TOPIC:

G’day all,

My cousins and I are trying to find out more about our Grandfather Edwin Charles Lewis of the 3rd Dragoon Guards

We have one photo of him wearing one medal supposedly from the Anglo Boer War and one photo in Indian clothing RGA Quella circa 1911.
(See image for more details)
I am confused about the 3rd Dragoons, did they amalgamate with or become part of another garrison? I have a copy of A. B. Paterson’s book From The Front Despatches from the Boer War. There is not any mention of 3rd Dragoon Guards as such, so I can’t work out where my Grandfather might have been deployed.

I’m including images and hope that someone can guide me to more information.
Thank you for helping me gain greater understanding of Grandfather’s military life.My mother was the youngest of his nine children and it has always been a family comment that, “There must have been something in the water in South Africa!” because in the 9 children there were three sets of twins.
We cousins say, “If it weren’t for the Boer War we wouldn’t be here.” You see our Grandfather was listening to and reading a letter over the shoulder of an (unknown to us) soldier. Grandfather said, “She sounds like a lovely girl.” to a less than enthusiastic response from the recipient of the letter. From a teenage girl from Essex. Grandfather had noted the name and address and in time began writing to her in Ilford Essex. When asked about the soldier who had been receiving Lizzie’s letters Grandfather lied and said he had died. In 1912 Grandfather bought himself out of the army and travelled to Australia following Rebecca Elizabeth Seech eldest of 12 children, who had sailed to Perth, Western Australia alone in 1910. They married in 1912 and 10 months after Grandfather left the army his first child was born. So we, the many cousins owe our very being to the fact that a teenage girl wrote to soldier in the Anglo Boer War, which led to correspondence and marriage.

Share All
Welcome to the Forum. According to my Cavalry CD, there were a few men named "E.Lewis" in the British Cavalry during the Boer war. However, only one "3734 Pte. E.Lewis" served with the 3rd Dragoon Guards. He earned the clasps Cape Colony, Orange Free State and South Africa 1901 and 1902 on his QSA medal.
The 3rd (Prince of Wales's) Dragoon Guards sailed for SA on 222nd January 1901, joined Col. Bethune's column and frequently saw sharp fighting in the ORC. I did not find an entry for him in the Palmer casualty roll.
BTW, Paterson's book "From the Front" mostly covered events to about the end of 1900.
Regards
IL.

Good Morning Share All (actually its a rotten morning here in Pembrokeshire - the fifth day of rain in a row!). A Military Search on Find My Past for Edwin Lewis, Regimental Number 3734, produced the following:

Good morning again. A Military Search on Ancestry for E Lewis putting 3734 in the Keyword Box produced these two documents top of the list. they are Boer War Medal Rolls for the 3rd Dragoon Guards. 3734 E Lewis is 5th on the first and about half way down on the second. They have been cropped and electronically shrunk to make them postable on this site.

Hello Share All



This snippet of information from the attestation paperwork David has kindly posted for you, explains the Royal Garrison Artillery connection to your other communique photograph.

Gunner 24023. E Lewis RGA 1906

Dave.......

The Morning Leader 22nd January 1901



I think this is a photo of the SS Victorian launched in 1895.