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Good morning everyone, this is my first time on your excellent site - I have a query I hope someone can answer. It concerns 40561 and 3287 LCpl Frederick Atkinson whom I have discovered served in the ILH - I have found him on the ILH nominal roll (very atmospheric documents) which shows, if I read it correctly, enlistment on 10th May 1902 and discharge on 25th June 1902. My query is, why did he have two numbers? and why did he have the rank of LCpl when he appears to have only served for approximately six weeks?

Frederick was in England in 1901 (as shown on 1901 Cumberland, England census) - he was a volunteer in the 1st world war (Canadian Infantry) and his attestation papers show that he had previous service in the ILH - sadly he was killed in the last few weeks of that war.

Many thanks

Kincaid

WO100/250 shows his rank as Trooper (as does WO127 and WO126, not sure why you thought he had been a Lance Corporal) the main roll shows his number as 3287, the supplementary actually show both numbers, although upon joining in Port Elizabeth the number 40562 was used.
I would say that he was merely given the former number actually upon being taken onto the strength of the 1st ILH after joining.
His medal appears to have been issued on the 20th of May 1903 and the Supplementary page of WO100/250, which confirms his South Africa 1902 clasp, suggests it went to the High Commissioner of Canada.
WO126/55-65 confirms he was a Canadian locomotive engineer from the United States.
Any appointment to Lance Rank was exactly that, an appointment only, moreover, a great deal can happen in a few weeks, those final closing weeks proved to be very brutal indeed.
The 1st ILH were formally disbanded on the 7th of July 1902 in Johannesburg, however, a new regiment with the same name was created in the Transvaal Volunteer Force after the war.

Hi Frank,

Thank you very much for that information - it was very helpful - I suspect he had served some time in the local yeomanry here in Cumberland, England, as his three brothers did, and his previous service marked him as a possible NCO, hence the LCpl appointment - sadly, as I said, he was killed, (shot through the head by a sniper) serving in France in the last six weeks of the 1st world war - he had taken charge of the survivors of his company, all the offices and NCO dead or wounded, and he was killed rallying them - he was awarded a Military Medal - one of his brothers serving in Salonika was also killed within a week.

Thanks again

Kincaid