TOPIC:

Hi all ... this is a cry for help or a quick steer!

I'm trying to find out how and when my grandfather (Alexander Boyes - Scots Guards) and his half brother (John McKerlie Grassie - Imperial Light Infantry) got back to the UK from South Africa after the 2nd Anglo-Boer War.

I don't know how/where to find demob ships and Ancestry only seems to provide civilian passenger lists, which causing me much frustration.

My grandfather re-enlisted for WW1 with the Cameronians I think but I have no record of my great uncle doing something similar. It may be that he stayed on in South Africa but if so then I don't know when he was discharged from service. I know he married in Johannesburg in 1909 but it's not clear to me how long he'd been there at that point.

I have passenger lists confirming his to-ing and fro-ing between UK and South Africa between early 20s and mid 30s but that's about it.

Any help or advice to get me on the right path would be much appreciated.

Thanks all.

Stuart

This transcript record can be found on Find My Past

First name(s) John Mckerlie
Last name Grassie
Service number 144
Rank Private
Regiment Imperial Light Infantry
Rolls WO100/252 page 30
Year 1899-1902
Biography Born 1871. Married Catherine. Served WW1 with SA Heavy Artillery. Died 1957. Source: WO126. NASA
Event detail Enlisted on 12/11/1899 at Durban
Event unit Imperial Light Infantry
Gazetteer a city and principal port for Natal Colony (KwaZulu Natal).
Event source WO126
Second event unit Imperial Light Infantry
Second event detail Discharged on 15/12/1900
Second event source WO127
Country Great Britain
Literary references The National Archives WO127. Nominal rolls colonial units.; The National Archives WO126 - Local Armed Forces, Enrolment Forms, South African War; National Archives of South Africa www.national.archsrch.gov.za
Notes QSA Clasps: T,TH,RoL,LN
Record set Anglo-Boer War Records 1899-1902
Category Military, armed forces & conflict
Subcategory Boer Wars
Collections from Great Britain, UK None

Also this transcript record

First name(s) Alexander
Last name Boyes
Birth year 1877
Birth town Dumfries
Birth parish Holywood
Birth county Dumfriesshire
Birth country Scotland
Age 23
Attestation year 1900
Service number 3445
Regiment Scots Guards
Series Scots Guards Service Records 1799-1939
Record set British Army Service Records
Category Military, armed forces & conflict
Subcategory Regimental & Service Records
Collections from Great Britain, UK None

The above record is accompanied by his 18/06/1900 attestation papers, and his service records and several pages about his reasons for return home after only 7 months in SA.

As a member of the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards he embarked for SA on 07/02/1902. He was invalided home and embarked on the SS Avoca on 10/09/1902 and disembarked on 01/10/1902. He gave his future address as Newington, Holywood, Dumfries. His reason for being invalided home was "Caries of the teeth".

More info on the Avoca can be found here - it appears Alexander was on her last voyage as a requisitioned hospital ship in the Boer War.

www.angloboerwar.com/forum/11-research/9...hips?start=138#84812

Thank you SO much Smethwick ... this is wonderful ... exactly what I needed to get me on the right path.
This forum is clearly populated by very accommodating and considerate subject matter experts ... you have made a difference to me today.

Best to you,

Stuart

Stuart - do you have access to FMP because I have realised there is more there than just Alexander's attestation papers, service record & discharge papers there. He also appears on two registers drawn up by the Scots Guards - one shows he served in the 2nd Mounted Company of the 2nd Battalion and his QSAM had two clasps - Cape Colony & South Africa 1902. The other shows his service in the Scots Guards extended to New Years Day 1913 when he appears to have deserted.

His involvement in the Boer War was minor. The 2nd Battalion SG, including one Smethwickian, originally set sail for SA on 15th March 1900 three month before Alexander attested. So Alexander went out as a reinforcement/draft nearly two years later on 7th February 1902 - the only troop ship to leave the UK for SA that day was No.33 the Mohawk and she was reported to be carrying drafts & 700 Mounted Infantry. She arrived at Cape Town on the Friday before 5th March 1902 i.e just less than 3 months before the war ended.

The ILH were raised in SA mainly from displaced Uitlanders i.e. mainly Brits who had gone to SA to seek their fortune and been chucked out of the Transvaal. Visit the Unit Information on this site for further info. So I suspect John Mckerlie Grassie was already in SA when the war started and remained there when it ended.

Thanks again Smethwick. I have accessed FMP and downloaded the images of the docs linked to the three entries for Alexander Boyes, 3445, Scots Guards .... I have no idea where you got that other information, I can't locate it anywhere.

I must admit that I am surprised by the reference to AB continuing to serve until 1913 and then deserting ... I have his employment records and re-enlistment records from pre-WW1 when he signed up for the Cameronians. He was a boiler maker in Hull apparently from what I recall, although I'm long enough in the tooth to know that every day is a school day, so what you've uncovered maybe a big skeleton in the cupboard.

Could you perhaps paste me a link to the location of the Scots Guards registers?

I think you'll be right about JMcKG ... especially if he served in WW1 with the SA heavy artillery ... but what is the ILH?

Also, in AB's records it says he was awarded 2 days CC and 4 days CB ... I assume the latter is Confined To Barracks but what is the former?