TOPIC:

Hi Neville
I think it is all becoming clearer.
A search of the newspaper archives reveals an entry in the Dublin Weekly Nation dated 9th December 1899.
A list of Belmont casualties is shown.
There are a number of Northumberland Fusiliers but the next paragraph down shows, Cogger, Michie, Cakebread and Bolsden as
being wounded but uder the designantion of South African Reserve.
So I think that removes any doubt.
Many thanks for responding.
regards
Chris

I think with the help here I've confirmed what I hoped.
But it leads me to another query.
Why would a man be shown as both a Northumberland Fusilier and a member of the South African Reserve on the same record ie
the casualty roll?
The casualty lists shown in various newspapers show Pte Michie as South African Reserve but under the umbrella of the Northumberland Fusiliers so he had clearly moved units by December 1899.
At what point would he have moved from the Fusiliers to the Reserve?
A puzzler for sure.
Thanks for any suggestions.
Christmas

I know of no active unit called the South African Reserve. I wonder whether this was the designation of a category men who were lightly wounded, and capable of returning to the front under certain circumstances? In which case your man would have moved from the Northumberland Fusiliers to the South African Reserve at some time after his wounding.

Morning Rob
My knowledge of the Boer War is not great but I too had never heard of the South African Reserve.
In the remarks column the medal roll for the KSA it shows against Pte Michie's name:
Army Reserve in South Africa
But, as I said, newspaper casualty lists dated 2nd and 9th of December 1899 show a list of men from
the Northumberland Fusiliers who had been killed and wounded at Belmont followed by four men who
all appear on the medal rolls for the NF - under the heading "South African Reserve" so clearly these
men were attached to/affiliated with that body then.
It's something well beyond my experience and I am just hoping that someone out there might have an explanation.
Thanks for posting.
Chris

Here is another example from later on in the war (Sevenoaks Chronicle, 7 March 1902). This is the casualty list for the engagement near Klerksdorp, when von Donop's convoy was captured.

Again, the list includes men of the Northumberland Fusiliers, so, was the "SA R" prefix peculiar to that regiment?

It is perhaps worth noting the the official casualty lists show a space between the "SA" and "R/[number]".

Following on from the above, this list notes that the South African Reserve was attached to the Northumberland Fusiliers.

It relates to de la Rey's night attack on Lichtenberg, on 3 March 1901.



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