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Hi, I joined this site because my great grandfather, Joseph Lawless, 1st Battalion Connaught Rangers, was posted to S.A. in 1900 - I have his B.A. record. He is not listed here, under the C.R., but I have information that after his tour of duty, he transferred or joined the Imperial Yeomanry - this was a way to get residency after the war, which was what he was up to. I believe the trooper Joseph Lawless, I.Y., listed on this site is him. He settled in the Transvaal, after he got back in the period after the war, and opened a rooming house.

Welcome to the Forum Louthlad and I think you are correct in your assumption that 43013 Trooper Joseph Lawless was your great grandfather - note the answer to question 11 on the first page of his IY attestation papers shown below:



This and the 5 subsequent pages are findable on Ancestry but If you PM me your email address happy to email all 6 pages to you.

Two of the 6 pages are his discharge papers which show he was discharged in Stellenbosch, SA on 14th October 1902.

Hi Smethwick, Thank you very much for that info. That is definitely him. If you wouldn't mind emailing the rest of that record to [email protected], I would be very grateful. I only had an suggestion he joined the I.Y. , now I know. This is v exciting! Thanks a million.

Hi Louthlad
Welcome to the forum.
Just a quick question, was your Great Grandfathers regimental number 3360 1st Battalion Connaught Rangers?

If yes, he attested in 1889. Served 306 days in South Africa.
Earned a Queens South Africa medal with 5 clasps. Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, Tugela Heights and Relief of Ladysmith. Medal roll suggests he was Invalided home. He was discharged on the 10th of January 1902 and joined the Imperial yeomanry on the 15th of January 1902.
If I have the right chap of course.
If not , my sincere apologies.

Best wishes

Dave.

Hi Dave, that was him alright, I didn't have all of that detail - particularly the campaigns info - so thank you for filling in some more gaps. I will have to check his CR service record, because I missed the invalided home bit, as well - it must be there, but the officers' writing is sometimes v difficult to read! My sister and I are doing our family history, and he's the only one on the Irish side we have any real info on - so everything you have given me there is very useful to us. Thanks a lot for taking the time to have a look at your sources and replying.

Your Great Grandfathers medal roll for your records


Note, remarks column reference Invalided.

Dave...