• We suspect to avoid being labelled as "Coloured"/mixed race and to rather be seen as "European" a few unusual things were done:
• His estate death notice incorrectly lists his father as John Elsted. This differs from his baptism. John Knott Craig was his uncle and Edward William Hays Elsted was his step-father. So it appears a fictitious father was invented as van der Horst is not mentioned at all.
• His civil death notice incorrectly lists his birthplace as England.
• His military record first correctly lists his birthplace as Cape Town which is crossed out and then incorrectly lists his birthplace as Portsmouth, England.
• All four children were issued with birth certificates in the estate accounts at a cost of half a crown each making a total of ten shillings. These were issued in terms a 1923 Act. When Audrey and Percy were born in Durban and Joyce and Gwen in Cape Town, it is assumed that they were registered as mixed or non-white and that these birth certificates would have officially changed them to white.

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See also:

• https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:G72S-5BJ
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Craig-11070