TOPIC:

Hello Ian,
Where does the Transvaal clasp come from?
WO100/249 clearly states "medal and clasps C O issued"
Regards Frank

LinneyI wrote: Robert
His QSA medal with clasps "Cape Colony" and "Transvaal" is on the first page of the roll for the 4th Coy., Ist IY Bn. WO100/120. His forename is shown as just "C". Number is 9873. There is a marginal note regarding his service in the Imperial Hospital Corps (no Number). There is an issue date of 13/3/12.
You can access this record yourself by going to the section regarding downloads from the National Archives and navigating your way through.
Regards
IL.

Frank Kelley wrote: It is certainly interesting when I look back to my original thoughts based solely on this mans name, WO100/249 confirms beyond all possible doubt Charles Roger Ashton and Charlie Ashton are one and the same, he served in the Imperial Hospital Corps from the 20th of May 1901 until the 9th of October that same year, when he was discharged unfit.
As I suggested in my original post in this thread, a look in WO126/52-54 at Kew would be the way to go next, in addition, the supplementary volume in WO100/249 confirms the issue of the South Africa 1901 clasp on the 22nd of February 1912 to him at number 226 Princess Street, Winnipeg Manitoba.

Do you know when he left Great Britain for Canada?

Regarding the wounds, I would think they were incurred in April 1900, there were certainly some hot engagements around the Ladybrand area at that point in time.

Frank
I have the GB 1911 census paper and he and family were still in Cardiff. Thus, it appears they left sometime after the census and early 1912. I am going to follow up on shipping records and see exactly when they did come to Canada
Re the hospital unit: I wonder if it was his wounding that caused a transfer to the hospital unit?

Just a follow up to the Brooks St address. A cousin in Wales has just responded and said that area was heavily bombed during WWII and has doubt as to whether #7 survived. He is going to check it out.

The attached picture is the only one in my possession that shows "Charlie" as a younger man. I have been told that he was not there for that picture and his "bust" was placed in later. What is interesting to me is he appears to be in uniform. Was he in the 11th Hussars during this time period? Mystery? He was married by then and my dad is in the picture, albeit a boy.

Thank you.

Frank Kelley wrote: Hello Ian,
Where does the Transvaal clasp come from?
WO100/249 clearly states "medal and clasps C O issued"
Regards Frank

LinneyI wrote: Robert
His QSA medal with clasps "Cape Colony" and "Transvaal" is on the first page of the roll for the 4th Coy., Ist IY Bn. WO100/120. His forename is shown as just "C". Number is 9873. There is a marginal note regarding his service in the Imperial Hospital Corps (no Number). There is an issue date of 13/3/12.
You can access this record yourself by going to the section regarding downloads from the National Archives and navigating your way through.
Regards
IL.

IL
Thank you for your response and information. Is it still possible to get duplicates for any Boar War medals he was entitled to receive? Somehow over time these medals and his Canadian WWI medals have disappeared. No one in the family knows where they might have gone.

Just in case I need to take out the wallet is the National Archives free to download or is it a pay site?

Thank you for all your help.
Robert

I think, because of his age, any actual service in the 11th Hussars could only have been after the Anglo Boer War and not before, but, I would still be rather circumspect about it, to be quite honest, simply because he had already been wounded and importantly, in my opinion, at least, he had also been discharged unfit, from the SAMIF.

The Corps of Hussars was not an easy option for those at their peak with no issues whatsoever, let alone someone who already had that particular service in South Africa.

Regarding his additional wartime SAMIF service, the Imperial Hospital Corps was raised in Durban on the 2nd of May 1900, you normally joined for a period of six months, again, not an easy option, you had to be passed as fit for service, it paid very well indeed and perhaps he was attracted by the level of pay.

To be quite honest, I'd be rather surprised if he had served in the 11th Hussars, the only evidence I have seen being the CEF paper, which you showed, but, however unlikely to me, it is not impossible, he could have done, although, you could say whatsoever you liked to join the CEF in the Great War, if they behaved in the way the Army did here.
Any service in the British Army would have been difficult to verify, moreover, men were needed and many were keen to join, if he had said that he had actually been shot to ribbons in South Africa and then further discharged from the SAMIF because he was unfit, he might have made enlisting into the Canadian Expeditionary Force rather more difficult for himself.

I did send you the WO128 folio, today at 09.06 GMT, as you requested, however, it was returned immediately by [email protected] because the address you gave was invalid.

Frank
Yes, OFS clasp and NOT Transvaal. This is quite obvious from the roll page I posted.
Robert
The question of the distant relative's missing medal(s) - and what to do about it - is frequently asked. Official replacements for these medals are no longer issued. It is possible that Ashton's QSA medal is extant somewhere; you could try an ad in Medal News. You never know. You don't have his WW1 medals.. Failing obtaining the original(s), one option that relatives do sometimes take is to buy replicas with appropriate clasps and mount them in a labelled frame with a photo/photos of the person being remembered. Some deprecate that practice - as the medal(s) are not the original. My attitude is that remembrance in that manner certainly beats doing nothing! Let's face it, your man did step forward twice and did more than his bit! Replica medals can be had on-line and professional mounting services do exist. What you do in this regard is a matter for your family and no one else.
I am pleased that we have been able to help you in your quest.
Regards
IL.

LinneyI wrote: Frank
Yes, OFS clasp and NOT Transvaal. This is quite obvious from the roll page I posted.
Robert
The question of the distant relative's missing medal(s) - and what to do about it - is frequently asked. Official replacements for these medals are no longer issued. It is possible that Ashton's QSA medal is extant somewhere; you could try an ad in Medal News. You never know. You don't have his WW1 medals.. Failing obtaining the original(s), one option that relatives do sometimes take is to buy replicas with appropriate clasps and mount them in a labelled frame with a photo/photos of the person being remembered. Some deprecate that practice - as the medal(s) are not the original. My attitude is that remembrance in that manner certainly beats doing nothing! Let's face it, your man did step forward twice and did more than his bit! Replica medals can be had on-line and professional mounting services do exist. What you do in this regard is a matter for your family and no one else.
I am pleased that we have been able to help you in your quest.
Regards
IL.

IL
A big thank you to you and Frank for helping me fill in some gaps re CRA. Now did he just make up the 5 yrs in the 11th Hussars so he could get in WWI with the CEF? Perhaps? His Canadian Attestation paper was signed in 1915, so they were not thinking conscription, yet. So as Frank mentioned maybe it was just to give him the edge and knowing nobody would check. Also, his wounds from SA may have kept him on the sidelines. I will keep digging and see what I can come up with...if anything?

Re the medals: I will check out the replicas and yes, I know about the professional mounting service. As a former Canadian soldier, myself, I received a couple of "I was there" gongs for Middle East service and had them mounted.

Cheers, gentlemen

Robert