TOPIC:

Hi everyone.

I am researching my ancestry which includes my grandfather, Ernest Charles Chapman (he preferred to be known as Charles Ernest Chapman) who joined the 4th Australian Imperial Regiment, Service No. 452 in about 1899 and was shipped over to South Africa to fight in the Boer War. He obviously fell in love with the country because, I guess like a lot of other Imperial Forces, he was discharged and remained in South Africa after the war. If anyone has any information about the Australian forces in the Boer War I would be very happy to read it.

Thank you

Kind regards to you all

Charles Chapman

Charles
Would have assisted if the unit details on the QSA had been given. However, one "452 Ernest Charles Chapman" enlisted in the Victorian 4th Imperial Contingent (Bushmen) and was discharged in SA 02081901. If you go to the "books" section of this site and search for Records of Australian Military Contingents to the SA War you will find an operational history of this unit.
You might also try the Aust War Memorial site to see if they have any personal papers, etc.
Regards
IL.

Charles,

It would also seem that Charles attested into the Cape Police as Pte 1186 and served until 31/05/1902. I will have a look tonight for you.

Regards
Adrian

Thank you, Adrian. His life in South Africa between the time he was discharged from the Australian Imperial Forces on 8 May 1901 'til the time he joined the Cape Auxiliary Horse Transport Corp in Kimberley at the beginning of the WWI is a bit of a mystery. I'm not surprised he joined some sort of para-military unit as he went on to spend most of his adult life in the SA Army, even serving as a cook sergeant in WWII at Koffiefontein at the age of 49. He went through 3 major wars which probably explains a lot.

Kind regards

Charles Chapman

Hi Charles

If those are his medals where are the WWII ones?

If he never left the borders of SA in WWII he would have been eligible for the War Medal 1939/45 and the Africa Service Medal. If he had more than 20 years service in total he might have been eligible for a Long Service and Good Conduct Medal with war service counting x2.

Regards

Rory

Hello Charles,

Chapman's Cape Police attestation papers confirm that it is your man. He attested on the 1st Novemeber 1901 in Cape Town.

Papers show that he was recommended by the Victorian Imperial Bushman and that he was from 13 College Road, Kent Town,South Australia. He was born 23/08/1878 and a Horse Breaker by Trade.

The other details in the papers are confirmed in Robin Droogleevers publication " That Ragged Mob" on page 553.

Regards
Adrian