TOPIC:

George Robert Raynor

Private, 1st Dragoon Guards – Anglo Boer War
Private, 5th Dragoon Guards – WWI
Private, 1st Kings Dragoon Guards – North West Frontier 1919

- Queens South Africa Medal (Cape Colony, Orange Free State, South Africa 1901/1902) to 4709 PTE G.R. RAYNOR. 1ST DGN: GDS:
- British War Medal to 1DG-4709 PTE. G. RAYNER. 5-D. GDS.
- Victory Medal to 1DG-4709 PTE. G. RAYNER. 5-D. GDS.
- India General Service Medal clasp Afghanistan N.W.F. 1919 to 19474 PTE. G.R. RAYNOR, 1 K.D. GUARDS.



George Raynor was born in London on 6 April 1883 the son of John Raynor, a Coachman in domestic service, and his wife Mary Elizabeth. According to the 1891 England census, the family were living at 12 Eaton Row, Knightsbridge with his many siblings – John (11), Elizabeth (6), William (4), and Alfred (21 months).

At some point between then and the 1901 England census, George had decided to serve Queen and country and enlisted with the 1st Dragoon Guards and, as a Private at the age of 18, was in the barracks at Aldershot.

As he drilled on the Aldershot Parade Ground an earlier draft of his regiment, already late to the Anglo Boer War which had been raging in South Africa since 11 October 1899, had sailed on the Maplemore to the Cape on 8th January 1901 and, having arrived in the Cape Colony about the end of that month, were in time to take part in the pursuit of De Wet, but without allowing time for men and horses to get into the campaigning condition essential for so arduous a task.

This disadvantage notwithstanding, the regiment was able to be of great service. In his despatch of 8th March 1901,Lord Kitchener refers to their "timely arrival", and says that the 1st King's Dragoon Guards, Prince of Wales's Light Horse, with G Battery RHA, brought from Pretoria, to be joined later by the 3rd Dragoon Guards, were formed into a brigade which was placed under Colonel Bethune. After describing the exciting chase for De Wet, Lord Kitchener says, "The close pursuit of the various columns had the effect of driving De Wet north to the Orange River, west of Hopetown, where, being hotly pressed by General Plumer, his 15-pounder gun and a pom-pom were captured by our mounted troops under Lieutenant Colonel Owen, 1st King's Dragoon Guards". De Wet eventually got across the river, but over 200 prisoners, all his guns, ammunition, and waggons fell into our hands.”

Colonel Bethune's force, strengthened by six squadrons of Imperial Yeomanry, was then taken to the north-east of the Orange River Colony, and along with other columns operated there under General Elliot for the greater part of 1901. It was at this point in time that Raynor joined his regiment under the sunny South African sky.

At the end of July General Elliot arranged his columns for a sweep west of the Kroonstad Railway, the 1st Dragoon Guards and two guns being put in a separate column under Colonel Owen.

"On 2nd August near Graspan Captain Quicke, King's Dragoon Guards, of Colonel Owen's column, with two squadrons of his regiment, effected the capture of a laager of 65 waggons and 4000 cattle". The regiment was constantly hard at work until the end of the campaign. They came late on the scene, but made up for lost time, always doing well.

Raynor was awarded the Cape Colony and Orange Free State clasps to his Queens medal, indicating that he was not one of those men of his regiment who went into the Transvaal – there was quite enough to do in the aforementioned territories where the Boers, although on the run, still had plenty of fight in them and were perpetually escaping the noose that Roberts and Kitchener had tried to place around their necks.

Hostilities ceased on 31 May 1902 and the regiment returned home. In the absence of a service file for Raynor it is difficult to track his movements. According to the 1911 England census he had left the Colours and was a General Foreman at an Iron Works in Greenwich. He had been married to Elizabeth for 17 years and the couple had brought one child into the world – Charles James Henry Rayner (16). Charles was already employed as a Clerk at the Iron Works where his father was Foreman. Their residential address was 1 Blakeley Cottages, Tunnel Avenue, Greenwich.

As Raynor went about his days no thought would have been given to the prospect of another war but, on the 4th August 1914, Germany declared war on Great Britain and her allies and countries were at each others throats once more. Remaining out of it initially, Raynor soon arrived at the Recruiting Office where he was provided with the tools with which to wage war. On this occasion he was assigned to the 5th Dragoon Guards, retaining his old number.

The 1st Dragoon Guards fought in France for most of the war and it only after the start of 1916 that Raynor was in action. With the fighting over on 11 November 1918 the 1st King’s Dragoon Guards were posted to the North West Frontier in Afghanistan. Raynor was assigned no. 19474.



On 11 May 1919, the 1st King's Dragoon Guards were part of a British-Indian cavalry force ordered to march from Peshawar to Jamrud Fort on the frontier. Two days later they moved on to Landi Khana and then to Dakka, a village in Afghan territory to the west of the Khyber Pass. Reinforced by infantry and mountain artillery, they occupied Dakka after the Afghans retreated following sustained attacks by the Royal Air Force. The British established a camp at Dakka, but it was poorly sited for defence and as a consequence they came under artillery barrage and then an infantry assault. This Afghan attack was defeated and the British launched a counter-attack the following day. However, they were unable to consolidate their position and it was not until 17 May that the heights around Dakka were finally secured and the Afghans forced to withdraw.

No harm seems to have come to him and he was discharged to the Reserve on 19 September 1919. His home address was provided as 126 Queens Road, Aldershot.

Out of uniform for the last time Raynor was, according to the 1921 England census, a Carpenter’s Labourer with the Government Royal Engineer’s Yard – still living at 126 Queens Road in Aldershot. There were now a number of children about the house in the forms of John (12), Gladys (11), William (7), Frederick (5) and Annie (2).

Raynor’s next appearance was in the 1939 Register where, a Carpenter by trade, he was still living at the aforementioned address.

Acknowledgments:

- Ancestry & FMP for military, birth and census data