TOPIC:

1864 Private William Graham Gordon Highlanders
William was born in the town of Haddington East Lothian Scotland in 1864
He attested for the Gordon Highlanders on 9th October 1885 at the age of 21 his trade at the time was a gardener.
His physical description is shown as:
Height 5ft 6"
Weight 128lbs and a chest measurement of 34"
His complexion is stated as fresh his eyes brown and his hair black, his religous denomination was Presbyterian.
His service record is quite unaventfull apart from standing trail in 1888 for theft he was sentenced to 56 days.
Williams service before the South African campaign took him to Malta, Ceylon and the East Indies.
His South African service earned him the QSA/KSA with clasps Belfast, Cape Colony and Laings Nek.
His medical history sheet shows he was quite a healthy soldier apart from a case of syphilis obtained in Malta in 1886 and in Kundy in 1890 a case of gonorhea.
Medal rolls show him with the 1st and 2nd battalion Gordon Highlanders.




Paul

Paul

I wish I was acquiring QSA's at the same rate you are! I like your latest find mainly because the man served in the Gordon Highlanders.

You are fortunate to have his service papers. It is very frustrating when they are missing. It is striking that many British soldiers in the Victorian era were relatively small men. They gave such a good account of themselves that maybe size does not matter.

Regards
Brett

PS Which cemetery features in the photograph?

Hello Brett,

Thank you for your comments.
Seems I am making up for lost time!only wish I had starting collecting medals instead of badges when I got the bug.
I have been looking for a Gordons for a while now within my budget and this pair fit the bill.
I agree about the service papers although it would not stop me buying a medal that I really wanted, its always nice to read the recipients history.
The cemetery is Intobi a postcard I bought on ebay.

Paul

Brett Hendey wrote: Paul

I wish I was acquiring QSA's at the same rate you are! I like your latest find mainly because the man served in the Gordon Highlanders.

You are fortunate to have his service papers. It is very frustrating when they are missing. It is striking that many British soldiers in the Victorian era were relatively small men. They gave such a good account of themselves that maybe size does not matter.

Regards
Brett

PS Which cemetery features in the photograph?