John Medley Loveband Fulford

John Medley Loveband Fulford was born on 29 July, 1877 at Exeter the second son of the architect Robert M. Fulford and his wife Maria, and the grandson of the Reverend John Loveband Fulford, the vicar of Woodbury. 

In 1896 John appears in the Navy list as a midshipman in the RN Reserve, but by 1900 he was in South Africa taking part in the Anglo-Boer War as a sergeant (No. 063) with Robert's Horse. While with that mounted unit he was wounded on 9 March, 1900 at Abraham's Kraal. During the war he also served with Steinaecker's Horse apparently being promoted lieutenant while so employed. He was serving with the Provisional Transvaal Constabulary when he received a staff posting with the Railway Staff on 12 November, 1900.

Fulford's military career has been somewhat difficult to track fully due to his being a member of various South African police units during most of his time in uniform. Establishments such as the Transvaal Constabulary to which he was a member do not have records available like regular British troops nor were promotions and such always listed in the London Gazette. So far Fulford's younger years have proved elusive and the first record apparently of him shows him to be in South Africa during the Anglo-Boer War.


According to one unconfirmed source Fulford was captured by the Boers at Colenso and spent some time as Winston Churchill's cell mate. For his varied services during the Anglo-Boer War Fulford would have been entitled to the Queen's South Africa Medal with the clasps "Paardeberg", Dreifontein", "Relief of Kimberley" and "Transvaal". He was also entitled to the King's South Africa Medal with its two clasps of "South Africa - 1901" and "South Africa - 1902".

Fulford's post war career seems to have been limited to service with South African police forces and did not see any active service in the field during World War One. Around 1917 he was active in investigations to root out Bolshevik sympathizers in South Africa. Fulford was an Inspector with the South African Police at Boksburg with the Rank of Captain in 1917 when a strike by white miners took place protesting at the hiring of semi-skilled black mine workers. He was again involved in another mine workers’ dispute in 1922 when he led an attack on striking Afrikaan miners near a rail crossing at Boksburg on 27 February which resulted in many injuries and arrests but no deaths. The following day things became even worse when a crowd gathered outside the Boksburg jail to voice support for those taken into custody the day before. Fighting soon broke out between the police and strikers this time the fracas left three of the strikers dead - one of which was apparently killed by a bullet from their own ranks. 

Fulford is listed as Captain, Inspector, South African Police, in Boksburg in the 1922 edition of the International Police and Detective Directory. Later in a passenger list from the ship Watusi travelling with his wife from Mozambique to London, dated 5 Oct 1932, Fulford is listed as a Lieutenant-Colonel of the South Africa Police (retired)

Information from a correspondent describes photographs of a 450/455 Webley revolver, which now resides in a private collection, that was carried by John Medley Loveband Fulford throughout the Anglo-Boer War. What makes this artifact stand out is that Fulford had small dated and engraved metal plaques attached to the revolver's walnut grips that highlight his military career. These include "II S.A.L.H. - R.H. 1899-00" (2nd South African Light Horse/Robert's Horse), "Trans Constb. 1900” (Provisional Transvaal Constabulary), "3H 1901-02-03" (Steinaecker's Horse) and "S.A.C. 1903" (South African Constabulary). A fifth undated plaque is engraved "J.M.L.Fulford R.N.R" which confirms his service with the Royal Naval Reserve as recorded in the Navy Lists.

J. M. L. Fulford apparently retired to Fareham in England in the 1930s as Lieutenant-Colonel of South Africa Police, travelling from Mozambique to London. He died in England sometime in the 1960s.