TOPIC:

Hello and thank you for adding me.
This doesn't fit neatly into any of the forum categories so I'm posting here. Happy to repost elsewhere if advisable. I am trying to resolve a puzzle regarding movement of 84th Battery and my Great Grandfather during the Boer war.
The issue is this - medals and family stories relate that Daniel John Collins (RFA 84th Batt. Bomb. D Collins 15777) was present at the defence of Ladysmith. He has the Queens SA Medal and it bears clasps for Defence of Ladysmith, Liang's Nek, Cape Colony, and Transvaal. He also has the Kings Medal with claps for 1901 and 1902. The puzzle is this - I understand that the 84th Battery was not present at defence of ladysmith and did not arrive until Feb 1900. I can't find history of his earlier enlistment (likely ~1895) or deployment, only the medals and a record that he was severely wounded at Bakenlaagte (I believe at the guns on Gunners Hill based on family stories). So my question is this, was it common for men from one battery to be redeployed to another? Where would I look for such records? If you have any other hypothesis or advice on research I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance. Matthew

Hello Matthew

The answer is in the medal rolls on Ancestry, his QSA is on WO100\144p216 is headed "RFA Details attached to No 2 Local Ammunition Column" in the margin it notes against his name "from 5th divisional ammunition column". He served in Ladysmith with one of these ammunition columns.
He only appears in the medal rolls for the 84th battery on the KSA roll, WO100\308p142 suggesting he joined them later in the war.

This is also shown on his service papers on FmP, he went to SA in September 1899.

It was not unusual for gunners to move units to make up numbers where they were required.

Regards
Meurig

Thank you Meurig. That is a huge help. I was puzzled as to what the comments in the margins meant. There is one more mystery, I wonder if you could help resolve? On the left margin of the QSA under "to be left blank", and again under 'whether entitled to clasp' is next to his name "68/Art/1952". A number of the other men also indicate "68/Art/####" with various other 4 digit numbers at the end. Do you have any idea what this means?

Hello Matthew

"68/Art/1952", is code for a medal roll or perhaps a piece of correspondence. I have compiled from the medal rolls a few thousand of such references, most point to a medal roll, some don't.

The other common reference is "AG2/M/nnnn" - "AG2/M/ being the department in the War Office dealing with medal.

Regards
Meurig

Thanks again Meurig. Just to be sure I've understood correctly. The reference to service in the number 2 local ammunition column and no 5 divisional ammunition column implies that he served under one or both of the 2nd or 5th infantry divisions at Ladysmith?
I've signed up for FmP but can only find his discharge papers under his service records and see no reference to his earlier service. Can you tell me where you found reference to his deployment? Thanks again in advance.

Hello Matthew

The 5th [brigade] division ammunition column was in Ladysmith during the siege.

The RFA had their own numbering and unit desginations - so niether formation was necessarily part of the 2nd or 5th infantry divisions, both of which were in the relief not defence of Ladysmith.

The deployment information comes from the medal rolls that I quoted earlier.

Regards
Meurig