Re: look up / advice request Boer War

Daniel Morgan wrote:
On Dec 17, 3:52 pm, Naomi <n.spannerdav...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I'm trying to find out where to find out more about a Englishman who
served in the Boer War (I'm not 100% sure which one). He received a
medal, and stayed in South Africa.

This is a completely new topic to me. I am not a military historian by
any means. Is it a case of having to go to Kew, or are there some other
things I can try first?
Also, can anyone help me interpret the abbreviations on his medal?

The details I have are:

Richard James HALES
born (from South African death certificate) c1862 "London, England"
No idea of father (that's what I'm trying to find)

I can't answer your Boer War questions, but if you're trying to find
his father, why not try his birth certificate? FreeBMD
* http://www.freebmd.org.uk
has one and only one birth of a Richard James HALES, in Q4 1859 in the
Islington registration district, which is in London. Sounds like him
unless you have a reason to think that it's not.

I agree that it's a very likely birth record, despite being 3 years out, but I need something to match something against it to be sure. There are a few other births for James HALES in the period, with a middle name James. I've often found that people are registered without their middle names (perhaps they add in the middle name later to distinguish them from a family member).
And I also think the place of birth as London could be dubious as it was given many years later in South Africa, presumably by a South African relative.

So, although it looks very likely, I have nothing to confirm it. I am hoping that finding something about him in his military career that will match up.

Otherwise, I will need to follow all the other possible James HALES to find them in the 1901 census to rule them out...

Naomi
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: andrew clyde
    ... not have a year of birth for him. ... Scotland, but stopped off at Cape Town, South Africa on the way. ... children were put into an orphanage for a number of years until Andrew ...
    (soc.genealogy.britain)
  • Re: England Summer "Performance Squad"
    ... Prior - Country of Birth - South Africa! ... Passport does not = place of birth. ... .The limitations of the BSC Loughborugh mind cruelly exposed ...
    (uk.sport.cricket)
  • the meaning of this name Ponadi
    ... my grand father is from malawi im base in south africa since birth however my ... in turn named my son after him thou i do not know the meaninig of anyone who ...
    (microsoft.public.word.docmanagement)