TOPIC:

Hello,
My name is Helen and my interest in the Boer War involves two relatives. One is my great uncle Charles Henry Parkin who, family legend had it, served and was wounded in the Boer War with his lifelong drug addiction issues supposedly resulting from chronic pain. As Uncle Charlie who was born and lived in Montreal Canada, I ordered in microfilm from the National Archives of Canada and spent fruitless hours scanning for his attestation papers.

Because of your site, I was able to determine he signed up in a UK regiment - the 2nd Imperial Light Horse (rather than a Canadian company) - and I ordered his attestation papers from the National Archives of the UK. I just received them. He signed up 10 May 1902 at Port Elizabeth in South Africa, meaning he must have travelled to South Africa from Montreal with this purpose in mind. I am trying to find out why this would have been necessary. In his application for the 1908 Volunteer Bounty (veterans of the war were became eligible for 320 acres of Dominion Land or a payment of $160 in scrip) he says he served in the Western Transvaal under Col Duncan McKenzie.

Also since the war ended with the Treaty of Vereeniging signed on 31 May 1902, Charlie only had 21 days in which to get wounded. I cannot find any battles in that took place. Any ideas about the above are very welcome.

The second relative is my uncle by marriage's father, John Brook Robinson, who kept a diary during his experiences, a transcription of which I attach here for interest.

Hello Hellen and Welcome.....

Could not find a Charles Henry Parkin but a Charles Henry Parkinson who rec'd a land grant.......

and the Robinson documents are here......

www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-...aspx?IdNumber=12001&

Mike

Thanks Mike - this is indeed the correct land grant for Charlie - as there is a 5582 at the top of the actual form that I found on another site (ancestry)- so the Parkinson name is definitely wrong!

Charlie was born in October of 1881 so I was wonder why he didn't sign up sooner - was there a minimum age of 18 or 21 to enlist? I have tried to find how he sailed to South Africa and back home again to no avail.

Re John Robinson, he kept all the menus from the meals they were feted with when they got back to England and a tin box with Queen Victoria's profile in gold in which they got chocolates one Christmas etc. I have copies of the menus which I can scan and post if there is interest.

The Imperial Light horse was not a unit of the British Army, it was actually part of the SAMIF, it was not possible to join in Canada, clearly, payment was certainly a great incentive for men to attest from across the empire!

mrsgumosh wrote: Hello,
My name is Helen and my interest in the Boer War involves two relatives. One is my great uncle Charles Henry Parkin who, family legend had it, served and was wounded in the Boer War with his lifelong drug addiction issues supposedly resulting from chronic pain. As Uncle Charlie who was born and lived in Montreal Canada, I ordered in microfilm from the National Archives of Canada and spent fruitless hours scanning for his attestation papers.

Because of your site, I was able to determine he signed up in a UK regiment - the 2nd Imperial Light Horse (rather than a Canadian company) - and I ordered his attestation papers from the National Archives of the UK. I just received them. He signed up 10 May 1902 at Port Elizabeth in South Africa, meaning he must have travelled to South Africa from Montreal with this purpose in mind. I am trying to find out why this would have been necessary. In his application for the 1908 Volunteer Bounty (veterans of the war were became eligible for 320 acres of Dominion Land or a payment of $160 in scrip) he says he served in the Western Transvaal under Col Duncan McKenzie.

Also since the war ended with the Treaty of Vereeniging signed on 31 May 1902, Charlie only had 21 days in which to get wounded. I cannot find any battles in that took place. Any ideas about the above are very welcome.

The second relative is my uncle by marriage's father, John Brook Robinson, who kept a diary during his experiences, a transcription of which I attach here for interest.

Please bear with the newbie SAMIF =?
South African Militia and ... or ??

Did they advertise and promote signing up as I would wonder how he knew to sail to Port Elizabeth?

Thank you for your insights!

South African Mounted Irregular Force, Port Elizabeth was one of a number of principal places to join, advertisements were indeed used, nothing whatsoever unusual.