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re: Boer War Help

S

sheri

master brummie
Good afternoon from sunny London,
yesterday went to the Family Records centre at Kew - I was looking for information about my gt.uncle - Leonard Bray who I know served in the Boer War as I have a letter he wrote to my g.mother where he says they had come back from Zululand - they were very helpful at kew and we found the box of records - many Bray's but NO Leonard. He was in the Cavalery possibly in the Imperial Yeomanry???
Can anyone tell me if there is anywhere else I can look.

Thank you
Sheri
 
Hi dib44, Thank you for your reply. I got onto the site you recommended but wasn't able to open the site within it. Will try again.
Can you tell me what the official name of Zululand was/is - that will make it a bit easier to find what I am looking for I hope.
Thanks again
Sheri
 
sheri said:
Good afternoon from sunny London,
yesterday went to the Family Records centre at Kew - I was looking for information about my gt.uncle - Leonard Bray who I know served in the Boer War as I have a letter he wrote to my g.mother where he says they had come back from Zululand - they were very helpful at kew and we found the box of records - many Bray's but NO Leonard. He was in the Cavalery possibly in the Imperial Yeomanry???
Can anyone tell me if there is anywhere else I can look.

Thank you
Sheri
Click to expand...
Sheri, had he got any Boer Medals & what year did he come home. Len.
 
Lencops, sorry not to have replied before - been away for a few days. NO medals that I know of and I couldn't find anything to say how long he was he was in the Army - just know he was a soldier in 1901 and in Zululand because of the letter.
Thank you,
Sheri
 
hi sheri
the zululand war was sometimes called the Natal conflict there was a "Natal Horse" cavalry unit operating as special forces unit there.
regards
paul stacey
 
Hi Paul, Thanks for the information that may narrow down as to where my gt.uncle was - but he was only 19/20 so would he be old enough for "special forces" - he was definatly calvalry - it's funny though can't find any trace of him after the B oer War neither marriage or death certificates!! We plod on,
Sheri
 
Hi dib44, Thanks for the message - yes I've been on that site I don't think he was killed - just can't find him after the Boer war.
Sheri
 
hi sheri
I use the term special forces not in the modern context, but these were units raised for quick hit and run tactics behind the Boer lines semi auto-minus, they were not covered by the rules of conventional war fare. Some of these engagements went unrecorded, and the dead not even buried so this may be why there is no record??
regards
paul stacey
 
Hi Paul, thank you for the information - how interesting - do you know if my gt.uncle was involved and was killed in one of those raids - would his family have been informed? Or would they have been left not knowing what happened to him - he would only have been 19/20 so they were b ound to wonder.
Cheers
Sheri
 
Hi Linda, thank you for putting this site on the forum - I'll need ab out a week to go through it all - so frustrating I can't find my gt.uncle.
Sheri
 
hi sheri
There was case (which became a film) called the Lt Moran case where the British Goverment executed three of these irregulars for murder. This area is very murky as the British were still smarting over the consentration camp accusation of Boer civilians, and was not always recorded but hidden. You don't mention the regiment your relative went out to S A with they must have a record of ,transfer, discharge, K.I.A, died of disease ect??
regards
paul stacey
 
Hi Paul, Thanks for your message - I doubt if my gt.uncle was caught up in anything like that as he was only 19/20 when he went to SA.
The only things I have is a photo of him on a horse in uniform with a sword and a flag - he is wearing a little pill box hat - the photo has written on the back is Len Sept 16 1900 - and my father said it was him.
The other thing I have is a letter dated, South Africa 22.10.01 written to my g.mother - he said "they had been i n Zululand but had come back because the climate did not do for them and more than half the regiment were in hospital". further on he says that "all field Artillary gets stationed in different places to garrison the t? (can't read the word) and not continually on the move like us and the Rotal Horse Artillary"
I might have to give up spending too much time on him!!!
Thanks for your time
Sheri
 
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