Hello,

I've been doing some research into my great grandfather, Pte. Richard Newman, 3509, and so far I've found his service record and an entry relating to a wound he suffered in 1900 at Pieter's Hill, Colonso. Based on notes and photos I've received from his (now deceased) daughter, I have the following additional information:

* He attended military school, which I believe was the School of Musketry in Hythe, based on a grave plot record from 1897 when his father died.
* I don't really know at one point he became part of the Cavalry, he paid (or his father paid) for the horse, which he called Blackie, the horse in the attached photo, apparently.
* He was at one point based in Shorncliffe, Kent.
* He met a local woman from Hythe, and married her on his return from South Africa in 1902, and then discharged in 1903, presumably because the battalion were due to leave for India.
* His friends, from the military/cavalry were Jack Patrick and Arthur Kendon. The three men married sisters from the same family, Cheal.

Do you think there's anything further I may be able to find out regarding his service, or am I lucky to have this much information?

Kind regards,

Andrew

Good morning Andrew,
Welcome to this forum, if you have his service papers then I feel you are really quite lucky, they are just an impossible dream for very many people who are wanting to research their family history as so many have been lost to us for ever.
If he had been in the cavalry, it should all be there in his papers, I think from what you have said and looking at the uniform and lack of any cavalry equipment in the photo, it is likely that he had seen service with the MI Coy from his own regt and not the cavalry, this war was a new sort of war for mounted infantry, moreover, I see that in addition to his QSA, he also has a KSA, again for service in the East Surrey's.
A private soldier serving in a MI Coy did not have to pay/provide his own horse, they were provided by the government and were the property of the government and if Blackie was lucky enough to survive the war, he would have remained in South Africa.
You are very lucky to have such nice photo's too!
Regards Frank

Hi and thankyou for the welcome and the information. MI Coy sounds intriguing, so I'm beginning to make sense of the information I've got. I

I found this article www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/1661to1966...ted_infantry/mi.html which talks of the East Surreys, but it talks of the change of name such as No 2 Company, 2nd Division, Mounted Infantry. Would this not have been recorded in the service record? It was this lack of info that made me think perhaps the photo was from his time at "home" in the reserves, either before SA, or in the time before he was discharged, but it's also possible it is a photo from his time in SA.

I guess the next step in finding out more about his role and his time in SA would be to read up on the MI Coy in SA. I doubt I'll find any reference to him specifically, but it'd be nice to know what he and his men fought for.

My great aunt continues to believe that he had a role to play during the great war, working with the Navy, and "Shh-shh" as she put it, but given his service record ends in 1903, I don't see anything that would confirm this, unless he somehow ended up working for MI5.

Thanks again,

Andrew

Hello Andrew,
A warm welcome to the forum and congratulations on your research.
Great photos, it must be good to have them.
Good luck with your further research

Paul

Hello Andrew,
The photo is very typical of the appearance of British Army MI on the veldt as the war progressed, so I would say taken in South Africa.
With regards to his time with their 2nd battalion, the relief of Ladysmith comes to the foremost in my mind and there are several things you can do next, if you are in Great Britain, then a visit to the NAM in Chelsea, would be worth doing to find out more about the MI Coys and life of Tommy Atkins in general.
Also, on this site, from the column on the left, select Unit Information, then Imperial Units, then East Surrey Regt, the information has been taken from British Regiments in South Africa by John Stirling, circa 1903.
For a contempory account of the campaign it's self, again, from the menu on the left, select books, then The Natal Campaign by Bennet Burleigh, who was the correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, this is an account of his time in Natal, you will soon get an idea of what went on.
Regarding any post Boer War army service a careful look in WO363 at Kew or on ancestry might be worth doing and you might also take a look at the Great War medal index cards, again, on line.
I am not a navy man, however, if he was in the Royal Navy, the 75 year rule applies, so you should be alright and a visit to the TNA Kew would be worth doing as you should be able to look at most things from 1853-1923.
What you really need is a service number, in 1908 the system gave each RN branch its own alphabetical prefix, so you can see from a quick look which branch that number belongs to, then you can look at any Registers of Seamen's Services or service statements that might have survived and check the medal rolls in ADM171 etc.
If he was an RN officer, check the published Navy List's you will also find service registers up to 1966 and pay registers to 1924.
Can't really think of anthing else right now.
Regards Frank

Hello Andrew.....

I will agree with Frank and I think that the photo was taken in South Africa.....

With regards to books I do not know of one that is specifically on the subject of East Surrey's but there is a good one on right here on this site.....

www.angloboerwar.com/books/36-crum-with-...ntry-in-south-africa

Worth while checking out.....

Mike