TOPIC:

Hello
I have recently been given some WW1 service medals which belonged to my Great Uncle William Richmond who lived in Northumberland .Born 1879. He died in 1957. I can just remember him telling me that he fought in the Boer War and only recently looking at the three standard WW1 service medals I now see that the inscription on the side reads A/CpL W Richmond S A C S C R E and on the back of second (1914-15 star) is SAFT&PO (?) . I think that he therefore went from South Africa to serve in WW1 and was initially in the Boer War and stayed and joined up there.
I would love to know where he served in South Africa and find sources that would give me more information on his service. I know my grandmother, who was much younger than he was, used to tell me he served in Boer War but he would have been only 20 in 1899. I have found some records for W Richmond's from a Yorkshire regiment in Boer War but no clues are given to date of birth or place of birth to confirm that the records relate to my great uncle.

Hi

The SAFT&PC is the South African Field Telegraph and Postal Corps.
The SACSCRE is the South African Corps of Signals Company Royal Engineers.

His South African service records are obtainable from the Military Archives in Pretoria. These records may give a birth date,next of kin etc. He probably served in East Africa.

A researcher can obtain these records for you.

Regards

Adrian (No2)

As mentioned, his medal cards and any remaining papers will be in Pretoria, his oversees wartime service will certainly have been in German South West Africa and France.

chrismas284 wrote: Hello
I have recently been given some WW1 service medals which belonged to my Great Uncle William Richmond who lived in Northumberland .Born 1879. He died in 1957. I can just remember him telling me that he fought in the Boer War and only recently looking at the three standard WW1 service medals I now see that the inscription on the side reads A/CpL W Richmond S A C S C R E and on the back of second (1914-15 star) is SAFT&PO (?) . I think that he therefore went from South Africa to serve in WW1 and was initially in the Boer War and stayed and joined up there.
I would love to know where he served in South Africa and find sources that would give me more information on his service. I know my grandmother, who was much younger than he was, used to tell me he served in Boer War but he would have been only 20 in 1899. I have found some records for W Richmond's from a Yorkshire regiment in Boer War but no clues are given to date of birth or place of birth to confirm that the records relate to my great uncle.