TOPIC:

Hello to all members of this Forum!
I live in South Australia and have been hunting for years for any information on my great-grandfather. His name was David John James and he and his family lived in London, England. Recent developments lead me to wonder if he was in the 2nd Boer War - we have 2 photos of him in some kind of Army uniform (taken by Aug. Neilsen in Kilkenny, Ireland around c1900), which I will attach. His collar dogs have been tentatively identified as being from the Queen's Own (West Surrey) Regiment, but enquiries to that Regiment's historian have found no record of him.
He is missing on the UK 1901 Census (his wife Elizabeth is the "Head." )
He committed suicide by cutting his own throat in February 1902 - unfortunately no Next of Kin is mentioned on the Death Cert or the hospital records. My grandmother was born after he died and her Birth Cert says her deceased father's occupation was "Potman." However, on her Baptism record it states that he was a "Soldier - deceased!"
Ancestry.com has recently added new records on Deceased Soldiers' Effects, on which I have found a D. James who fought in Africa (no first name...) and was discharged as "Insane" on 17th December 1901. Annoyingly, his effects went to "Himself," which may indicate that he had nothing to do with his family at the time (that may also explain why he is listed as "Married" on the hospital records, but Next Of Kin is not given?). Also, this man's Regiment is the 3rd Welsh, not the West Surrey....
I will attach that record as I am hoping someone can interpret the things written on it more fully for me.

Hopefully someone has a bright idea that can lead me to finally find out what this man's life was about before he died!

Regards
Marilyn

Hi Marilyn and welcome to the forum.

There were a couple of David James on the medal rolls for South Africa but both served in local units and so are unlikely to be him I would think.

There are no D J James on the roll but there are several D James. The list, including duplicates, is:

D James 2nd Battalion East Surrey
D James Natal Volunteer Composite
D James 1st Battalion Suffolk Regiment
D James 1st Battalion The Welsh
D James 1st Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers
D James 4th Battalion Cheshire Regiment
D James 1st Royal Welsh Fusiliers
D James Royal Monmouth Royal Engineers Militia
D James 2nd Battalion Manchester Regimant
D James Volunteer Composite Regiment
D James 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards
D James 3rd Battalion The Welsh
D James 3rd Battalion The Welsh
D James 3rd Battalion The Buffs East Kent Regiment
D James 2nd Battalion Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
D James 3rd Battalion The Buffs East Kent Regiment
D James Natal Volunteer Hotchkiss Gun Detachment
D James 2nd Battalion Manchester
D James Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (Militia)
D James Natal Volunteer Composite
D James 1st Battalion The Welch
D James Colonial Scouts
D James 2nd Battalion The South Wales Borderers
D James 3rd Battalion The Welsh
D James 3rd Battalion The Welsh
D James 2nd Battalion East Surrey

The 2nd East Surrey's man is 6983 on the KSA roll and 6893 on the QSA roll.

There are service papers, available at cost from FindMyPast, for 6983 James

JAMES DAVID 1883 — 1901
British Army Service Records 1760-1915
Camberwell, London, Surrey, England

Hope that helps

Good luck
David

Hi David,

Wow! Thanks for finding all those records... Much food for thought here.
I will check out the East Surrey one first and let you know what I find before ploughing in to all the others.
I did wonder why the photo was taken in Ireland and if any regiments were in Kilkenny around 1900. There was never any rumour in the family that he went there, and he lived in London when he got married....
Cheers,
Marilyn

Sorry - forgot to ask. Did you mean the one I found on the Deceased Soldiers's Effects was one of those 2 who served in a local Unit?
Cheers,
Marilyn