TOPIC:

Thanks again for the information, I shall have to get hold of a copy of the book you mention and it seems the army didn't change much by the time WW1. Lack of records seems to be a problem though and I expect there arern't many available unless of officers or someone who was given a bravery award.

Kiltermom……

Not a great computer geek so I hope that these come through and you can expand the size...… From Find My Past...….

I coukd not find anything on WW! but then again a lot of the records were damaged and destroyed by German bombing in WW2......

Mike

No, upon looking at his papers, he was not embodied until the 24th of June 1900, he actually joined the Militia six months earlier, clearly, he could not have served in South Africa on the 28th of February
Notwithstanding, it changes nothing, six months between joining and being embodied with his Battalion for Foreign Service, actual training was part time, over those months, so perhaps as little as an hour of Drill upon a week day evening, twice a week, perhaps a spell on the depots miniature rifle range upon a Sunday afternoon and so on, it could have been simply as little as that.
By the time he returned and was disembodied, he was an "old sweat" a seasoned Militiaman, with a well earned medal.

kiltermon wrote: Thanks again and yes I was aware of the dates and it was these I was using to estimate the earliest possible time that my Grandad could have been in SA since this was issued so close to his signing on date.

Many thanks for this, it was really helpful as I only had the first page of the attestation forms.

Now all you need to do is find his medal and a very nice medal it is too, quite a scarce example, if it still remains extant, I took a brief look at WO100/259 and noted the main section, in respect of the medal itself had been signed at Warrenton on the 15th of July 1901, the supplementary section, in respect of the 1901 clasp, back home, at Dublin, on the 10th of December 1902.

He would have had many opportunities to actually wear it in uniform through to 1908 as well, it is not the sort of thing that was thrown away, I would ask around the family if I were you, see if there is anyone who can actually remember seeing it.

Hello again, are the records you mention available online?
Thanks very much for your help and interest I do appreciate it as the Boer War is all so new to me, I've learned a lot about WW1 with the research I've done but not this conflict.
I have a feeling that the family do know about his medal and may have sold it at some time the reason being I do know that they sold some medals from another member of the family. This makes me feel so angry because he was my Grandad and all I have of him are his WW1 medals and two photos. The problem is because he chose to fight for the British instead of the Irish (like his brothers) and the ill feeling is still there today over 100 years later.
I have tried to get information from the family but they refuse to contact me so all I can do is just keep looking in the hope that I find the Boer War medal one day, pretty unlikely I know but I will keep trying.
Many thanks again for your help.