Charles Rainbow Bettles

Just inside the gates of Rushden Cemetery is a Memorial to Charles Bettles and Arthur Ellis, members of the St. John Ambulance Corps, who died in Bloemfontein, South Africa.  Rushden Museum has been fortunate enough to have a bundle of letters exchanged by Charles and his family during the time he was away.

Charles was born in Podington, Bedfordshire, in 1881, the second son of Edward and Sarah Bettles.  When the family first came to Rushden they lived in Orchard Place and later moved to Windmill road.  In the photograph above Charles is shown with his parents and siblings c1899.

He joined the St. John Ambulance in 1899 and passed his first aid examination in the autumn of that year.  At the beginning of 1900 Charles was selected for service at the front, and for some time he was nursing Enteric Fever patients at Bloemfontein.  The nurses often contracted the disease and Charles also fell victim to it.  For some time he was dangerously ill, but it was hoped he would recover.  Unfortunately, this did not happen and he died on the 29 June, 1900.  He was buried in the British Cemetery at Bloemfontein.

There are several letters in each envelope.  One, dated 18 February 1900 was sent to Charles when he was on his way to South Africa and contains two pressed flowers.

My dear Son,

  We are glad to know that you are getting on so well and we hope you will remaine so.  I went down street last night and I saw our groupe in Powells window and you and Arther was their.  I do not know who took it there unless it is the one I took to Mr. Swindall.  Dear Charlies I will take care of any money you send to me with greatest of pleasure but be sure and do not make yourself to short as money is the greatest friend you can have when you get away from home.  Mother is getting better and George is up today, all the rest of us are well.  We have not had your photos yet if you send your proper address we will rite to you every week so you will soon here from us ween you get their.  We shall not forget you nor Arthur neither.  From your loving mother and father, S and E Bettles.

We shall watch your ship and see when she gets in.

June 17

Dear Charlie,

  A am riteing a few moor lines to you hoping thay will find you quight well as thay leve us all at the presant.  I must tell you much as I wanted to you to come home I should not like you to come and leave the job half finished.  You have chosen the mans part you are a man and I am proud of you.  I have shown your letter to several of my friends and thay say you are a good and brave fellow and thay say thay hope you will get through all right for you deserve to do.  I can tell you that them that run away as soon as thay can will not be thought much on at Rushden.  Now about the bicical we have put it in the reporter but you need not be surprised if we do not sell it for thay are very cheep this year as there is so many of the yong men gorn to the war, now you need not trouble because you have no Girl to come back to for I can tell you if you come home with a cleen sheet you can have your pick of the town, and I know you will do that.  The pigs are fat, the hens all lay double yolk egs the pony can run 12 miles an hour.  Now I must contlude with my best love to you and I remain your loving father Edward Bettles.

Bloemfontein June 8th

My Dear Mother and Father , Sisters and Brothers,  I am getting Arthur to write these few lines to you as I am in Hospital with a touch of Enteric Fever, but I am pleased to say that I am getting on well.  I have been in since the 29th May, do not worry about me as I shall soon be better.  Please excuse me for not writing last week as you know how it is.  Dear Polly, I received your parcel the other day and am very pleased with it.  I have not opened it yet.  Dear Father I thank you for the Cassells Saturday Journal which you send me every week, it is very nice reading, different to the reading we have here.  The other week they proclaimed Orange Free State, British territory.  They fired a salute of twenty- one guns from a big kopze not far from the Hospital, as soon as they had done this they hoisted the British flag over the Government Buildings.  I suppose the War will soon be over now as the papers tell us that Lord Roberts is in Pretoria, but they have not captured Kruger yet, he is a bit too fly for them.  I reacon it will be a funny finish.  I am having a good going on in hospital, they look after us orderlys who are ill very well indeed.  When I came in here there were thirty-five orderlys in hospital out of one hundred and fifty.  I received the letter last week and was very pleased with it.  Mother gets quite an excellent writer.  I am glad George is getting on all right with his pony and trap, wait until I get back we will have a time.  I think that is about all this time.  From your loving Son and Brother, Charlie.

19 Addison Road, Walthamstow 22/10/00

Dear Miss Bettles,

Only having just arrived home I was unable to write before but hasten to do so now for I can quite understand your feelings and how you would like to know all you can about him.

I was put in charge of the ward where poor Charlie was lying about the end of May.  He was then in a very weak condition, but we all thought he would pull through.  We never heard a word of complaint from his lips, he always lay very quiet and wanted nothing but his Bible to read.

He lay in this weak condition for some time when one morning we found he had taken a turn for the worse during the night.

He was then removed from my ward into the dangerous case ward where he almost immediately became unconscious and remained so to the end, apparently suffering no pain and peacefully falling asleep in the arms of Jesus.

I can assure you all that could be done for him was done, he had a good doctor and sister.  You have my fullest sympathy in this great bereavement for I can quite understand your feeling in the matter, him lying ill and none of you able to be with him to cheer and comfort him in his last hours, but you have the comforting thought to know there was one with him who never forsakes his people and that though you will never see him again in this world you will meet him in that better world where there is no more partings.  Many have not that thought to cheer them.

We had many happy hours together on the voyage out as no doubt his friend has told you, when we used to meet together on the forecastle and sing some of the good old songs of Zion.

The letter continues with words of condolence and ends: Yours sincerely S. J. Smith

On the 20 July, 1900 the Northampton Mercury reported that a Memorial Service in memory of Private Charles Rainbow Bettles, of the St. John Ambulance Corps, and a senior scholar of the Old Baptist Chapel, took place in the Chapel on Sunday evening last.

At the monthly meeting of the Rushden Urban District Council at the beginning of May 1902 an application was received from a committee formed for the purpose of erecting a memorial to the memory of Charles R. Bettles, and A. Ellis, who died when on active service as hospital orderlies in South Africa, asking for the consent of the Council to the erection of a memorial on a suitable site in Rushden Cemetery.  The application was approved and on the 26 July, 1902 the Memorial was unveiled at a service in the cemetery.