TOPIC:

From memory there were a number of repatriations, but, well after the peace.

SWB wrote: Hello Lynne

Are you looking for anyone in particular?

No soldier's were KIA at PMB - too far behind the lines. However a number died there in the hospital and would be buried there. I only know of one body repatriated to England - a cavalry officer.

Steve Watt's In Memoriam lists the war dead and their place of burial, but it is organised by surname. I have a list of all casualties, most were buried where they died.

Regards
Meurig

SWB wrote: The medal roll (WO100/142p5) shows:

92630 William Ernest Cork, 53rd btty RFA.

Certainly the same man, wonder why the confusion in middle names?

Regards
Meurig

This service number is also different. Perhaps there were two William Corks in 53rd battery? The name is not that unique so I suppose its possible. Also, the rolls weren't always in strict alphabetical order I don't think, were they?

Nick

thanks guys for your replies. Have been on the UK forces war record site and there are indeed 2 William corks, both in the same regiment and died the same year! My father who I am doing this for told me that his grandfather fought in the boar war and that he was a lieutenant so when I saw him on the above site I guessed that must be him.....he is definitely William Herbert (not Ernest) as he is named on his sons birth certificate which I have. Its strange I think, especially as the service numbers are the same except for the 9 and as you say if officers were not given numbers at this time how can he be a lieutenant and have a number......I am getting more confused?

Ahh,

Hadn't noticed that the numbers were identical except for the leading 9.

And I just looked through the 53rd's medal roll myself and couldn't find any others. So now, I'm with Meurig (sorry it took me a while to get there). I will add that the William Ernest Cork does have an annotation on the roll of "died", and he was only entitled to the Natal clasp, as opposed to the usual Belfast, Defence of Ladysmith, and Laing's Nek (no Natal) that most members of the 53rd received. Presumably those occurred after he was invalided out of the unit to hospital before his death?

As for the rank discrepancy, sometimes family history gets muddled in the retelling from generation to generation...

Good luck,
Nick

lynne wrote: thanks guys for your replies. Have been on the UK forces war record site and there are indeed 2 William corks, both in the same regiment and died the same year! My father who I am doing this for told me that his grandfather fought in the boar war and that he was a lieutenant so when I saw him on the above site I guessed that must be him.....he is definitely William Herbert (not Ernest) as he is named on his sons birth certificate which I have. Its strange I think, especially as the service numbers are the same except for the 9 and as you say if officers were not given numbers at this time how can he be a lieutenant and have a number......I am getting more confused?

Hello Lynne

Would you mind sending me screenshots of the ForcesWarRecord data you looked at ([email protected]). When I saw some FWR casualty records for the Anglo-Boer War they didn't even have a date or place of death!

Also - what info did you have before you started your research? Was it just the name, William Herbert Cork, and the fact he died in the war?

Regards
Meurig

Frank Kelley wrote: From memory there were a number of repatriations, but, well after the peace.

SWB wrote: Hello Lynne

Are you looking for anyone in particular?

No soldier's were KIA at PMB - too far behind the lines. However a number died there in the hospital and would be buried there. I only know of one body repatriated to England - a cavalry officer.

Steve Watt's In Memoriam lists the war dead and their place of burial, but it is organised by surname. I have a list of all casualties, most were buried where they died.

Regards
Meurig

Morning Frank,

The cavalry officer I referred to is:

Lt JF Rhodes, 2nd Dragoons, KIA (or drowned) February 1902 body repatriated July 1902 and laid to rest in Charlton Abbotts, Glos.

I "found" him through my work on ABW war memorials. Could you lay your hands on the references to the later repatriations? I would have thought these would have resulted in identifiable war memorials.

Regards
Meurig