TOPIC:

hello. im am looking for any information about my great grandfather wiliam barrell from dorstone herefordshire who took part in both boer wars and also ww1.his no was 88332 royal field artillery. he was also involved n ww2 in some way.

You are very fortunate indeed, there is a great set of papers extant for this man in WO363, which include casualty and regimental sheets which give much detailed information and certainly do make interesting reading, so many were lost forever, as a direct result of the unwelcome attention of the Luftwaffe almost eight decades ago.

many thanks for that reply. we have no information at all about williams military career before 1900 so we would really like to see those records.his medals have been missing from the family for many years.

Well, from memory, he did state in 1914, that he had served for almost twelve years in the RGA, being discharged in 1898, there was no Military Service Act until 1916, so after discharge for that length of service, he would certainly not have been recalled as a reservist for the Anglo Boer War, it was not, in 1899, the "national emergency" that some members of the press actually claimed it to be.
I think I did have a brief look at the rolls in WO100, the other day and did not see him for the RGA, so without taking matters further, I would suggest he did not serve during that particular campaign.

we have since learned that william barrell enlisted in the south wales borderers in 1884 aged 18. his number then was swb/1157. did he serve in south africa at all?.by 1899 he was engine driver at brickworks in herefordshire

So I assume you are suggesting that the man in your original post is not your great grandfather, because this particular William Barrell that you now mention, was actually a reservist who did serve in South Africa during the war, are you saying that he was your great grandather?

annieb wrote: we have since learned that william barrell enlisted in the south wales borderers in 1884 aged 18. his number then was swb/1157. did he serve in south africa at all?.by 1899 he was engine driver at brickworks in herefordshire