TOPIC:

Hi Adrian,

Thanks for the information. Just one thing, his birthdat was actually 23 Aug 1880. He apparently had an older brother, William Alexander Chapman, who was born in 1878 so I'm wondering if there may be a bit of confusion there. However, I will follow-up on the publication you've mentioned. Thanks very much once again.

Cheers

Charles

Hi Rory,

You're right about his medals which is part of the reason for researching his life. I'm sure he is entitled to the War Medal 1939/45 and the Africa Service medal. If he is I would really like to try source them, but as it stands the 3 medals in the picture are the only ones the family could locate. I'm now not sure about the long service medal and good conduct medal because apparently between the wars he worked all over South Africa as a well rigger, so obviously his service wasn't continuous. I'll keep digging, but just over the last couple of days I've managed to glean a lot of information through this site.

Cheers

Charles

Hello Charles,

The papers clearly show 23/08/1878 and age 23 years as does the book "That Ragged Mob"

There would have been no reason that I can think of that he would have made out he was exactly 2 years older than he was!!

Regards
Adrian

Adrian, the guy is a bit of a mystery! I'm beginning to think he he wasn't the sharpest knife in the draw and perhaps couldn't add and subtract. His birth records in South Australia and a family bible I have show that he was born in 1880. However, I have his original Marriage Certificate to Olive Blanche Goss which states he was 35 years old when he married her in 1919. If that were true it means he would have been born in 1884!! So at this stage I think the most definitive answer to his date of birth is the official registration in the South Australian Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages. I am currently trying to source a copy of his birth certificate through the South Australian Geneology Society. As soon as I have it I will publish the details and hopefully set the records straight.

Cheers

Charles

Hello Charles,

Your right, he does look like he cannot count. Oh well, it's all good fun.

I look forward to hearing what you find on him.

Regards
Adrian

Hi Adrian, Just to let you know that I am now in touch with Robin Droogleever and have brought up the discrepancies in my grandfathers details and he has asked me to send him any info I might have about my grandfather, particularly about his life after the Boer war. So I'm going to compile a biography about him (well, as much as I know, anyway) and send it off to him. I will also post it here on this site just in case anyone else is interested. Also, I have discovered a number of records on the UK Military Campaign Medals and Awards 1793-1949 page on the Ancestry.com web site which refer to him and one in particular which confirms that he was entitled to the 01 and 02 clasps as well as the King's Medal, which I assume he is entitled to because of his on-going service in the SAC. Just a pity he never applied for them. If there was any way on earth I could get those items for him I would certainly do it now.

Like you said - it's all good fun digging up all this family history!

Cheers

Charles