Thank you all for the ideas so far. I am intrigued by the mention of the Royal Flying Corps and can confirm that he was in the 679 but didn't know that was RAF. He was mentioned in despatches on 22nd September 1916 - we have a card signed by Churchill and the story goes he was General Smut's driver in British East Africa at the time. This is all heresay at the moment and I shall follow up to get the Service Records.... do we need to go to Kew?

However, I am intrigued by the note from RORY who found 4 F Minns in the records. I can find only 1 when I search on TNA site under the Boer War Records. We we know he was NOT that F Minns because he reportedly died of wounds in 1901 near Jbg and we know our Fred Minns was alive. Apparently after the war he accosted my g-grandfather and demanded a share of the pay he had earned serving in his name.

Since we confused the two war service I searched our notes. During the Boer War he was a dispatch rider and served in OFS, Ladysmith and Tvl.

Here is our record from his son (now deceased):
"Going back to before he was married, there was the Boer War and he wanted to be recruited. He went to the call up, but he was small and under age. They rejected him. He was coming back to PE and he met this chap in the coach and the guy was in uniform. He said, you want to join up? 'take my place' and Dad Smithyman took his uniform, paybook and papers and his name became Fred Minns. So they changed places. Dad Smithyman was then accepted at the barracks and he went through the war. He was then 16 (born 1882.) In 1899 was the Boer War. He enlisted in 1899. He learnt about horses? became a trooper. He had a number of adventures. He fought OFS, TVL and Ladysmith. He returned to PE. He was a dispatch rider (he had not been trained gto shoot/fight). He was discharged and returned to PE."

I will certainly follow up on his WW1 Records as we do not have those details either!

Great thanks,
Anne and Shannon

Hello Shannon,
It would not be worth you going to Kew, in respect of his WW1 service, he is shown as serving in the Motor Transport section of the SASC, so the South African medal cards are in SA, along with any service file and medical file, do you have the full size medals, if so, have a look at the naming on them.
The photograph suggests service in the RFC, aeroplanes had engines and mechanics were needed to look after them, both here and in East Africa, men joined from the ASC and RE etc.
You do get very complete and interesting sets of service files for East Africa too, I would follow it up if I were you, good luck.
Regards Frank

Thanks Frank,
I will contact the researcher you suggested and see how we go.

My Dad is still in South Africa although we are in Australia so I am relieved nobody has to try and find things at Kew!

Shannon

We have found the records on Ancestry for a F Minns Driver who would be a good candidate for the old man His regimental number is 75894.

However, he appears to have been reported as dead of wounds in the following places:

Name from the Royal Artillery South African Memorial Service Booklet
and
Royal Artillery Memorial, London

This conflicts with the attached document from Ancestry.com. The attached appears to show he was transferred to Army Reserve in 1903.

Would anyone be able to read this attached and see whether it appears that F Minns (right hand side of the document, 5th from top) was dead or actually discharged and in the army reserve at a private address.

The service numbers are the same.

Shannon

Hello Shannon

From what you wrote earlier about him enlisting at "PE" - Port Elizabeth??, he would not be joining a regular British unit such as the Royal Artillery but a colonial outfit.

Wait for the papers from SA if they are as good as usual then they will provide the vital info re earlier service.

Regards
Meurig

Oh, interesting.

I shall see whether we can find them.

I am obviously confused though since his medals are all British ones - QSA, KSA and something for Meritorious Service as well as one that the internet identifies as the Bechuanaland Campaign. I thought these were British... but I guess Colonial British Units are different.

Forgive my ignorance.

I have inquired with the contact Frank recommended and hope to learn how to proceed at the SA end.

Shannon