TOPIC:

I am a new member and researching a part played by my great Uncle who served with the regiment. His name is John Chrichton Stuart Thomas and was aged 20 where he joined the regiment in cape colony.
I have attached his roll and records but would love to hear more about the regiment and where they fought

Paul
Welcome to the Forum. If you go to Unit Information in the panel in the Main Menu and then go to Prince of Wales Light Horse, you will find a resume of that regiment's activities from Stirling's "The Colonials in South Africa". Your GU appears to have served between April 1901 and August of that year and PoWLH was quite active in and about that time according to Stirling.
The Palmer casualty roll shows one Tpr. Thomas, J of PoWLH as being wounded at America Siding on 30/5/1901; however no regimental number is quoted (nor is there in the official listings) - so there might be no connection.
Something for you to perhaps investigate further.
Regards
IL.

Hello Paul

Welcome to the forum.
Your Great Uncle was awarded a Queens South Africa medal with clasps for Cape Colony, Orange Free State and the 1901 date clasp.
His contact address was Cardiff Wales. It looks like he also served in WW1 with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers.

Dave.

Prince of Wales Light Horse engagements March to August 1901

Hamelsfontein, Taaibosch Spruit, Venters Siding, Bloemhoek, Witkopjes
Kroonstad, Smallput and Spitzkop.

Attached note is from an Australian Sgt Major who also served in the POWLH, and provides a little bit more detail on where the regiment were engaged.

Thank you for this detail. Is America siding the same as America NE of Bloemfontein?

He was a member of The Glamorgan Yeomanry’- no military training, just obey orders – So in 1890+ the Glam. Yeomanry were shipped out to Capetown to participate in the Boer War. Whilst in Capetown the Prince of Wales. ‘Light Horse’ was formed and my Grandfather was transferred to this regiment. (The Boer’s were well organized and all ‘mounted & mobile’ hence the out dated tactics of Waterloo’ – Line Abreast, Officer at one end holding a sword and a soldier at the other end holding the’Colours’!!!
My Grandfather told me he could still hear the officer saying, ’Keep the Line Chaps’, whilst the Boer Sharp-shooters ‘picked off the
Officer with their superior Mauser rifles then shot the poor soul holding the Colours!