TOPIC:

I am trying to trace my ancestors. I know that I had a great-grandad in the Boer War.I know that at some point he lost his life either after the war or during the war, he was killed in a train accident. I have seen the train accident in Pretoria on your website, and am wondering if there is any way that i can verify that he died here. His name was Apps. I am sorry but I cannot offer any more information than that.I am still trying to find this information out.

I would like you to know this is an incredible web site.

Thank you for any help you can offer.

Hello Debbie and welcome to the forum.

Thank you for your kind words about the site and we will see if we can help.

There are some 30 people with the surname Apps who served in the Boer War. These are:

A E Apps 4th Battery Royal Field Artillery
Alfred Albert Apps 1st Imperial Light Horse
Ambrose Edwin Apps 4th Battery Royal Field Artillery
E Apps 34th Company 11th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry
E F Apps Cape Colony Cyclist Corps
E R Apps 67th Company 18th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry Sharpshooters
F Apps 32nd Company Army Service Corps
F Apps 37th Army Service Corps
F Apps Kitchener's Horse
G Apps Worcester Town Guard (Railway Contingent)
H Apps 2nd Battalion The Buffs E Kent
I Apps 20th Company 6th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry
I F Apps 24 B Company A S Corps
J Apps New South Wales Mounted Rifles
J Apps Mounted Rifles
J E Apps 36th Company Imperial Yeomanry East Kent
James Apps 1st Australian Commonwealth Horse
James Martin Apps 2nd Battalion The Queen's
W Apps 36th Squadron 11th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry
W Apps 2nd Battalion The Buffs E Kent
W Apps Prince of Wales Light Horse
W Apps 1st Battalion West Riding Regiment
W Apps 3rd Imperial Bushmen's Contingent
W Apps 2nd Battalion The Buffs E Kent
W Apps 2nd Battalion West Riding Regimant
W Apps 3rd Imperial Bushmen's Contingent
W E Apps 1st Battalion West Riding
W J R Apps 2nd Contingent B Squadron N S W Mounted Rifles
W J R Apps Mounted Infantry
Walter Apps Prince of Wales Light Horse

There is only one man of this surname who dies during the war. He was 12468 Trooper E R Apps of the 18th Imperial Yeomanry. However, he dies of disease in Bamboo Creek on 29 May 1900 and was laid to rest in Vila Machado.

That doesn't sound much like you ggf?

If he died in South Africa, was he living there before or after the war do you think?

Best wishes
David

Thank you for your quick response. I am unsure of whether he was still a soldier at the time of his death. He definately completed service in the Boer war, but my dad believes he came back briefly to Redhill, Surrey, then went back to South Africa to work on the rails. It was then that he lost his life as he was killed by a train. So to be honest it might not have been in active service.

Thanks again for your response.

Debbie,

It sounds like he was perhaps a soldier in the British Army rather than in the colonial forces. He might have returned home, left the army and then returned to South Africa.

There's no chance you have any initials??

As there are not too many people of that surname, it would be feasible to go through the soldiers papers either on line or at the National Archives to see if the biographical information they contain matches other information you have.

You may be in luck. In the surviving service papers for those men with the surname Apps and a birth year of 1870 +/- 10 years are two men from Redhill:

APPS, Edward George. Born : 1860. Addess: Cornwall, Cornwall
APPS, James Edward. Born : 1861. Addess: Maidstone, Kent
APPS, William. Born : 1861. Addess: Brenchley, Kent
APPS, George. Born : 1866. Addess: Hastings, Sussex
APPS, William. Born : 1867. Addess: Brenchley, Kent
APPS, Leonard. Born : 1868. Addess: Birmingham, Warwickshire
APPS, Alfred Albert. Born : 1869. Addess: Tunbridge, Kent
APPS, James Martin. Born : 1869. Addess: Redhill, Surrey
APPS, James Larking. Born : 1871. Addess: Maidstone, Kent
APPS, Richard. Born : 1871. Addess: Maidstone, Kent
APPS, Frederick. Born : 1872. Addess: Tenterden, Kent
APPS, Albert. Born : 1873. Addess: Hythe, Kent
APPS, Alfred. Born : 1873. Addess: Hastings, Sussex
APPS, Leonard. Born : 1873. Addess: Sheerness, Kent
APPS, Robert John. Born : 1873. Addess: Maidstone, Kent
APPS, Robert John. Born : 1874. Addess: Maidstone, Kent
APPS, Thomas. Born : 1874. Addess: Tunbridge Wells, Sussex
APPS, Arthur. Born : 1875. Addess: Maidstone, Kent
APPS, John. Born : 1875. Addess: London, Middlesex
APPS, Thomas. Born : 1875. Addess: Redhill, Surrey
APPS, Edward. Born : 1876. Addess: Maidstone, Kent
APPS, Edward. Born : 1876. Addess: Maidstone, Kent
APPS, John. Born : 1876. Addess: London, Middlesex
APPS, William. Born : 1876. Addess: Taunton, Somerset
APPS, Ambrose Edwin. Born : 1878. Addess: Lydd, Kent
APPS, Edward Russell. Born : 1879. Addess: London, London
APPS, Frederick. Born : 1879. Addess: Hastings, Sussex
APPS, Fred. Born : 1880. Addess: Lydd, Kent

These papers are available via FindMyPast or at the National Archives.

Regards
David

Debbie,

Once last thought. James Martin Apps served in the Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment and did serve in South Africa. The medal roll (WO100/166p277) reports that he was invalided home early.

His papers might well be worth a look.

Good lick!
David

Thank you so much, you have been tremendous. I shall certainly carry on investigating. I have come up against the fact that all the places I can get information want money, and as I don't have much to go on I was reluctant to part with monies. I am hoping that my dad will remember some more information.
I can tell you that a search I did for the search for my grandmothers dad, the aforementioned soldier, has highlighted these two men. So this has given me quite a lot to continue to investigate.

Thank you again for your immediate response and kindness.

Regards
Debbie