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Hello All,
I am researching William PIRIE for a friend (W. was his great, grandfather) and am struggling with confusing facts. William served with the Ist Scottish Horse and his soldier details on Nat. Archives website say that he was discharged to Pietermaritzberg on 26 July 1901.
HOWEVER, the Nominal Roll indicates that he was discharged on 03 August 1901 in C.T (presumably this is Cape Town).
I cannot find anything to confirm whether he joined up in Scotland or in South Africa (and, if the latter, what was he doing there?) What I do know is that he stayed in S.A and became a Prison Officer at Pretoria Prison - eventually, coming home to Scotland in 1920.
Can anyone help with more details about William time during the Boer War (which would seem to have been only a few months?????)please.
Yvonne

Hello Yvonne,
I would take the entry in WO127/20 as being correct, both entries in WO100/268 pages 70 and 178 give the date as 26th of July 1901, however, WO127 would be what I would use and it is very clear with a enlistment date of the 12th of January 1901 in Kimberley and a discharge date of the 3rd of August 1901, in Cape Town, a normal period of service with the 1st Scottish Horse, moreover, men came from all across the empire to join this and the many other SAMIF units that were formed for general service in South Africa, during that war.
To be quite sure though, you should consult any surviving attestation and discharge in WO126/122-126 at Kew.
Kind regards Frank

Hi Frank,

Many thanks for your reply and really helpful info! Now it will be a matter of visiting the National Archives at Kew. Will the info tell us whether he was already living in South Africa and, if so, with what unit he was serving?

Yvonne

Hello,
It may or may not still exist, if it does, it might give you his address of his next of in kin in Scotland or it might give you an address in South Africa, it might also tell you if he had any prior service in any police or army/navy unit.
You should not treat either medal roll entry as correct with regards to his place of discharge, I suspect it refers only to the man who it is level with in the remarks column.
Regards Frank

Trooper William Pirie # 26075 was my Grandfather and the date of registration in the military was 12 January 1901 and the date of discharge 3 August 1901.
I have the original discharge certificate and a short suummary of his life in Johannesburg, South africa . If the record martches what you are looking for,I can let you have a copy if you are interested --- give me your details and the context of your query. He was born in 1877 and died in1944.

I think you might like to look again at that certificate and the dates shown upon it, he could not have served in the SAMIF after his death!

Graham Pirie wrote: Trooper William Pirie # 26075 was my Grandfather and the date of registration in the military was 12 January 2001 and the date of discharge 3 August 2001.
I have the original discharge certificate and a short suummary of his life in Johannesburg, South africa . If the record martches what you are looking for,I can let you have a copy if you are interested --- give me your details and the context of your query. He was born in 1877 and died in1944.