TOPIC:

Hi all,

I'm researching my great grandfather Thomas Maitland, he fought in the Boer War and as a child I saw medals belonging to him. Now as an adult I'm hoping to learn more both about him, and about the Boer War itself as I seem to be developing an interest in the whole field of military history.

Information about ggrandfather is sketchy at present but I know he came out alive and finished his years in Australia. Supposedly born in England, I'm not sure where he was living when he attested. Also not sure where the medals have gone so can't use them as a source of information.

Hello Larzus,

Thank you for your post and welcome to the forum.

There are surprisingly few T Maitlands in the index for the Boer War medals. They are:

J P T Maitland, 2nd Battalion Worcestershire
T Maitland, 2nd Battalion The King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment
T R Maitland, 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles

The most likely match, T Maitland in the Lancashire Regiment, has the number 2773 but his papers are not available.

FindMyPast has a few T Maitlands:



Is there any chance you can track down the medals?

Bets wishes
David

Still on the trail.

I now know that my Thomas Maitland was married in West Derby, Lancashire, England in 1905. So I am pretty certainly looking for an English person. I've applied for the marriage certificate, will take a while to reach me by post. I'm hoping it will give me his birthplace.

I also know now that he was born in 1879, which doesn't exactly match any of the records in findmypast.

The Thomas Maitland suggested in the previous post still seems quite likely. Why would his records be unavailable?

The medals are apparently in an elderly relative's house in the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, some 1500km from me. Good to know they aren't lost, but not easy to access either. Still, I'm working on it.


Irene

An update:

It has taken me two and a half years to view Thomas Maitland's medals and I have still failed to locate his soldier number. I assume it was on the rim of the medals, but I just couldn't detect a number in the marks around that rim. Unfortunately I did not obtain permission from my relative to remove the medals from the rather dark room they were in. There are no ribbons, the family thinks they may have perished.

I have photographed the medals as best I could and can at least describe them now. They are the silver medals which I spotted in the pictures here on this site - the QSA and the KSA, one of each.

The QSA has a wreath pointing to the 'R' but no dates, I didn't spot ghosted numbers but presumably they are there.

Clasps above the QSA reading upward are: 'Cape Colony', 'Orange Free State' and 'Transvaal'.

Clasps above the KSA reading upward are: 'South Africa 1901' and 'South Africa 1902'

I also have a photograph of Thomas Maitland in uniform wearing the medals. He was a police officer after the war (we had thought before it also) and I believe the uniform is his police uniform, not his military uniform as it does not match the pictures I have seen of Boer War uniforms.

Thomas Maitland's marriage certificate was very little help, his father was Richard Maitland a coal merchant who I have been completely unable to locate, but Lancashire still seems likely. I had heard he was a policeman in London, but it seems he was in Liverpool which fits with a Lancashire enlistment.

I can only assume his presumed age changed across the years, or he gave himself a few extra years at some point for enlistment purposes.

I have searched on the subscription sites now and Thomas Maitland 2773 has a service record which appears to fit with the medals, although very few details are provide other than 'Depot posted - Pte - 29.12.01' and 'Depot discharged - Pte' and 'Termination of first period of engagement - Pte - 15-4-02'.

This record suggests that Thomas first enlisted a few years earlier and was 'Recalled to Duty' in 1899 and that he was a labourer before enlistment. Also that he had a tattoo! The family certainly did not see that, Thomas and his wife were very polite and proper, so this possible glimpse into his younger years is lovely.

Further to my last however, Thomas Maitland number 2773 was married in 1898 to Annie Mason. Now this is not impossible but he is not shown as a widower when my man married Elizabeth Butler in 1905 in Everton, Merseyside. (annulment maybe?)

Also, the list of awarded medals do not quite match - No. 2773 received:

QSA - Transvaal, Orange Free State - so far so good BUT also Tugela Hts instead of Cape Colony and a few extra - Relief of Ladysmith, Laing's Rch which are not on my Thomas's medal.

Number 2773 received South Africa 1902 but not South Africa 1901 whereas my Thomas has both clasps.

And unless my Thomas made himself 10 years younger, there is still a possible age discrepancy.

Does this sound like the same man? Did errors like this occur or should I eliminate number 2773?