Hi all, Does any one have a favourite site for researching Boer war era medals? I've seen quite a few sites on the Boer war now so I have a few choices on "where to go" * Boer war medals - Google Search Or perhaps someone here already recognises one or any of these (medals?!) on these chaps here, or is the quality of the pic just such that these days it's probably just too difficult / impossible to tell? [sharedmedia=gallery:images:29486] My "knowledge" of this picture is that it is a family one, one of the Monmouth Militia. Which has a great museum and very useful website I have been looking at for the last few weeks. Home And it seems to be about that sort of era. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen's_South_Africa_Medal At some stage I suspect I might have to embark on a greater voyage well out of the realms of WW2 - ...but this is by-the-way of the first steps on a journey into deeper water, and a first toe into the darker and dimmer depths (of history!) so to speak! All the best, Rm. * i.e. a number of links here for example: Welcome victorianwars.com - Justhost.com And even recourse to: Regimental Uniform cigarette cards (circa Boer war Era) http://www.cigarettecard.co.uk/regimental-uniforms-cigarette-cards-c-57_27.html Though there is a "medal" site here: http://www.northeastmedals.co.uk/sale_boer_pre_1914/british_victorian_campaign_medals.htm
Hi Rm If you dont have access to Ancestry but have some names drop me a PM and I can look them up for you. TD
George Miles on one side c1872 to 1942, he had brothers Alfred, James, John, Charles, Albert and Arthur!!! (Quite a number are supposed to have gone off to the empire inc. India, Australia, South Africa and the Boer war) - one is said to have been at Mafeking and we've long had some pics of him and the Polo ponies (got to keep playing games for morale I guess!) and Merchants on the other, (these should be in the Monmouth pic) Frederick George (i believe 1875 to 1948) and his brothers William (Nothing aside from the name really known about him!) and Arthur (Born c1880) - all that side of the family - Arthur's side long (1930's or before) now in USA. (I start to see now why this is a can of worms!!!) - don't worry if it's hopeless!!! I guess I shall have to start somewhere! All the best, Rm. ps. I'll add some links from the Monmouth museum I found also in a bit. (in post edit) Monmouth has at least a couple of Merchants (but they don't yet have every name on line) - or a total list to transcibe. http://monmouthcastlemuseum-archives.org.uk/regsearch.php?surnamescope=starts+with&srch_surname=Merchant&firstnamescope=starts+with&srch_firstname=&srch_birth_year=&birthyearscope=5&srch_birth_county=&srch_birth_parish=&srch_occupation=&srch_attestation_year=&attyearscope=5&srch_attestation_place=&srch_regt_no=&submit=Search And I'm not sure if either of these two look quite right: Your search found 2 record(s) Merchant, A, [SIZE=1em]Regimental number:[/SIZE]8294 [SIZE=1em]Age at enlistment:[/SIZE] 21 Record of service: Served in First World War Merchant, George, [SIZE=1em]Regimental number:[/SIZE]7871 [SIZE=1em]Date of attestation:[/SIZE] 1881-04-11 [SIZE=1em]Place of attestation:[/SIZE] Newport [SIZE=1em]Age at enlistment:[/SIZE] 18 [SIZE=1em]Occupation:[/SIZE] Labourer [SIZE=1em]Height at enlistment:[/SIZE] 5 feet 7 inches
Is A Merchant - Albert E Merchant? - if so there is a WW1 medal card Name: Albert E Merchant Regiment or Corps: Royal Engineers Regimental Number: 388294, 8294 TD
Re F G Merchant Is this likely to be him: Frederick George Merchant Birth: Abt 1875 - Gloucestershire, England Marriage: 1899 - Cardiff, Glamorgan Spouse: Clara Mitchell TD
Hummm! This is a slight step beyond, where I thought perhaps I'd be at, but interesting info nevertheless! I have Frederick George Merchant married to an Ethel Jones. The father of these brothers was also called Frederick George Merchant (it seems) and seems to have been married to a Clara Hollingshead. They all have very strong Gloucester connections, as well as to places like Caerphilly, Cardiff and Bristol. Through, births deaths and marriages. It's not a fantastically common surname (like Miles probably is) and I guess there's a chance a fair few (or perhaps most to all) Merchants are relatives. Even this chap: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Merchant ...hails from Bristol and I can't think for the life of me at the moment why he might have left My prime hope though is if anyone can tell anything from the uniforms or what look like the medals, since if they are def. Monmouth militia / royal engineers I at least know next where to go. If it's an entirely different regiment (and here I guess is the rub!) and the medals look like they go with another campaign (Crimea for example or any other etc) I'll know more firmly which tree to bark under! I could go to a Boer war site and start posting stuff gun-ho and have them tell me wrong war! what the heck are you doing here?! Still that probably makes about as much sense as posting them on a WW2 site anyhoo! All the best, Rm. Monmouth has a few nice photos: http://monmouthcastlemuseum-archives.org.uk/photographs.php (i think this one is of Ivor the engine! ) http://monmouthcastlemuseum-archives.org.uk/llun.php?src=gtj74000loco.jpg&teitl=On+exercise+with+a+%3Cbr%3Elocomotive+engine&testun=Photograph+of+seven+soldiers+in+front+of+a+small+railway+locomotive+on+a+hillside%2C+early+20th+century And the uniform looks a little similar to at least 2 of the soldiers there (but they don't have a date there other than early 20th Century). The main thing I was looking out for though was the light collar and the light band around the hat/cap. But I don't seem to see those there as they don't appear to have posted yet any pictures as early as mine (apart from the one of the singular chap in 1855 in Crimea ) http://monmouthcastlemuseum-archives.org.uk/llun.php?src=gtj73928colvaughan.jpg&teitl=Colonel+Vaughan+%3Cbr%3Ein+the+Crimea&testun=Colonel+J.F+Vaughan+in+the+Crimea%2C+1855.++The+Regiment+was+embodied+during+the+Crimean+War%2C+but+only+for+home+defence+service.+However%2C+a+number+of+its+members%2C+including+Colonel+Vaughan%2C+volunteered+as+individuals+for+service+in+the+Crimea. Hum. I might just be imagining it but out of all of these: http://www.northeastmedals.co.uk/sale_boer_pre_1914/british_victorian_campaign_medals.htm 2 seem to be about the closest to what I can discern: One looks like it is perhaps the Egypt and Sudan one? Egypt & Sudan Medal 1882-89 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_campaign_medals#/media/File:Egypt_Medal_BAR.svg Or perhaps even: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_Medal Where the ribon pattern is "red, green, red, green, red" And appears to have a clasp. The five banded ribbon for example doesn't seem to be an altogether common one. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_campaign_medals [sharedmedia=gallery:images:29486]
Rm Just searching this file: All UK, Military Campaign Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1949 results for Merchant shows 90 results, as you can see from the dates that spans quite a range - however it does not include WW1 & WW2 So any info to narrow it down would be beneficial TD
Thanks TD - I've PM'd I think I might be looking at the same site: i.e. for Frederick George http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=CampaignMedalRolls&gss=sfs28_ms_r_db&new=1&rank=1&gsfn=Frederick%20George&gsfn_x=0&gsln=Merchant%20&gsln_x=0&_F0005C50=Monmouth&MSAV=0&uidh=000 Or merely just for Merchant there: http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=CampaignMedalRolls&gss=sfs28_ms_db&new=1&rank=1&msT=1&gsln=Merchant%20&gsln_x=0&MSAV=0&uidh=000 Amazingly a lot of the names seem to be for similar service/campaigns. Egypt, Sudan, South Africa, a few though even Afghanistan. I guess back then regiments tended to take only from their local areas, and with a name like Merchant you tended to be geographically bound to a certain region i.e. : http://gbnames.publicprofiler.org/Map.aspx?name=MERCHANT&year=1881&altyear=1998&country=GB&type=name Ps.... Thanks 12rainbow (post #9) below, I had a look on here: http://members.pcug.org.au/~croe/sotq/sotq_abw.cgi And it's an interesting site, I tried it with "Merchant" and a few other family names I know from "family history" were perhaps in the army from that era, and got a few interesting potential leads, All the best, Rm.
hi, if you search for [ soldiers of the queen in the second anglo boar war] lots of info on medals and records of units, regards
