TOPIC:

Hi, please forgive me if I am not approaching this question correctly, I’m new to this site.
My great uncle fought in the battle of mouder in South Africa. His name was Robert Read and what I understand is, he was awarded the medal DCM for his action in this battle.
My question is, how do I find out more details about what happened.
I shall attempt to include some images of Robert along side his brothers taken during WW1, also images of his grave in Beersheba, Israel where he lost his life fighting the Turks.
Robert is the one seated along side his standing brothers

Hoping someone can help, Bryan Morgan

Hello Bryan,

Welcome to the Forum.

I can see that Robert Read served in the Imperial Yeomanry and in South Africa between February 1901 and March 1902, receiving the Queen's Medal with 4 clasps.

I have checked the recipients of the DCM for the Boer War and cannot see his name.

Can I ask from where the information came on the award of the DCM please?

With thanks
David

Thank you David for a prompt reply. My grandmother, Robert’s sister was named Blodwen modder read before marriage now my memory does not serve me well enough as to why I thought this was the battle in which he gained the DCM. Maybe because my grandmother was born in 1901 and that is why her name contained Modder.
Could he maybe have earned the medal during another battle ?
I’m new to this kind of research, so thank you for your assistance
Best regards, Bryan

Your Great Uncle Robert Read served in the second wave of the 30th (Pembrokeshire) Company of the Imperial Yeomanry, which is why he attested in Tenby just down the road from where I live now. I have carried out a pretty comprehensive study of the first wave with the intention of moving on to the second wave - that intention has just moved to the top of my to do list.

Just done a newspaper search for mentions of a Robert Read DCM and I am 99% certain all these three clippings refer to your great uncle:

Western Mail 31 October 1935:



Western Mail 11 March 1958:



Western Mail 12 March 1958:



Apologies if you have already seen them. This evening I hope to revisit my Pembrokeshire IY folders which include a Welsh newspaper serialised history of their time in SA including the second wave.

Regards David (of Smethwick & Pembrokeshire)

Bryan - I just realised you had given his WW1 regimental number (355546) via the photo of his headstone you posted. This made it easy to search the London Gazette for his DCM assuming it was associated with his WW1 service, which as you see from the citation below proved to be the case:



You said that you felt his DCM arose from his actions in the Battle of Modder. The Battle of Modder River occurred on 28 November 1899 and well before your GU arrived in SA. However, there were other later skirmishes in the vicinity of Modder & Modder River. The 1st wave definitely had a set to with some Boers near the Modder River in late 1900 for which they were mentioned in despatches. However, I have no information showing the second wave had a similar set to. However, a more focussed search might throw something up.

Regards, David.

Thanks you all for your assistants, I have not seen any of the attachment that have been added to this post before now.
For me, this is an excellent response from the members, I only wish I had investigated this sooner.
Thanks to you all, Bryan