TOPIC:

Hello and thank you for having me on the forum!

My name is Wendy and I'm South African by birth. I'm trying to track down any info relating to my great grandfather, Thomas Henry Charles.

I only have a few details about his time spent in the military. From the family stories that were told, Thomas Henry Charles was initially in India under the command of Lord Baden-Powell, before he was posted to fight in the Anglo-Boer war.

If I do a name search on this AngloBoerWar website, I come across a few 'Charles' soldiers, however there is one man in particular that interests me because of his unit:

Lance-Corporal TH Charles, number 3714.

Here it says he was in the '5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) Dragoon Guards'. I learned from some reading on the National Army Museum site that this unit was also in India under the command of Lord Baden-Powell. So, this makes me wonder if this gentleman above was my great grandfather, but only his initials are mentioned here, so I can’t be sure.

I'm also curious to see that this soldier TH CHARLES was 'Invalided to England'. However, my great grandfather married in South Africa in 1912. (Perhaps he returned to South Africa?)

I will list here what I know about my great grandfather.

Name: Thomas Henry Charles

Military: Served under Lord Robert Baden-Powell in India.
Served in the Anglo Boer War in South Africa.
He received medals but, unfortunately, I don’t know which ones as they are no longer in the family.

He got married in South Africa in 1912
According to this, he was 37 years old. Born Liverpool, England. (Maybe born around 1875?)

On his son's baptism certificate, his occupation is listed as: Ordnance storeman, defense forces (1915)

Death Certificate: Died in South Africa 1941, age 72 years.
(This doesn't correlate to the age on his marriage certificate... Is it possible he lied about his age when he got married?)

Unfortunately, there's a lot I don't know, as I don't have his birth date or exact place of birth, which makes the search more difficult.

At this point, I also have limited access to records on Find My Past and Family Search websites.

I would be so delighted if I could find any more information about Lance-Corporal TH Charles (3714), his military documents or any other particulars...
Is there anyone who can help?

A big thanks in advance
and best wishes!
Wendy

Hello Wendy,

Welcome to the Forum - you have come to the right place.

You say you have access to Find My Past. Do a Military search and enter his full name and his service number at the bottom of the screen. You will receiver two hits - one is his 1892 attestation papers and his service record. The information they contain appears to agree with everything you have written except he was born in Burnley, Lancashire. He definitely served in India before South Africa. The first page of his service record seems to say he was discharged in South Africa in 1901 and then served in the South African Constabulary. The second page seems to say he returned to England in 1901. Suspect the first page is the truth and the second page contains bureaucratic errors.

The second hit implies he receives a mention in a book called "The Green Horse of Ladysmith". Go to the "Books" option on left of screen, click on it and then scroll down to the name of Gore - he wrote the book and if you click on its title you will be able to access the contents.

Regards, David.

PS The middle medal on the photo is his Queen's South Africa Medal he was awarded for service in the Second Boer War - one of the five clasps is the "Defence of Ladysmith" meaning he was besieged in Ladysmith alongside Baden-Powell.

Hello Wendy

For your records









His medal roll suggests he was awarded the Queen's South Africa medal with 5 clasps.
Elandsglatte, Defence of Ladysmith, Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Transvaal. Also a King's South Africa with 2 date clasps. His next of kin was his brother Frank. He was a hairdresser when he joined up in 1892. There is also a reference to him serving with the South African Constabulary. Looking at his medal group, left of his QSA he has a India General service medal.
I only hope we have the right chap?

Dave.....

Dear David (Smethwick) and Dave F

Your help has been invaluable. THANK YOU!!
This definitely looks like the right person. You have no idea how much your reply means to me.
(My mother is seated here next to me and she's just as excited!)

I only wish my late father was here to see this. He would have been so proud to learn so much about his grandfather!

I'm plan to go through each page carefully and glean whatever I can from these documents.

Again, thank you so much. You've just made my day!

Big thanks and best wishes to you both,
Wendy

The first medal in the row looks like the King Edward VII Coronation Medal (1902). The fourth could be the British War Medal for World War I, in which case the fifth (somewhat hidden by the sleeve) could be the Victory Medal for that war.

Wendy - here is the record of his baptism in Burnley on 2nd July1871. His birth was registered in the second quarter of 1871 in Burnley.



Here he is on the 1881 Census with his widowed mother (Alice), and the two brothers mentioned on his service records plus an older sister, Elinor who was working as a "Baby Linen Inspector". His elder brother worked for a Building Society.



I found the baptism record on Ancestry and the 1881 Census return on FMP. Can't find him on the 1891 Census and neither can others - he appears on 4 public family trees on Ancestry but they have no records against him. One thinks that his mother started out life as Alice Whitehead.

Have you noticed from his service records that when he attested his two brothers were already soldiers?

David.