TOPIC:

My name is John Bayliss and I am researching my great grandfather's medals and the family genealogy.

Bertie Agustus Bayliss was born 27th June 1873 in Hunningham, Warwickshire, the son of Thomas a farm labourer and Harriet (nee Rhymill). He was christened in St Margaret's a month later.
Listed in Hunningham in the 1881 census the family continue living there till past 1911. Bertie is possibly recorded as Herbert Bayliss 18 in the 1891 census (born Hunningham) a Bakers Assistant in Napton some 8 miles away, residing with the baker.
I do not know when he enlisted but one thing is sure by 1898 he was in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment as I have his medals as seen in the attached pics.

The Group comprises of the DCM (Edward VII) [as recorded on this very site
angloboerwar.com/medals-and-awards/british/241-dcm ], Queen's Sudan Medal, Queen's South Aftica Medal (clasps = Belfast, Diamond Hill, Johannesburg, Dreifontein, Cape Colony), King's South Africa Medal (clasps 1901 & 1902), and finally the Khedive's Sudan Medal.
The Sudan medals are engraved CPL & the Boer ones SGT.

I see the following comment on this site
"The Mounted Infantry companies of the 3rd and 4th Battalions arrived in South Africa in 1901, and saw a great deal of fighting."
www.angloboerwar.com/unit-information/im...arwickshire-regiment

I read the regimental magazine the Antelope in the museum and found no further entries relating to B.Bayliss in Sudan or S.Africa.

Bertie may have assisted with the Militia reserves in Birmingham as on Jan 31 1904 he marries Ethel Ester Dobson at Bishop Ryder Church, Birmingham with profession listed as soldier on the wedding certificate. & residence as Sycamore Rd, Aston.

On 10th March 1905 the birth certificate of my grandfather Harry Richard records Bertie (soldier Royal Warwickshire Regt) and Ethyl living at 31 Clifton Rd, Aston.
The following year 19 Sep 1906 his brother Frank is born and baptised Oct 8th at St Peter Parish, Dorset, with Bertie recorded as Colour Sergt, 2nd Batt R. Warwick.
[The Militia link is suggested by a line in 'The Antelope' stating that Colour Sergt Bayliss joined the 2nd Battalion in Portland, Dorset on the Disbanding of the Royal Garrison Regt in 1905. I found this reference in Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Garrison_Regiment ].

The 2nd Battalion were stationed at Dorset from 23rd Sep 1904 to 12 Ocr 1906, moving to Borden Hampshire till 8th Oct 1908 when they moved to Lichfield, Staffordshire till Nov 1911 when they went back to Portland.
This is solely based on the following jpg on maltaramc.com
maltaramc.com/regmltgar/sellstromr/2roywarfs.jpg

The 1911 Census shows Ethel (widowed) as head of the household in 22 Talbot St Oldbury, Staffordshire with sons Harry and Frank & with 2 boarders who are butchers. In 1914 she marries one of them and is recorded as living with him in Auckland Road, Sparkbrook Birmingham.

Despite a brief visit to the National Archices a few years back I can find no record of what Bertie earned his DCM for nor when or where he died. I had not found him in the UK Death records until perhaps this evening www2.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?s...859&d=bmd_1351607929 and will need to await the certificate for confirmation to confirm it is him & if he died still in service. If it is him he is a couple of years older than stated.

The medals have been in my posession since my teens (now 47) and I think came from my great uncles house on his death in the late 70's. They were in the Boer chocolate box with his uniform badges.

The Sudan medal list (photo of original from Regt museum at St Johns House, Warwick) shows him listed as invalided and in the 1st Regt whereas the DCM citation in the London Gazette of 1901 is to Sergeant B.Bayliss of the 4th Battilion, Mounted Infantry.

If anyone has any additional information, comments or advice I would be grateful to hear of it.

Many thanks

John Bayliss

John
That is a very fine group of medals and you have done well researching it. Thank you for sharing. It is unlikely that a citation exists for the DCM.

Regards
Brett

John,

It's great to see that the medals are still with the family.

His entry in P. E. Abbott's Recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal 1855-1909 (Second Edition 1987) states that 4211 Sgt Bayliss, B was 2nd Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment (4th Battalion Mounted Infantry).

This would make sense - the original Mounted Infantry Battalions were raised from the regular army regiments serving in South Africa (and the 2nd Royal Warwicks were one of these). There would have been a Warwickshire Company of the 4th Battalion MI. hence the battle bars on his QSA.

Militia drafts (the 3rd and 4th Bns) arrived later to supplement.

Best,

Justin

Hi i have found you post interesting as i am trying to find out about my grt grt grandad sgt Herbet bayliss
from Alcester he was also in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and served in the Anglo Boar war i have an army service bible saying he was an army signaller in orange free state i also have his service record which state that he was awarded the South African medals ,but having search numerous web sites including this one i cannot find any other mention of him ,i was woundering wether you had seen any mention of him as their names are similar thanks paul

John,

Those pictures are wonderful. I have taken the liberty of inserting the pictures in the post as they are too good to be left as attachments.

Best wishes
David

David - glad you think so, nice to display them on here for others to see.

Paul - unfortunately no, I have not come across reference to Herbert that I recall. As a Sergeant there may be something in the Antelope the Regimental magazine if you sit and plow through the editions in the museum in Warwick, however I only came across two references in it to Bertie - one for the DCM and the one mentioning his posting to the Depot [Portland, Dorset] 'on the Disbanding of the 3rd Royal Garrison Regt' [Antelope March 1906]. I would probably have picked up on another Sgt Bayliss.

To update on my original post :-
Colour Sgt Bertie Bayliss died in Cambridge Military Hospital, Aldershot 10th Jan 1907 of Cerebral Haemorrhage, having been taken there from Bordon Camp, Hampshire where he was stationed with the The 2nd Battalion. Whether this was of natural causes or from a trauma sustained during training or eg bar fight is unknown. Death Cert says he was 31 but in fact he was 33.

And whilst the Antelope says he was transferred from the 3rd Royal Garrison to the Depot it is apparent that he did not serve in Malta when the 3rd Garrison were there (1901 to 1904), as he was in South Africa in 1902 and in 1904-5 was in Birmingham getting married and having a son.
Think I might have to search WO19 at Kew sometime to investigate that.