TOPIC:

My name is Ian and although I have visited this site many times before, I have just joined the forum. My particular area of interest is the 2nd Battalion Wiltshire Regiment, and I hope to soon publish a history of the Regiment in South Africa during the 2nd Anglo-Boer War.

I have been researching their history for over ten years and am available to answer questions relating to the Regiment particularly and general Boer War questions also.

I do not profess to be an 'expert', I just enjoy history and no doubt there are others here more knowledgeable than me, but I do have access to many items of reference material and if I can help, I will.

Dear ians,

You are enormously welcome here. None of us are comprehensive experts on the Boer War but we chip in when we can on areas that we know about.

As to the Wiltshires, I'll dig out my references to the defence of Pietersburg in 1902 when 'Breaker' Morant was executed but you may have then already. Also for 'Baby' Bolton, Wilts Regt, who prosecuted him in the second and third courts martials.

All the best,

Justin

Hello Ian.....

Here are a couple that I have if you are keeping track.....

Mike

ELLIOT, J. (Joseph)

REG. NO.: 5406
RANK: PRIVATE
REGT: WILTSHIRE REGIMENT (DUKE OF EDINBURGH'S OWN)
BARS: CAPE COLONY, ORANGE FREE STATE, TRANSVAAL


DREWETT, H. G. (Hedley George)

REG. NO.: 6310
RANK: PRIVATE
REGT: WILTSHIRE REGIMENT, MOUNTED INFANTRY
BARS: CAPE COLONY, ORANGE FREE STATE, TRANSVAAL, SOUTH AFRICA 1901, SOUTH AFRICA 1902

Morning Ian,
And a warm welcome to the forum, I am sure your knowledge will be greatly appreciated.
Good luck with your publication and further research.

Paul

Ians1900 wrote: My name is Ian and although I have visited this site many times before, I have just joined the forum. My particular area of interest is the 2nd Battalion Wiltshire Regiment, and I hope to soon publish a history of the Regiment in South Africa during the 2nd Anglo-Boer War.

I have been researching their history for over ten years and am available to answer questions relating to the Regiment particularly and general Boer War questions also.

I do not profess to be an 'expert', I just enjoy history and no doubt there are others here more knowledgeable than me, but I do have access to many items of reference material and if I can help, I will.

Hello, Ian, and welcome to the forum.

I just recently bought into the 2nd Wiltshire Regiment (by way of what passes for an internet auction site).

I will soon have in my hands:
626 Pte C. Loder

Can't find him anywhere yet. That's part of the adventure.

George

Thank you all for a warm welcome to the Forum.

For Justin:

Thank you very much for offering to find your research notes, I would love to read them.

For Mike:

5406 Pte Joseph ELLIOT was also awarded the KSA Medal with the South Africa 1901 clasp. He left South Africa to join the 1st Battalion in India and I believe he left the 2nd Battalion at Naaupoort on 9 November 1901. There is no mention of him by name or number in the Regimental Diary for the Boer War period and he does not appear in the Official Casualty Returns.

There is another Elliot, 6550 Pte F ELLIOT, who is possibly a brother; he left South Africa on 12 October 1900 to return to England as part of the Special Service Company.

6310 Pte Hedley George DREWETT joined the 3rd Battalion Wiltshire Regiment (Militia) on 22 May 1900. The 3rd Battalion were in England until 1901 when the Battalion were sent to St. Helena for a year to guard prisoners of war. Looking at the details of the drafts from the 3rd Battalion, he must have volunteered to go to South Africa and join the 2nd in the field (I say volunteered, because at that time men of the 3rd Battalion were still volunteering to do so). It is indicated that the earliest that he could have joined the Regiment was on 27 June 1900 at Senekal. This would in turn indicate arrival in Cape Town on 14 June 1900 on board the Troopship Kildonan Castle, which had carried a large number of men of split drafts. There is no mention of him by name or number in the Regimental Diary for the Boer War period and he does not appear in the Official Casualty Returns.

There are two other DREWETT’s with the Regiment, one I can see 5486 Pte E DREWETT is also attached from the 3rd Battalion, the other is 2871 Pte J DREWETT; I suspect these three are brothers.

For George:

626 Pte C Loder was also awarded the KSA Medal with the South Africa 1901 clasp. The Medal Roll states simply states “To England”. I suspect with his low service number, he was a career soldier who had finished his Reservist commitment, rather than being part of the Special Service Company. There is no mention of him by name or number in the Regimental Diary for the Boer War period and he does not appear in the Official Casualty Returns.

There is another Loder, possibly a brother, 636 Pte E LODER, who I see from the QSA Medal Roll, left for England on 29 March 1901, again I suspect in similar circumstances.

Kind regards

Ian