TOPIC:

A new member to this site. I have recently discovered a set of letters, from my distant relative Lieutenant HJ McLaughlin, relating to the Boer investment of Standerton from December 1880 to March 1881. I have a further set but that is in relation to the Nile Expedition of 1884/85 to rescue General Gordon. I have no other personal papers but am hoping to find out more about his time in the Boer War 1899/1902 - he had already retired, as a major, but then volunteered for the war and was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel and awarded DSO. So, fingers crossed, I may come across something of interest here - initial review looks promising.

Any initial guidance on how I can have the details for him on this site amended/revised? The current information is factually incorrect (as indeed I think it was on the original DSO document, as confirmed by NAM in 1966). He was commissioned 11 August 1880 and went out to join his regiment but only got as far as Standerton, by which time the 94th Foot marching from Lydenburg to Pretoria had been massacred at Bronkhorstspruit. The 94th were not at Isandhlwana and the date of 1900 is clearly adrift. I have revised text that I could submit.

Welcome to the Forum. for you and your illustrious distant relative.

Here is your photo of him for all to see.

DMcL
Here is a digest of your distant relative (from the Distinguished Service Order book)
Regards
IL.

DMcL
Your distant relative Hubert James McLaughlin ( 5th Lancers) earned his Queens South Africa medal whilst serving in the Remount Department and recieved the clasps for Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Transvaal. His rank was that of Major. He served under Lieutenant Colonel William Henry Birkbeck ( Kings Dragoon Guards)
Who later went onto be director of he remount department and finished his army career a Major-General (Sir William Henry Birkbeck, KCB, CMG)

As a reserve officer H J McLaughlin gained his rank of Lieutenant Colonel on the 18th October 1902.

The distinguished painting of your relation Lieutenant Colonel H J McLaughlin is courtesy of Ancestry UK. ( Probably posted by your good self or another McLaughlin relative)



I would imagine somewhere beneath that impressive array of gold braid is his DSO, Egypt Medal, possible Kehdive Star, 3 clasp Queens South Africa and Kings South Africa medal. Unfortunately his WW1 medal entitlement was requested by his family after his death in Aldershot in 1915.



This link may give you an insight into your relatives time with the remount department during the ABW.
www.angloboerwar.com/images/pdf/TimesHistory06-206.pdf


Dave....

Many thanks for the extract - it is most helpful and very kind of you to locate. The problem is that the DSO digest is wrong. In fact the DSO notice in The London Gazette of 26 June 1902 was also wrong in that it referred mistakenly to a Lt-Col HENRY James McLaughlin but this was corrected in a War Office errata that I have as a press cutting from 7 July 1902. And the digest is factually incorrect - it refers to him obtaining his commission in 1900 when it was August 1880 (by 1900 he was already retired from the army, but back as a major in South Africa) and the 94th were not at Isandhlwana (which was early 1879) - but they were at Bronkhorstspruit (December 1880). If the regiment had been cut up at Isandhlwana, then the authorities would probably not have been sending out troops some 18 months later to join the regiment, so it just does not make sense.

The first letter that I found was sent from Pietermaritzburg in November 1880 when he was about to make his way to Lydenburg to join the regiment, but of course they never made it on their march to Pretoria and Hubert only managed to get as far as Standerton, where he was joined by Major Montague (whom he had met a few days earlier in Pietermaritzburg), and from where he started his journal proper. Some of the other details are also incorrect but the major error in the digest was the confusion between Islandhlwana and Bronkhorstspruit (as well as the dates). I can dig out a letter from the NAM (from 1966) which confirms much of that and post tomorrow.

So - can you advise how I can get the text on this forum, at least, changed to reflect the true position?

Many thanks for this indeed. I think that I have a photograph equivalent and will try to dig that out.

I have the medals and will try to photo and post tomorrow - and, yes, there is a Khedive's Star.

Will also follow the link that was attached.