74th Light Infantry aboard the BIRKENHEAD

The Shipwreck That Began The Tradition Of "Women And Children First"
South Africa and the Wreck of the "Birkenhead"

The Captain of the sinking ship, HMS Birkenhead, shouted "every man for himself", but the troops stood on the doomed ship and calmly waited their fate as they knew that if they stormed the three serviceable lifeboats, the women and children in them would surely drown. They stood in their ranks even as the ship split in two. The ship then tilted and the soldiers were thrown overboard. Some drowned and others faced an even worse fate as the waters were infested with sharks. Of the 638 people who sailed on the HMS Birkenhead, only 193 survived. And that is where the saying "women and children first" comes from. Gold reputed to be worth in excess of 300,000 pounds went down with the ship, but to this day if any of it has been found, it has not been reported to the authorities.

The 43rd was sent to South Africa for the Kaffir Wars. They were shipwrecked off the Cape on 24th February 1852 and stood steady on parade on deck as the ship went down, to allow the women and children into the lifeboats.

Thank you to Colyn Brookes of Cape Town for this list of names.

74th Foot (2nd Battalion Highland Light Infantry)- 1 lieutanant Colonel, 1 Ensign, 1 Warrant Officer and 60 Men were on board.

Rank                  Name                 Regiment          Survived

Private               George Anderson      74th Highlanders     N

Private               Archibald Baxter     74th Highlanders     N

Private               John Bennie          74th Highlanders     N

Private               Robert Blackie       74th Highlanders     N

Private               William Boyce        74th Regiment        Y

Private               Walter Bruce         74th Highlanders     N

Private               John Cantaneech      74th Highlanders     N

Private               David Cousin         74th Highlanders     N

Private               John Cowan           74th Highlanders     N

Private               William Donald       74th Highlanders     N

Private               David Donaldson      74th Highlanders     N

Private               Charles Ferguson     74th Regiment        Y

Private               William Frank        74th Highlanders     N

Private               James Gibson         74th Highlanders     N

Private               D R Goman            74th Highlanders     N

Private               Charles Gowan        74th Highlanders     N

Private               J H Graham           74th Highlanders     N

Private               Peter Hamilton       74th Highlanders     N

Sergeant              Harold               74th Regiment        Y

Private               Thomas Harrison      74th Highlanders     N

Private               Richard Hartley      74th Regiment        Y

Private               James Henderson      74th Regiment        Y

Private               Alexander Hendry     74th Highlanders     N

Private               David Hunter         74th Highlanders     N

Private               D Kirkford           74th Regiment        Y

Private               James Kirkwood       74th Highlanders     N

Private               John Kriffe          74th Regiment        Y

Corporal              William Laird        74th Highlanders     N

Private               John Lowrie          74th Highlanders     N

Private               Edward MacLoed       74th Highlanders     N

Private               James Mackinnon      74th Highlanders     N

Corporal              M  Mathison          74th Highlanders     N

Private               Alexander Mathison   74th Highlanders     N

Private               Thomas Maxwell       74th Highlanders     N

Private               William McAnley      74th Highlanders     N

Private               John McElarney       74th Highlanders     N

Private               James McGregor       74th Regiment        Y

Private               John McKee           74th Regiment        Y

Private               Thomas McMullin      74th Regiment        Y

Private               Alexander Miller     74th Highlanders     N

Private               George Miller        74th Highlanders     N

Private               James Morton         74th Highlanders     N

Private               D Munro              74th Regiment        Y

Private               Alexander Murdock    74th Highlanders     N

Private               A Nathaniel          74th Regiment        Y

Private               John Nelson          74th Highlanders     N

Private               Thomas Pride         74th Highlanders     N

Private               Thomas Robertson     74th Highlanders     N

Ensign                Russel               74th Highlanders     N

Private               Ebenezer Rutherford  74th Highlanders     N

Lieutenant Colonel    Seton                74th Highlanders     N

Private               J Sharp              74th Regiment        Y

Private               John Sharp           74th Highlanders     N

Private               Duncan Shaw          74th Highlanders     N

Private               Robert Smith         74th Highlanders     N

Private               William Steward      74th Highlanders     N

Private               Robert Steward       74th Highlanders     N

Private               George Taylor        74th Regiment        Y

Private               Adam Thompson        74th Highlanders     N

Private               John Thompson        74th Highlanders     N

Private               Francis Turner       74th Highlanders     N

Private               Robert Walker        74th Highlanders     N

Private               George Watson        74th Highlanders     N