TOPIC:

Dr. Edward Lewin Mosely , L.D.S.; R.C.S. Eng.

Dental Surgeon – Anglo Boer War

- Queens South Africa Medal (South Africa 1902) to DENTAL SURGEON E. MOSELY.

Edward Mosely was in the public eye more for his dog breeding abilities and eccentricities surrounding that pursuit than for his skills as a Dentist.

Born on 31 July 1869 in Regent Street, London, he was the son of Benjamin Lewin Mosely Esq. M.C.D.E. Eng., and his wife Florence (born Cohen). As a Dentist with a flourishing practice and an innovator to boot who pioneered the concept of “painless dentistry”, it was almost scripted that a young Edward would follow in his father’s footsteps.

According to the 1871 England census, a 3 year old Edward (3 months old if what the enumerator wrote is to be believed) was at home at 312 Regent Street, Marylebone, London along with his parents and siblings – Ada Lydia (5), Bertram Jacob aka Bertie (4) and Henry Benjamin aka Harry (3). His mother Fanny’s family, the Cohen’s, featured large in the Mosely’s lives and 42 year Edward Cohen, her brother and a Merchant, was also in residence along with a Cook, a Nurse, a Housemaid and an Under Housemaid – all outward manifestations of an opulent and prosperous family in Victoria England.


312 Regent Street.

Ten years later, at the time of the 1881 England census, it can be assumed that Dr and Mrs. Mosely were out of the country. Their various children (Harry and Ada) had been placed in the care of the Cohen’s in Edgbaston, Birmingham and of 13 year old Edward there was no sign – the presumption being that he was away at school.

On completion of his secondary school education, Mosely attended University College, London for his degree in Dentistry, followed by internships at Charing Cross Hospital and the London Dental Hospital, securing for himself the distinction of being a triple prizeman of his year in the latter.

The 1891 England census indicated that the Mosely family had moved to 21 Cornwallis Gardens in Hastings where, on the day of the census, a 22 year old Edward was recorded as being a Medical Student. There were the usual coterie of servants as well as brother Harry who, at the age of 20, was flying in the face of family convention by becoming a Stone Mason.

The Hastings and St. Leonard Observer of 10 December 1892 were singing young Edward’s praises: -

“Local Success – Mr Edward Mosely son of Mr B.L. Mosely, M.C.D.E., of 36 Roberston Street, has passed his recent examination for the Licentiate in Dental Surgery. Mr Mosely, who is a double prize man, and the holder of four certificates of honour for skills displayed in various branches of dentistry, was awarded exceptionally high marks at the final examination.”

Newly qualified, Mosely went into partnership with his father in the family dentistry business. From an advert which appeared in contemporary newspapers, the enterprise was a thriving one with outlets in Regent Street, Hastings, Rochester, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells. It didn’t take Edward long before he put his newly-found skills to practice. The Hastings and St. Leonard Observer of 11 May 1895 containing an article which read: -

“An Artificial- Legged Dog – One of the most interesting exhibits at the Dog Show at the Aquarium this week has been a dog with an artificial fore-leg, the property of Mr Edward Mosely (son of Mr B.L. Mosely of Roberston Street, Hastings), by whom the improvised limb was designed and fitted, the work being chiefly made at Messrs. Mosely’s Dental Surgery at Robertson Street, Hastings. This exhibit has been very extensively noticed by the London press. The Morning Advertiser said: “There is a dog with an artificial leg upon the scene which held a never-ending reception throughout the whole of yesterday, to the satisfaction, doubtless, of her owner, Mr Mosely, and the intense delight of her young lady attendant. The artificial limb is a most ingenious arrangement of aluminum and Indiarubber, and no visitor to the Aquarium who possesses a taste for novelty should neglect visiting pen 516, at the end of the building, nearest the Houses of Parliament. Mr Mosely’s “Squidge” was certainly a great novelty in the show.”

Royal Patronage was to follow – The Observer of June 13, 1896 commenting under the heading: -

“A Royal Honour – The Ladies Kennel Association held its Exhibition……. Amongst the stewards were Mr Edward Mosely, L.D.S., of Regent Street, the London address of our townsman, Mr B.L. Mosely of Robertson Street. Mr Edward Mosely will be remembered by his penchant for the kennel and his devotion thereto in his invention and construction of the artificial leg and foot for the dog exhibited in most of the principal Shows last year. Besides heading the list as prize-taker for the best litter of Schipperke pups in a large competition, he had the honour and gratification of finding a purchaser in no less a person than Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales who possessed herself of one of the tailless beauties. We congratulate Mr Mosely on his success.”

Now that he was the “purveyor of fine goods” to the Royal Household, Mosely probably rose in the estimation of many in his circle. Such was his renown that he made it into the Penny Illustrated Paper of December 26, 1896. Under the banner of ‘Mr Mosely’s Schipperke Photographs’, their correspondent wrote: -

I have to thank Mr Edward Mosely cordially for his courteous, if chaffing letter, and for his kindness in sending me the photographs from which the accompanying portraits of Schipperke dogs were reproduced. Mr Mosely writes to me in his amusing way, from 314 Regent Street. W.: -

“Dear Sir – May the caricature of a Schip published in this week’s P.I.P. haunt you. How could you, especially seeing as you keep them for yourself? I quite agree with all that you say especially as to the charming companions; they make good pets and yet not soft and useless, and as hard as nails. I am taking the liberty to enclose you a photo of a litter of pups and their dam, taken when about two months and a half old. They scooped in the first prize, Holland Park, and the Princess of Wales selected the one on the left, Mischief, now Sandringham Imp. I should like to mention gently – just a whisper – that in this litter of seven, four were born tailless. I think they are the sauciest little black devils imaginable.”


Mosely's Schipperke’s

Seemingly, Mosely’s star could not, in the canine world, have shone brighter, his popularity having spread to page 4 of the much vaunted New York Times of 6 August 1898. Under the banner “A London Dentist Took Endless Trouble And Made A Good Job” the article read thus: -

“In the Young Man for August we are introduced to dogs and cows with wooden legs, but perhaps the most interesting of all is a dog with false teeth. This canine curiosity is, appropriately enough, the property of a dentist in the West End of London – Mr Edward Mosely of Regent Street. “Myn Duivel” as Mr Mosely has named his pet, is of the Schipperke breed, and of Belgian nationality. The dentist discovered him a year ago while holidaying in the Belgian capital. He had many good points, which counterbalanced to some extent his misfortune in being almost toothless. But this misfortune was accentuated in the kennels where “Myn Duivel” was very unpopular among the other dogs, being attacked without the least chance of defending himself. His food had to be minced before he could touch it and it was a pitiable thing to see “Myn Duivel” – a most entertaining pet – humbly submit to being worried by his brute companions.

So the idea occurred to Mr Mosely to provide the dog with a substitute for his lost masticators, and after what Mr Mosely describes as the most difficult work he ever did, the operation was successfully performed. The smallness of the teeth is amazing. The filing down of each tooth occupied two hours…. The dog has not had a single accident with his teeth and crunches bones to powder as vigorously as any of his more fortunate companions.”

As the 19th century trundled to a close, the Dutch-speaking Republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State found themselves at war with the might of Great Britain. War was declared on 11 October 1899 and hostilities commenced immediately with Boer Commandos crossing their borders into the Cape Colony and Natal. It had been many a year since a serious challenge was mounted which would test the efficiency and efficacy of the Imperial war machine but the Anglo Boer War almost proved to be the British Army’s nemesis with the Commandos more than holding their own in the initial stages of the war. A massive deployment of troops from around the globe was required before the British forces began to gain the upper hand.


A "typical" field dental surgery

Mosely, going about his business as a dentist and dog breeder, would have been aware of the ebb and flow of his country’s fortunes as the war progressed. Thanks in the main to the work of a small army of newspaper correspondents, the British public were never long in doubt as to the progress of things. Despite an article in the Transvaal version of Men of our Times (published in 1905) wherein it was claimed that, “Mr Mosely came out to South Africa in the year 1900, having been appointed by the Home Government as Dental Surgeon to the British forces, which appointment he held up to 1902”, he was still very much in England in 1901 – having married Kathleen Emma Searston in Marylebone in April of that year. He was also, according to the England census of the same month, at home at 83 Romford Road, West Ham along with his new bride where he was recorded as being a 32 year old Dental Surgeon.

Later that year he was making headlines for the wrong reasons – a report in the Manchester Evening News of December 4th, 1901 read as follows: -

“Rival Dog Exhibitors – Slander Action Against A Lady – In the King’s Bench today, the hearing was continued of the action by Mr Edward Mosely, a dentist, against Miss Gordon to recover damages for alleged slander. The plaintiff’s wife exhibited two of her husband’s dogs at the Crystal Palace Dog Show in October last year. They were awarded first prize, and plaintiff alleges that after the prizes were awarded the defendant, who was also an exhibitor of the same kind of dog, informed the judge and the committee of the Griffin Club that the animal were dyed. For this assertion the plaintiff said there was no justification. Defendant denied that she uttered the words complained of, and that they were spoken on a privileged occasion and without malice. She had also called the plaintiff “a low coward and a dirty Jew”. Today counsel raised the question of privilege, and Mr Justice Darling held that there was privilege on both occasions explained of.

Miss Gordon, the defendant, was called. She said at the Crystal Palace Show in 1900, the judge, Mr van der Snicht, had a conversation with her and said the dogs to which he had given the first prize that day were dyed. Knowing that she was secretary to the Griffon Club he asked her what she intended to do in the matter. After further evidence the jury found for the defendant. Judgement accordingly with costs.”

Suitably chastised and castigated, Mosely seems to have gone to ground, perhaps the chance of honing his dental skills in a war zone appealed to him. Whatever the case may be, he headed for South Africa where the Boer War was in its third year with almost all parties to the conflict being rather war-weary. Military Dentistry, it has to be said, was almost non existent in the 19th century. This is curious as the third ranked reason for applicants to be discharged from the army was dental-related. Simply put if a man’s molars were rotten and painful he would be unable to eat. If he was unable to eat he wouldn’t have the strength to fight.


A Dentist in the Field

It was only towards the dawn of 1902 that the military establishment bowed to pressure and contracted four civilian dental surgeons to take to South Africa. These four dental surgeons had no military status and had to provide their own hand instruments. Surgery furniture and materials were provided but no workroom equipment and, therefore, no denture facilities.

Before the war ended in May 1902, the Army's strength in South Africa had reached over 400,000; four dentists to support this force was totally inadequate. Teeth continued to be lost and the numbers invalided for dental causes continued to grow. The Countess Howe's report on the IYH includes summaries from its senior clinicians, which include many references to the poor dental condition of the troops. This is borne out by official statistics which recorded 6,942 admissions to hospital for dental disabilities, of which 2,451 were invalided back to the UK as unfit for service. Many not sent home could only be employed in base areas as they could not masticate front line rations. The number of dental problems not requiring hospitalisation but addressed by regimental medical officers' (RMOs') forceps is unknown but cannot have been small.

Various newspapers carried reports on the situation. The Gloucester Citizen, Saturday 27th December 1902 stating that: -

"Reports of the dentistry done in South Africa give the following as a year's work of one of the dental surgeons, and, according to the 'Journal of the British Dental Association,' it may be taken to represent an average probably of them all; Cases seen, 1,200; plastic fillings inserted, 1,356; extractions, 2,901. The most defective teeth appear to have been found among the men of the Militia and Yeomanry of the later levies. Many of these men were useless as fighting units through dyspepsia from the moment of starting the campaign diet of tough meat and hard biscuit, as their teeth were hopelessly bad and beyond dental treatment."

Where did Mosely ply his trade? According to a letter he penned to the Assistant Colonial Secretary in Pretoria on 1 December 1902 he was attached to the Natal Field Force which Force was active up to the cessation of hostilities on 31 May 1902. For his efforts he was awarded the Queens Medal with clasp 1902.


Letter from Mosely confirming War Office appointment

Electing to settle in South Africa, Mosely brought his wife out and betook himself to Johannesburg where he set up a dental practice at 81 Jeppe Street (corner of Von Brandis Square and Smal Street). It was from here that he, emphatically, silenced his critics who were alleging that he was practicing dentistry without the necessary licence. His licence had been granted on 16 December 1902, prior to him opening for business. A later letter to the aforementioned Assistant Colonial Secretary read: -

"I regret I am unable to forward my diploma as requested as before I Ieft England to join the Field Force in Natal I warehoused all my furniture etc. and it is stored in my desk, but as I had to satisfy the War Office that I was duly qualified and registered before I was engaged I venture to think you might dispense with the production of the diploma."

He appeared as a new member, with inception from February 4th, 1903, of the Clifton Lodge of the Free Masons – his membership only ceasing on 25 March 1908. When his daughter, Florence Hester Kathleen, was baptised in Johannesburg on 14 March 1915 he was living at Parktown Mansions, Jan Smuts Avenue, Parktown. Having retired from Dentistry at some point he moved to the exclusive suburb of Bantry Bay in Cape Town where he resided at “The Tuffet” in Ravine Road. His wife passed away on 4 May 1945 at the age of 76 and he departed this life at the age of 91 (Myocardial Failure) on 18 May 1959 – whilst living at the same address. He was cremated at Maitland Cemetery.

Edward Mosely was commemorated as a keen philatelist and his stamps make up The Mosely Philatelic Collection in the British Library. The catalogue reads: 'Formed by Dr Edward Mosely, the collection is of British Africa postage stamps to 1935. Mainly unused, particular strength is material from the Cape of Good Hope, Mauritius and Rhodesia. The Mosely Collection was donated in memory of her parents Dr & Mrs Edward Mosely of Johannesburg, by Mrs Florence Hester Kathleen Cunningham in 1945”

Acknowledgements in body of the work:
- Ancestry for census data, medal rolls etc.
- British Newspaper Archive for press reports

I'm inclined to cock a snoot at those who prefer to keep their men hidden from view. I realise that this is a controversial stance but I firmly believe that our medals and medal groups, and the stories that normally accompany them, are meant to be shown to the public. This is often a double-edged sword but I have, more often than not, benefited from this exposure.

A case in point is the wonderful medal to Dr Edwin Mosely, a Boer War Dentist who made a name for himself as a Philatelist of world renown, and as a breeder of dogs. Earlier this week, a relative of his approached me with the information that he had inherited two 10kg trunk-fulls of papers, documents, photos and trophies that were once the property of Mosely. He has graciously sent me a number of photos with the prospect of more too come, some of which I share in this post, others to be shared once I have them.

Were it not for my little article on Mosely which caught his relatives eye, I wouldn't even know what he looked like.











Regards

Rory

Dr Edward Mosely's mother taken in the mid 1880y's, Florence Chinen