TOPIC:

Dear all,

I am beginning research on a new book on Boer War veterans. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Also if anyone has any good digitised photographs of veterans wearing medals etc. which they wouldn't mind sharing with me so I can use them as illustrations in the book I would be very thankful.

Cheers!

How about Walter Ware. www.angloboerwar.com/forum/7-genealogy-a...died-11-1-1923#61771

AC2 James Wellington Jelfs was accepted into the RAF in November 1942, at the age of 67 years and 6 months, and was the oldest serving aircraftman at the time of his death in 1944, aged 69.

Hi there, great information, thank you !!!

From a September 1935 article about the ages that horses could live to - "Until three years ago Mr Cannon, of Newton Mearns, near Glasgow, had a 37 year-old Boer War veteran, who had also pulled a cab in its civilian days."

Colonel Rookes Evelyn Bell Crompton, Royal Engineers, was interviewed on his 90th birthday in 1935. Among the things he said were that he was instructed by Churchill in early 1915 to help design 'landships (tanks).' He claimed to have designed the electric arc lamp, and to have installed electricity at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

Captain Oates. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Oates

Trooper Lorne Mulloy scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1314&context=cmh

I hope Henk Loots won't mind me posting this group of his here, in answer to your post.

MAJOR T J MAY, CMG

• CMG, Neck Badge
• CGS, clasp Bechuanaland: Lieut, DEOVR
• BSA Co, reverse Rhodesia 1896: Lieut, MRF
• QSA, clasps DoK, OFS: Major, Diamond F Arty
• KSA, clasps SA’01, SA’02: Major, Dmd Fld Art
• 1914 Star : Major, CMG, RFA
• BWM, AVM: Major (CMG, RFA privately added)
• Atlantic Star, DefM, WM: unnamed as issued
• Kimberley Star: unnamed as issued

Thomas James May was born on 17 March 1864 and came to South Africa in 1880 with his father, who held the appointment of Naval Ordnance Officer at Simonstown.

He saw his first military service in the 3rd Mounted Rifles (Gough's Horse), a unit raised in Kimberley at the end of 1884 to serve in Warren's Bechuanaland Expedition. Sir Charles Warren and his force of some 4 000 men marched to Vryburg and Mafeking in December 1884 to assert British Authority and put an end to the two Boer Republics, Stellaland and Goshen. This bloodless campaign without any fighting ended on 24 January 1885 when President Paul Kruger and Sir Charles met at Fourteen Streams and agreement was reached on the border disputes.

In 1885 May served in the Victoria Rifles in Kimberley and was a member of the Diamond Fields Horse between 1889 and 1895.

March 1896 saw the start of the Matabele Rising in Rhodesia and this led to the recruiting of volunteers at Mafeking and Kimberley to aid the BSA Company. Thomas May duly signed up and joined the Matabeleland Relief Force under Colonel Plumer. He saw action at Umguza River and in the Matopos and earned his first medal as a Lieutenant in “B” Squadron, MRF, having seen seven months’ service up to 4 December 1896.

His next stint of active service was in the Langeberg Campaign, serving as Lieutenant in the Mounted Infantry Co of the D.E.O.V.R. under Col Spence from February to August 1897. He was Mentioned in Despatches (according to his Who-was-Who entry) and received the CGS Medal with clasp Bechuanaland.

On 1 April 1899, Capt T J May became the third Officer Commanding the Diamond Fields Artillery. He was commissioned as Major on 16 October 1899, two days after the start of the Siege of Kimberley. On 27 October 1899 the Kimberley Garrison had their first encounter with the Boers at Macfarlane's Siding and the ridges east of Dronfield. At one moment in the day the section of the D.F.A. under Maj May, which had gone out to support Col Scott-Turner, was nearly cut off by the Boers who had got in between them and the mounted troops. They held their ground most gallantly until the arrival of the North Lancashire Regt reinforcements induced the Boers to retire. At that time the escort had fired their last cartridges and the guns had only six rounds left.

Major May was mentioned in LtCol Kekewich's report of 15 February 1900, (London Gazette of 8 May 1900, p2918): "Captain (local Major) May, Diamond Fields Artillery, has invariably handled his guns with much coolness under fire. He is a most deserving and efficient officer". He was created a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George on 29 Nov. 1900 for his services during the Siege of Kimberley, and was again mentioned "for meritorious services performed" in Lord Roberts' Despatch of 2 April 1901 (London Gazette of 16 April l901, p2610).

Major May was District Commandant, Barkly West District, during the second half of 1900 and in 1901. Between 9 and 29 August 1901 he and 13 NCO's, Gunners and Drivers of the DFA were in Cape Town to exhibit the famous Kimberley-made gun "Long Cecil" during the visit of Their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York. In 1902 he was District Commandant for the Hay District.

In addition to the CMG, he received a QSA with clasps DoK & OFS, a 2-clasp KSA and a Kimberley Star for his Boer War services.

After the Boer War he resided in the Transvaal, and was on the Reserve of Officers, Transvaal Horse Artillery, between 1907 and 1911. In 1911 he went to London as Commissioner of the SA Section of the Imperial Exhibition and Festival of Empire.

In 1914 he enlisted in the Royal Field Artillery, British Expeditionary Force, and served throughout the First World War in France and Salonica with the rank of Major (1914 Star, BWM and AVM). According to his MIC he was awarded a Silver War Badge No 383081: circumstances unknown.

Although he took up permanent residence in the UK after the Great War, he maintained ties with the Union of South Africa. In 1924 he was in charge of the Educational, Botanical and Chemical sections of the SA Pavilion at the British Empire Exhibition held at Wembley.

From 1940 to 1944 he served in the 12th Batt, City of London Home Guard which qualified him for the Defence Medal. At this time (1942-43) he was also the Finance Officer (Diamond Control) in the Ministry of Supply. Then, in 1944, this remarkable old soldier turned sailor by serving in the Royal Navy Emergency Crew (Small Vessels Pool) when more than 2 000 volunteers helped to crew all types of craft (new, old, British or Allied) vital to the Navy as domestic helps to the Normandy Armada long before and long after D-day. As he put it in a letter to the Kimberley Siege Association in March 1950: "...as one of a Volunteer Emergency Crew for special duties with the Fleet covering the landing operations in Normandy. It was an interesting experience - and I was over 80 years of age at the time...” For this service he was awarded the France & Germany Star and War Medal (confirmed with the help of Cas Simpson).

In March 1910 he applied for the Volunteer Officers Decoration which was in 1911 amended to an application for the Colonial Auxilliary Forces Officers Decoration. These applications were turned down, due to insufficient length of service. Over the next 35 years he from time to time re-opened the matter but every time his method of calculating length of service was rejected by the authorities. In a final letter, dated 2 Oct 1945, the Adjutant-General, Union Department of Defence stated “...Major May has on ten occasions been advised that he is not eligible....” and also “.... further correspondence on the matter will serve no useful purpose”.

Major May died at Rochford, Essex on 23 October 1952.

He had been a fighter all his life and, over a period of some 60 years, served in one military expedition, two campaigns and three wars!!