TOPIC:

4186 Private Frederick Clarke (see previous post in this thread) - not that his service records (downloadable from FMP) show it, he was wounded during the Battle of Paardeburg and this predumably accounts for his very short stay in SA.



The first from the Army & Navy Gazette of 3 March 1900 & the second from the London Weekly Dispatch 4 March 1900.

Also being pedantic, my reading of his service records is that he embarked for SA on 8 November 1899.

His 1905 discharge (from the Army Reserve) papers indicate he had become a Warder at H.M. Prison, Dover.

Picture courtesy of Spink

QSA (2) Cape Colony, Orange Free State (5989 Pte. P. E. Raeburn, 2nd Shropshire Lt. Infy.);
[ Great War medals ]

He appears on the Medal Roll as P. Raeburn, and on his enlistment papers as Thomas Raeburn, but his true name was Sam Dyson.

P.E. Raeburn/Thomas Raeburn/Sam Dyson was born circa 1880 at St. Philips, Manchester, made his living as a labourer, and was serving with the 3rd Battalion, Royal Lancaster Regiment at the time of his enlistment with the Shropshire Light Infantry on 10 March 1899 at Shrewsbury. On his enlistment papers, he gives his name as 'Thomas Raeburn'. He later declared at Lucknow on 16 November 1909 that this was a false name, and supplied his birth certificate with his true name, Sam Dyson. Prior to this however, he appears on the Roll of the Queen's South Africa Medal with the name 'P. Raeburn', and his medal is officially named to 'P.E. Raeburn'.

Soon after his enlistment, Dyson was posted abroad to serve in the South Africa campaign, where he earned his medal and two clasps. Returned to home service for a year, he was again posted overseas to India from November 1901, where was stationed for the next decade. Dyson was back on English soil in November 1911 and was discharged on 3 April 1912. A few months later he was married at Oldham to Miss Ada Cooper, and the couple welcomed their daughter Alice the next year.

Dyson was mobilised for Great War service on 5 August 1914 at Shrewsbury and was posted to the 3rd Battalion. Promoted Acting Corporal in March 1915, he transferred to the 2nd Battalion a few months later and with them disembarked at France on 18 May. He attained the rank of Lance Corporal and after serving for a time at the Western Front was posted to the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at Salonika. There in March 1916 Dyson was transferred to the Royal Engineers, with whom he served as a Sapper. He was posted back home to England in December 1916 where he remained for the rest of his service, which came to an end on 17 December 1918.

Picture courtesy of Spink

QSA (3) Cape Colony, Paardeberg, Driefontein (2702 Pte. T. Lamport, 2:Shrops: Lt.Inft.)

Returned to Britain on 14 September 1900.