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Hi everyone,

My name is James Powell, I'm a retired PO2 of the Royal Canadian Navy.

Why am I here? Well, my great grand-dad served in South Africa during the Boer War. I have his miniature medals KSA & QSA, 1st World War & 2nd go round too- all the way up to his MBE awarded for his work on RMS Ordurna particularly off North Africa.

Now, the story gets...hazy...about how he earned the KSA and QSA, and I don't have his full sized medals to see which bars were awarded.

Family legend has it that he served under at least 3 different names in SA, probably in Infantry, Artillery and mustering out as either Cav or MI- I'm not sure which. He and his battle buddy then proceeded to prospect across Africa, including him getting bit by a Black Mamba (!) before returning to sea by 1909.
He was born in 1884, got to South Africa by having his parish priest sign his passage as a cabin boy, then jumping ship in SA, one presumes in 1899.
I can't even imagine ! Thanks for the legend to follow, Harrold "Pop" Collins

Anyway, I did a bit of a search on here, and came up with two hits for Harrold Collins- one in Menne's Scouts another in Imperial Light Infantry.

flic.kr/p/XAbAN9 (his Obit)

Thanks for having a forum like this, for what at least here is a mostly forgotten war,
PO2 James Powell, SWACM (with Bar), CD (Retired)

Hello James.....

Welcome to the forum...... I checked find my past and there is One Harold Collins listed but a total of 66 H. Collins's..... Can you give is any other information..... What are the bars on the mini QSA.....

And these are the ones listed in the Cavalry list......

Collins,H., 4733, Staff Sergeant Farrier, 10th Hussars, Transvaal.
Collins,H., 4460, Private, 13th Hussars, OFS, Transvaal, 1901, 1902.
Collins,H., 894, Trooper, Royal Horse Guards, Belfast, OFS, Talana, Defence of Ladysmith,Laing's Nek. From 18th Hussars (No. 3189)

Mike

Hello James

Welcome to the forum
Can you confirm that your G Grandfather was the Harold Collins who was born on July 15th 1884?...Also, would he have been born in Liverpool?
His birth date would have made him 15 when he arrived in South Africa. You mentioned he may have used aliases to move between regiments? I have posted another Harold Collins for you to consider.


If the above is your G Grandfather, he may have decided the South African Light Horse wasn't for him and indeed joined another unit.
Any additional information you may have ( for example, what the 3 names he may have used?) could help the forum try to solve your G Grandfather's time in the ABW.


Dave.......

PS The Harold Collins ref Mennes Scouts joined the unit on the 14th June 1901, no discharge date or regimental number recorded on the nominal roll.

PPs
1392 Harold Collins Imperial Light Infantry joined the regiment on the 8th April 1901 and Deserted on the 10th of June 1901......as per nominal roll.

A warm welcome to the Forum, James.

James,

Harold Collins attested for the SALH 19 Sept 1901 aged 18 yrs, 2 months.

I have his attestation paper that I can post.

Born in Liverpool.
Employed: 1. L & NW Railway as cleaner for 8 months. 2. Natal Government Railway as linesman for 2 years
NOK: Father, T B Collins, 1 Mill Lane. Liscard Road, Cheshire, England.

I have Harold Collins's Continuous certificate of discharge, of which was issued 14 July 1909. He's Seaman # 554833- but more usefully for the above, it contains some of the details of pre passport days:
Harold Collins, year of birth 1884, place of birth Liverpool, 5'9", brown hair & eyes, complexion "Dark"

The last page (1915) has a penceled in "64 Falkland Rd, Egrermont, Wallasey, Chester (so, on the "posh" side of the Wirrel).

Pop in 1918 ish… by Peach James , on Flickr