TOPIC:

After doing some research on a military photo found in an old album in the family, I stumbled upon James Walter Streeter. He enlisted in the Canadian Ordnance Corps (C.E.F.) in 1916 at the ripe old age of 39 and was demobilized and discharged in 1919 as a Sergeant after serving in Canada for the duration of the war. He was awarded the War Service Badge, Army Class 'C' since he served, but not overseas.

His Attestation Papers included some great info on his previous service, specifically the Boer War.

He served as a Private with the 13th Hussars (1896-1903), then the British Army Reserve (1903-08) and finally the British Territorial Force (1908-1912) for a total of 16 years. I stumbled on this site and found a "Private JW Steeter". Turns out it is just a typo and should read "JW Streeter". He was awarded both the Queen's (Orange Free State, Transvaal, Tugela Heights, Relief of Ladysmith) and King's South Africa Medals (S.A. 1901, S.A. 1902).

Great find and this site was a great resource for locating that tiny bit of info, including his service number with the 13th. Wish I could uncover more of his specific service.

Photo was taken during the First World War. I assumed the 2 ribbons represent his Boer War medals but they look more like the British War Service and Victory Medals (which I thought he wasn't eligible for due to his WWI service being only in Canada).

Hello, welcome here,
Streeter served in South Africa from the 10th of November 1899 to the 21st of October 1902, I take it he was a relative of yours?
Regards Frank Kelley

Excellent info, Thanks, I'll add it to what I presently have.

Well, were not exactly sure how he may be related yet. My Wife's Grandmother remembered calling him 'Uncle James" but even she wasn't sure of the relation (she had alzheimers when the photo was found and recently passed). There was a Streeter (possibly James' Mother) who lived with my Wife's Great-Great Grandfather's family in England (Hastings, same town James was born in) but that is as far as I can find so far. Whether or not they are related or just extremely close family friends is unknown.

Okay, well he gave his next of kin as his father, a certain Stephen Streeter of number 1 Castle Buildings, Castle Hill, Hastings, so given that, you should certainly have no issue tracing his immediate family in the RG series at Kew.
There is nothing that stands out upon a brief look at him, a fairly typical recruit, he joined the Army as an eighteen year old serving member of the Militia, the 3rd Royal Sussex Regiment.

Excellent, that is certainly a great starting point.

I'm Canadian so I have no idea what 'RG series at Kew' is though.

By Militia, do you mean he also was in service earlier than the 13th? As a cadet, maybe (sorry if wrong term for the time period, closest approximation I can think of at the moment). Would love to find out a unit he served with both in the reserves (if not the 13th) and the Territorial Fore. Forgive my ignorance of British unit histories and organizations, obviously my experience is in dealing with Canadian units of other family members.

Now I remember you, did you not ask about 13th Hussars badges here last year?
RG series are the census returns, he was, in 1896 a serving Militiaman upon joining the Army, you can think of them as part time reservists, they became the Special Reserve in 1908.
A sum of money was paid if joining the Army and many simply used it as a stepping stone to do just that.