TOPIC:

William Barker

Does anyone know of Boer War skirmishes, battles, or regiments stationed in the Eastern Cape in the vicinity of Uitenhage?

I want to clear up a mystery involving my grandparents on their farm Helpmekaar in the Uitenhage District.
At the time of the Boer War (I assume it was the Second Anglo-Boer War) the labourers on the farm called my grandfather because they had found a white man in uniform wandering around in the bush. They thought he “was van lotjie getik” (delirious).

This man's name was William Barker. (That much they knew from his name tag). All I know about him is that he was a “Tommie” and that my grandparents had sheltered him on the farm because they thought he might be a deserter.

He lived there for 50 years or more. I think he died in the late fifties.

When I was a child he was known as “Old Barker”, and he lived in a room off the back stoep. I remember only that he sat for most of the day on the stoep smoking a foul-smelling pipe. He never did a days work because he “was not quite right in his head”.

He is buried next to my grandparents (see photo).

Unfortunately I don't know his regiment or rank. It would help if I knew whether the British had regiments posted in that area or if there had been some action there.

Teddy

A sad story but on the other hand a great one for a researcher.

Amazing that he was accepted into a Boer family and even after the war had ended he continued to remain a vitual "lost soul"! He was possibly reported missing in action and has remained such?

Hope it has a happy ending?

Regards
Brian

Hello,
I have to say that if I had deserted from the army, I would not wait for the Provost Marshal to arrive, I would be off, as far as possible.
Given that I am sure that this thought would have occured to Barker as well, I would suggest that looking for units in that particular geographical area might not be the way to go.
What I would do if I were you is take a close look at the medal rolls in WO100, there are pages of W Barker's, find one with "No Medal/Deserted/Forfeited" etc in the remarks column and you just might have good candidate your man.
I like the memorial stone in your picture, very attractive indeed.
Kind regards Frank

I think it's great that they helped him. There is still a very good attitude in the people of that area today. We can't say they were a Boer family and therefore his enemy just because they were Dutch, as they were living in the Cape Colony.

In terms of activity in the area, there were quite a few units there. They had a Town Guard, a District Mounted Troop, the Uitenage Volunteer Rifles which was active. There was also a concentration camp there on the coast.

I did a search on W Barker and there are pages of them. I started looking into the South African units, but then stopped as it would be the Imperial units he would have come from if he was considered a Tommy. And there are pages of them!

Teddy

Even if the origins of Willie Barker are never established, the story of his life is still a great one, thanks to the kindness and generosity of your family. He was clearly regarded as 'one of the family' when his end came.

Regards
Brett

Hello Brett,
I seldom fail not to be moved by the amount of compassion that the average Boer showed toward Tommy Atkins during the war, from the very start at Talana, but, in particular during the final months, which turned out to be the most cruel, all the more so, after the way that some members of both the British Army and SAMIF had behaved in the Transvaal!
Kind regards Frank

Brett Hendey wrote: Teddy

Even if the origins of Willie Barker are never established, the story of his life is still a great one, thanks to the kindness and generosity of your family. He was clearly regarded as 'one of the family' when his end came.

Regards
Brett