TOPIC:

Hi,

I am researching the above described on behalf of a neighbour.

I obtained his details as above from the rim of his QSA which has 4 clasps.

Can anyone assist me with any information regarding Pte Spark and Volunteer Companies of the Border Regiment please?

Thanks.

Steve Y

After a brief look at WO100, WO372, WO96, WO97, WO363 and WO364 etc, Matthew Spark, a 23 year old miner from Aspatria, although born in Durham, was a member of the 1st Volunteer Battalion Border Regiment and so was already serving in the Militia before the war.
He joined the Army, the Border Regiment at Carlisle on the 18th of January 1900, like so many from the Militia, to serve in South Africa on a Short Service Engagement with the Colours, not unusual really, as the war was being seen, both by the government and the general public, as a very serious issue after black week.
He served in South Africa from the 4th of March 1900 until the 29th of April 1901, he continued to serve in the Army on that engagement until the 6th of May 1901, he gave his next of kin as his father who lived in Aspatria, in Cumbria.
Moreover, his medal and all clasps are verified in WO100, he married in 1903 and had two children.
A very good soldier, he had considerable service and this continued after the Anglo Boer War, both, in the Militia and then the Territorial Force, he was awarded his TFE medal in 1910 and then went on into the Great War, where he won the DCM, this latter was published in the London Gazette in the new year of 1916.
He attained the rank of Company Quartermaster Sergeant, with a chest full of medals, quite superb for a miner.

Tullybrone wrote: Hi,

I am researching the above described on behalf of a neighbour.

I obtained his details as above from the rim of his QSA which has 4 clasps.

Can anyone assist me with any information regarding Pte Spark and Volunteer Companies of the Border Regiment please?

Thanks.

Steve Y

Hi Steve,

And welcome to the forum.
Frank has given a well documented answer, which I enjoyed reading.

Regards
Paul

Hello Paul,
A quite remarkable character, clearly very keen to get stuck in and give the sovereign's enemies a bloody hard time!
Regards Frank

Hi Frank,

Thanks very much for your detailed reply which as ever has raised a couple of more queries for me.....

I posted initially on Great War Forum in relation to his DCM and was informed that his service papers are on Ancestry - including his TF attestation in 1908 when I presume he transferred over from the Volunteers rather than Militia.

I believe all his pre 1908 service was in the Volunteer organisation rather than the Militia as the family have his Sgt Promotion Board Certificate from Aug 1907 when he was Cpl 5220 3rd (Cumberland) Volunteer Battalion Border Regiment. I think he must have joined 1897/98 as he was awarded TFEM in 1910 for 12 years service.

I can't check Ancestry at the moment as I am away from home and rely on free access at my local library.

I am aware Militia papers are now on FMP (I visited NA over 10 years ago to locate relatives Border Regiment Militia pre 1908 papers) but does anyone know if Matthew Spark's Volunteer service papers are also on FMP or are his Volunteer papers in the Ancestry papers mentioned above?

Whilst I am familiar with WO series you mention I am not confident with the NA search engine!

I am keen to have sight of and obtain copies of all his papers so I can give the family the whole picture.

Thanks again for your response to my query.

Steve Y

PS.

I have been shown some Boer War photographs by the family and subject to their agreement I will post in due course.

One is a studio photograph from a Carlisle photographer of Matthew Spark and his friend George Teasdale - both in Boer war era "khaki". I have no details of Teasdale but presume he was also a Volunteer Company soldier. I would appreciate any information members can provide.

The volunteers in the county regiments served in both the Rifle Volunteers and the Militia, after 1881 they both formed the reserve of "their" county regiments, I always tend to refer to them all as Militia, because they were in effect just that, but, strictly speaking the Militia actually became the Special Reserve in 1908 and members of the Rifle Volunteers serving in the Volunteer Battalion's became the Territorial Force at the same point in time.
Where a man has attested into the Army whilst serving in either the Rifle Volunteer Corps or the Militia, it with be shown in WO97, almost all, though, not all, are available on line these days.
His service is covered in WO97 and WO364 at Kew and notes his service in both the Volunteer Battalions and the Territorial Force respectively within the Border Regiment, his medal entitlement is very clear in WO100 and WO372.
7223 George Teasdale, a 22 year old coal miner from Aspatria was, like Spark, serving in the 1st Volunteer Battalion Border Regiment on the outbreak of the Anglo Boer War and had short service in the Army actually in South Africa with the Border Regiments own Active Service Volunteer Company from the 4th of March 1900 until the 29th of April 1901.
Regards Frank Kelley

Tullybrone wrote: Hi Frank,

Thanks very much for your detailed reply which as ever has raised a couple of more queries for me.....

I posted initially on Great War Forum in relation to his DCM and was informed that his service papers are on Ancestry - including his TF attestation in 1908 when I presume he transferred over from the Volunteers rather than Militia.

I believe all his pre 1908 service was in the Volunteer organisation rather than the Militia as the family have his Sgt Promotion Board Certificate from Aug 1907 when he was Cpl 5220 3rd (Cumberland) Volunteer Battalion Border Regiment. I think he must have joined 1897/98 as he was awarded TFEM in 1910 for 12 years service.

I can't check Ancestry at the moment as I am away from home and rely on free access at my local library.

I am aware Militia papers are now on FMP (I visited NA over 10 years ago to locate relatives Border Regiment Militia pre 1908 papers) but does anyone know if Matthew Spark's Volunteer service papers are also on FMP or are his Volunteer papers in the Ancestry papers mentioned above?

Whilst I am familiar with WO series you mention I am not confident with the NA search engine!

I am keen to have sight of and obtain copies of all his papers so I can give the family the whole picture.

Thanks again for your response to my query.

Steve Y

PS.

I have been shown some Boer War photographs by the family and subject to their agreement I will post in due course.

One is a studio photograph from a Carlisle photographer of Matthew Spark and his friend George Teasdale - both in Boer war era "khaki". I have no details of Teasdale but presume he was also a Volunteer Company soldier. I would appreciate any information members can provide.