Topic: BW - NSW - 3NSWMR
3rd NSWMR
3rd New South Wales Mounted Rifles
[Sydney Mail, 6 July 1901, p. 15.]
Sydney Mail notification about the wounding of Coulter
Appearing in the Sydney Mail, 6 July 1901, at page 15 is the following notification of his wounding:
Sergeant AE Coulter and Private B Pipeding, NSW Mounted Infantry, were slightly wounded at Uikomet.
[Adelaide Advertiser, 3 July 1901, p. 5.]
Adelaide Advertiser notification about the wounding of Coulter
Appearing in the Adelaide Advertiser, 3 July 1901, at page 5 is the following notification of his wounding:
Sergeant A. E. Coulter and Private B. Pipeding, of the New South Wales Mounted Contingent, are reported to have been slightly wounded at Uikomit.
[London Times, 2 July 1901, p. 11.]
London Times notification about the wounding of Coulter
Appearing in the London Times, 2 July 1901, at page 11 is the following notification of his wounding:
3rd NS Wales MI - 1455 Sgt AE Coulter, 1498 Pte B Pickering, slightly wounded, Uitkomst, June 20.
Aggregation of the Reports
A comparison of all the reports highlights the problem of understanding the event that actually occurred. Coulter was wounded. That is the theme of all the notifications. The list includes other Australian newspapers although the extracts are not above. The results are tabulated below.
| Newspaper | Regt. No. | Name of Casualty | Place | |
| Sydney Mail | AE Coulter B Pipeding | Uikomet | ||
| Adelaide Advertiser | AE Coulter B Pipeding | Uikomit | ||
| The West Australian | AE Coulter B Pipeding | Inkomat | ||
| Sydney Morning Herald | AE Coulter B Pipeday | Uikomat | ||
| Melbourne Argus | AE Coulter B Pipeding | Uikomit | ||
| London Times | 1455 1498 | AE Coulter B Pickering | Uitkomst |
With the diversity of information, it was difficult for the reader of this news to know if the received information was accurate. Each report had elements that were correct but all provided incorrect information about this particular event. The surprising issue is that there was only one telegrapher in South Africa issuing the specific information. It is amazing how this information has varied according to the source receiving the information.
Uitkomst
Place of Wounding:
Uitkomst, 20 June 1901.
The Men
Details of men wounded:
Arthur Ernest [Cody] COULTER, (born Sydney 1876, died Newcastle 1958).
Boer War:
1445 Sergeant Arthur Ernest COULTER, "C" Squadron, 3rd NSW Mounted Rifles.
AIF:
72 Private Arthur Ernest Cody COULTER, Machine Gun Section, 1st Australian Light Horse Regiment.
Bertie DUCKERING, (Born Yorkshire 1875, Killed in Action 25 October 1917)
Boer War:
1498 Trooper Bertie DUCKERING, "C" Squadron, 3rd NSW Mounted Rifles.
AIF:
6141 Private Bertie DUCKERING, "B" Company, 3rd Infantry Battalion. Killed in Action, Belgium, 25 October 1917.
Conclusion
This account illustrates the imperative to check sources of information. The example given here demonstrates the reliability of information produced contemporaneously. If it was difficult to get it correct at the time, it is so much more difficult today.
Further Reading:
3rd New South Wales Mounted Rifles
3rd New South Wales Mounted Rifles, Roll of Honour
Battles where Australians fought, 1899-1920
Citation: 3rd NSW Mounted Rifles, Casualty Cables, The problems in assessing Casualty Reports
