TOPIC:

Hi my name is Dorothy.My great grandfather Joseph Crawford fought with this regiment in the second boer war.He was a Scot but listed as a South African on his service record no 890 .It appears thru some old letters I have that he neither received any service medals nor service pension from either the War Office or the South African Defence Authorities.He was buried
sadly in Dundee Scotland in a paupers grave Can anyone help with information,Thank You

Hello Dorothy,

It appears that Joseph Crawford was indeed entitled to the QSA medal with 3 clasps. I have attached the QSA medal roll for the Durban Light Infantry which shows entitlement to the QSA medal with the Natal, Orange Free State and Transvaal clasps. He also served in the Natal Volunteer Composite regiment, Roll also attached.

In a nut shell his service was :

Anglo-Boer War; Private, ‘B’ Company, Durban Light Infantry ( No 890 ) service 1.12.99 to 1.10.00. Operations in Natal.

Enlisted 1.10.00. Trooper, No 4 Squadron, Natal Volunteer Composite Regiment ( No106 ). Operations in the Transvaal and Orange Free State.

Discharged (unit disbanded) 31.7.1902

More than this I don't have.

Hope this helps you in some small way.





Regards
Adrian

Further to the above post. The Queens medal was returned to the Mint but the Kings medal seems to have been retained by your relative.

Adrian - Thank you for all your information about Joseph Crawford I really appreciate your help. Can I ask if there are any photographs of The Durban Light Infantry which he may have appeared in and also if there are any details about his enlistment. I think it is strange that he is recorded as South African in a record I saw yet he was living in Scotland prior to the war starting. My only guess could be that he left his wife to go and work in South Africa before the War started and when it ended he returned to Dundee to his wife and family. Thanks again

Rory, Thank you for your help .I have a letter from the UK Authorities disputing his Medal awards and referring all awards back to South Africa . Maybe the confusion about his entitlements were due to the fact he was recorded as South African origin when in fact he was a Scot and therefore a British Citizen , Best Regards

The DLI is a fine regiment, it is from my home town. On Google you will see many photos and there is plenty of information, too.
The service of the DLI in the South African War can be found here
www.angloboerwar.com/unit-information/so...urban-light-infantry
and the Natal Volunteer Composite Regiment here
www.angloboerwar.com/unit-information/so...r-composite-regiment
Rob