TOPIC:

Hello all,

My name is Dan, I am researching my Great Grandfather's involvement in the Second Boer War.

His name is John S Connole, and I know he served in the 4th Western Australian Mounted Infantry (also known as Imperial Bushmen) and then served with the South African Constabulary, based in Pretoria. My profile avatar, is has he was prior to leaving for South Africa.

He was born in Morphett Vale, South Australia in 1875 and died in Dawlish, Devon in 1934.

I have gathered a fair bit of information about him from letters he sent back to newspapers back in his home town of Bunbury WA.

I would like to find more in-depth details about the Contingent he served with and the South African Constabulary!

He later married an Englishwoman in South Africa, who died in childbirth. He then took his daughter to Devon, England to meet his Mother-In-Law, once there he 'fell in love' with his dead wife's sister. They had 7-8 children together...he had at least 2 children outside of marriage, one being my Grandmother!

During the remainder of his life he stayed in Devon, became a Milkman, then an Auctioneer and served in WW1 for the 2/4th Battalion, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, initially as a Lieutenant in 1914 and ending the War as an Adjutant Major. He was stationed in India for the duration and for the initial Indian rebellions of 1919.

I've probably rambled on a bit to much for an introductory post!

Attached is an extract John wrote to the 'Bunbury Herald' in October 1900.

Dan
There is an entry for the 4th West Aust in Stirling's "The Colonials in South Africa"; not a lot but at least something.
Murray's "Official Records of Australian Military Contingents" has rather more info and a nominal roll. You might care to check the "books" section of the site to see if they are listed. If not, they are commonly available via on-line sources.
Regards
IL.

Thank you.

I accessed Murray's a few months ago, but cannot get hold of Stirling's book.

I also would like to be able to find a copy of Policing the Empire: government, authority and control, 1830–1940 edited by David Anderson and David Killingray but have been unsuccessful so far. Google books has a sample of it but cuts off the chapter I am interested in!

I have contacted the successor Newspaper to the Bunbury Herald, and they do not hold any of his original letters to the newspaper but invited me to write to the editor who may put my letter in a future issue of the South Western Times (Aus) in the hopes that someone reading may be able to help me further.

Attaches is another letter he wrote to the Bunbury Herald, an earlier letter with much more detail.

As always any help or advice is greatly appreciated.

Dan
I have no connection with The Naval and Military press; however they have the soft-back versionof Striling at a fairly moderate price. Thanks for posing the letter; I will later have a go at finding out which SAusts were mentioned.
Best regards
IL.

I have now secured a copy of Stirling's book at a responsible price.

Thank you for your help, it is appreciated.

I have more articles about the Contingent, written in Australian newspapers; Trove is an amazing free Australian resource.

Using the National Archives in the UK is, as many of you know, expensive.