TOPIC:

A recent purchase was a QSA to 6448 Pte. J. Baker, East Surrey Regt. Aide from what appears on the roll I know nothing about this man - papers dos not seem to exist for him which is why I need help from Forum members with sleuthing skills (that broad sweep includes almost everyone I know who posts here)

The medal roll - excerpt attached courtesy of Ancestry - confirms his clasps but has the following to say in what I call the Remarks Column:



Baker clearly "did time" for an , as yet, unknown offence but one which would have been outside the scope of the Military Discipline Code. Hence the Civil powers being brought into play. He was, initially, to forfeit his medal but, as the one I purchased verifies, the authorities relented and he was issued with one.

Can anyone help me identify "Joe Soap" aka J. Baker? Even a newspaper cutting would suffice.

Regards

Rory

Nothing in Fold3 Rory, only 1 J. Baker of 2nd Bn listed, different number , wounded at Pieters Hill.

Now if only there was a way to prove that they were one and the same person. My guess is that the clasp combination would be very different though - TH/RoL for starters as opposed to the state clasps my fellow got which smacks of a later start to the war - after all the battle clasps had been fought and won.

I should have mentioned that the clasps Baker earned were CC/OFS/TVL/SA 1902 which makes me wonder if his gaol time interfered with his setting sail for South Africa. His crime couldn't have been of sufficient magnitude to warrant mention in the press of the day.

Thanks Simon

Rory

Rory,

A search of the UK Calendar of Prisoners returns only 11 results for:

Name: J. Baker
Date range: 1893 - 1913
Sentence: 9 month

None are described as soldiers.


The 31st R.D. (Regimental District) appears to have had its HQ at Kingston, Surrey. As "31st R.D." is in the same hand as "sentenced to 9 months", this might be relevant.




..

Thank you for that input Neville. I'll try and extrapolate that with the data you have provided.