TOPIC:

Hello everyone and thanks for the work you put into this site. I've been researching my great-grandfather who was in the Boer War. He was born in Tinwald, Scotland and joined the Gordon Highlanders in 1889. Served over 5 years in India. Earned a medal for the Relief of Chitral. I have his medal. Served one year in Ceylon and over 2 years in South Africa.
Looking for information or to confirm information.
I'm confused if he earned the Queens medal or the Kings medal or what the difference is between the two. Did he earn one or the other or could he have received both?
I'm showing he would have earned 5 clasps. Any additional info would be helpful.

When WW1 broke out at the age of 48 he enlisted again but was in poor health and was discharge 18 months later. He died in Glasgow in 1917 and is buried in Sandymount Cemetery. I visited a few year ago from America but he has no marker at his plot. Does the British government pay for grave markers to be installed for vets like they do in the US? I hope to visit the Gordon Highlanders museum next visit.
Thank you.
Bruce Young

Bruce
To kick this one off. Your GGF served with 1st Bn, GH and earned the clasps Cape Colony, Dreifontein, Johannesburg, Paardeburg and Belfast on his QSA medal and both date clasps (SA1901 and SA1902) on his KSA medal. Roll references are WO100/203 pagw 274 and WO100/343 page 210. The qualifying period for the KSA is shown elsewhere on this site.
Sometimes the medal rolls have interesting maginal notes. However, in this case, all the KSA roll shows is "Time Expired".
You can get some idea of the deeds of the GH by accessing the panel at left (Main Menu).
Regards
IL.

Bruce - if you have membership of Ancestry you will be able to view and download the medal roll pages IL refers to plus the one covering his India Medal (1895) and his "Relief of Chitral" clasp. Do a military search enter his name as J Young (not John Young that upsets their search engine) and enter his regimental number of 3216 as the "Keyword"

If you have membership of Find My Past you will be able to view and download his attestation papers, service records, some medical records and discharge papers - about 10 pages in all and they are loaded with information about your GGF. For example he joined the GH in July 1889 and he gave his occupation as "upholsterer". To find them, again it is a military search but you can enter his full name and it is obvious where to put his regimental number. This is an extract from one page showing his service dates in various parts of the world:



If you don't have membership of either or both and if you lived in the UK your local library would be able to help and an alternative would be The National Archives in London who hold the originals.

Whatever in SA 1899-1902 your GGF was in the thick of it - as an Englishman living in Wales I take my hat off to the contribution the Scottish Regiments made (plus subsequent wars).

Good luck, David.