TOPIC:

Hi, my friend has managed to find the email conversation between himself and the owner of his Great Grandfather's medal collection. The owner has done meticulous research, some of which correlates with the info the members here have found. I've attached the details (it contains the details of his son as well, the chap we're looking at is the second write up). I wish he'd mentioned he had this information sooner!

Seems it hasn't attached, I'll try again
This is the text:
Alexander Robson, as he was known throughout his military career, was born
in the parish of St.Thomas, Newcastle, Northumberland in October 1879. His
employment as a working man was a labourer and a member of the 3rd Militia
Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers. On the 1st August 1898, he attested and
joined the regular army staying with the Northumberland Fusiliers and assigned
to the 2nd Battalion.
When war broke out in South Africa in 1899, Pte.Robson and the rest of the
battalion were shipped out and landed at the Cape in November 1899 joining
General Gatacre's Division. Their first engagement was at the disastrous Battle
of Stormberg. During this engagement, Pte.Robson was one of the many
soldiers taken prisoner. Days later he and the rest were released as the Boers
had no means of housing prisoners of war. In early 1901, Robson contracted a
fever and was shipped back to England. From 1902 he had returned to South
Africa and then stationed in Mauritius, returning back to England in 1904. In
1906 he gained a certificate at the School of Cookery and was holding the rank
of corporal. Also in that year he married Alice Helena Heaver at Gravesend
Kent.
In August 1907, he transferred to the Royal Irish Fusiliers with the rank of
Sergeant Cook. In January 1912, Robson and his family along with the 2nd
Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers were posted to India and stationed at Quetta.
When war was declared in August 1914, the regiment returned home in
December 1914 and then immediately went to France.

I had seen the attestation which is referred to n FMP, but wasn't sure if it was the right man. As the owner of the medals seems to be a very keen researcher, I have no reason to doubt the veracity of the other information. He had this attached to a display for the Aldershot Militaria Society.

Jo – the researcher’s write-up is frustrating as it does not give Alexander’s regimental number either when he was serving with the NF or the RIF. I think we are in agreement regarding the RIF service. His report also contains a major relevant piece of mis-information.

The medal roll for the 2nd Btn of the NF does not list an A Robson:



I have checked out the six Robsons listed as far as I am able – 4272, 4616, 3795 & 633 can be dismissed as not being “our” Alexander in disguise. 3788 could be him as I can find no paperwork or information. 5463 is a candidate especially as a handwritten “A” could easily be misread as an “R”. Again no paperwork for him but a transcript record on Find My Past has this to say:

First name(s) R
Last name Robson
Year 1899-1902
Rank Private
Service number 5463
Regiment 2 Battalion The Northumberland Fusiliers
Rolls WO100/169 page 182
Event unit 2 Battalion The Northumberland Fusiliers
Event detail Prisoner of War on 10/12/1899 at Stormberg
Event source SAFF
Second event unit 2 Battalion The Northumberland Fusiliers
Second event detail Released on 06/06/1900 at Waterval
Second event source TDA
Literary references The Times Digital Archive 19000710
Country Great Britain
Record set Anglo-Boer War Records 1899-1902

This also highlights the mis-information in the researcher’s report – the Boers DID have facilities for handling prisoners at the time of the Battle of Stormberg. I am not that familiar with this battle but I believe somewhere on the spectrum of many/most/all the Imperial prisoners at Stormberg were taken to Watervaal near Pretoria in the Transvaal. Their release came on 6 June 1900 when Imperial Forces took control of Pretoria.

I think I will withdraw from the fray on this matter unless a regimental number for his time in the NF is forthcoming – as said before it should be engraved on the rim of his QSA medal.

Regards, David.

If it's any help, the number on the attestation of the Alexander Robson he claims is our man is 4908. I'm going to try to email the owner and see if I can get aa transcription of the engraving. Thank you for all your help

If I do a military search on Find My Past for somebody who served in the NF with a regimental number 4908 I do get a positive reply along the following lines:

Militia attestation papers (3 pages) for an Ambrose Goymer, Reg No. 4908, 3rd Militia Battalion of the NF. Dated early May 1898 and location Alnwick. Ambrose claimed to be 33 years of age, born in All Saints, Bristol but living in All Saints, Newcastle-on-Tyne. He did not report in during 1899 and there the record stops.

Besides this record according to both Ancestry & Find My Past Ambrose Goymer did not exist - heard that somewhere else recently!

Regards, David.

Jo
As per David's previous post, I have also trawled the N F medal rolls and the SAFF prisoner records. No dice I'm afraid regarding your man.
I would certainly like to see the detail on the medal. As for 4908 and Mr Ambrose....see the snippet below

Dated 1900.

Best wishes

Dave ...

I've heard back from the owner of the medal collection (I admit I wasn't expecting to!) and the inscription on the QSA medal is "5463 Pte.A.Robson. North’d Fus." Which corresponds with the R Robson mentioned above; a transcription error by the looks of it.

This makes me even more suspicious that the attestation in 1898 is a different Alexander Robson as the numbers are different.