TOPIC:

Hi

Very early into my research on to the Boer War

I have discovered a relative

William Henry Smith 5009 Gloucestershire Regiment.
Enlisted 1897 aged 18

served in SA 2nd BATTALION GLOUCESTERSHIRE REGIMENT
and later in WW1 in France

I have his Service record, and MIC from WW1.

Do MIC exists for the Boer Wars?
From the records I have

William was awarded the S A Medal with mentions for Kimberley and Paardeberg

Is there anymore information available on William Smith 5009?

thank you in advance

Colin

Welcome Colin......

No MIC's for Boer War but the following is from Find My Past......

First name(s) W
Last name Smith
Service number(s) 5009
Rank Lance-Corporal
Regiment The Gloucestershire Regiment
Unit: 2 The Gloucestershire Regiment Battalion
Casualty units The Gloucestershire Regiment
Casualty details Wounded on 23 November 1900 at Dewetsdorp (Official casualty roll location: Dewetsdorp)
Casualty source South African Field Force. JB Hayward & Sons
Gazzetteer [2926: 2935-2640] a town and railway station in the Orange Free State (Dewetsdorp district; Free State). Having ordered the occupation of Dewetsdorp on 28 March 1900, Field Marshal Lord Roberts ordered its evacuation three days later after the defeat at Sannah's Post*. On 2 April the garrison marched out towards Reddersburg*, but they were intercepted near that town by commandos led by Chief-Cmdt C.R. de Wet who forced the surrender of the column. The 3rd Field Force under Maj-Gen J.D.P. French forced the Boers to evacuate Dewetsdorp on 25 April and it was occupied by the 8th division under Lt-Gen Sir H.M.L. Rundle. By November the town had been entrenched and was garrisoned by men from the 2nd The Gloucestershire regiment, the 1st The Highland Light Infantry, mounted infantry and two guns of the 68th battery Royal Field Artillery, all under the command of Maj W.G. Massy, Royal Field Artillery. On 19 November Dewetsdorp was invested by burghers under the command of Chief-Cmdt C.R. de Wet with Asst Veg-Gen P.R. Botha and Cmdts H.W. Lategan and P.W. de Vos. After apparently disappearing, the burghers seized a piquet on Lonely Kop* on the morning of 21 November and from the high ground began to shell the town. More outlying positions were driven in and the firing continued. On the night of 22 November, the garrison was driven back to its main position with its water supply cut off. On the following afternoon Massey was forced to surrender. British losses were 14 killed and 75 wounded, the remainder being taken prisoner. The Boers lost seven killed and 14 wounded. For acts of gallantry on 22 and 23 November, Pte C. Kennedy, 2nd The Highland Light Infantry, was awarded the Victoria Cross. For the Boers, Field Cornet W.J. Wessels of the Harrismith commando distinguished himself and was elected its commandant shortly afterwards. HMG II pp.302, 303 and 306-308 (map no.34), III pp.490-493 (map no.38); IV p.703; Times IV pp.67-71 (map of the Orange Free State in front pocket), IV pp.28-33 and 86 (map facing p.32); Wilson II pp.571-572, III pp.219222 (map on p.218); De Wet pp.95 and 220-226.


Hope this is of some help......

Mike

Mike

Thanks for the reply, I do have the FMP data, I was just interested to see if there was anymore information available tucked away on the internet anywhere.
thanks again

Colin

The MIC's in WO372 exist because when you get to the Great War it becomes a case of number crunching with millions of men rather than thousands, they simply provide a reference to the rolls that the medals were actually issued from, this was not the case in the Anglo Boer War, the campaign medals being issued from WO100.
In Smith's case, his QSA/KSA pair were issued from WO100/183 and WO100/329, the "mentions" you refer to are actually clasps and are Relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg and Dreifontein.
Company Sergeant Major Smith had a busy career and was an old contemptible serving with the British Expeditionary Force from the 13th of August 1914 to the 23rd of November 1914, earning a well deserved 1914 Star and again in France from the 7th of October 1918 to the 8th of April 1919, in the case of this latter, a fond farewell, I dare say, perhaps unlikely, but, ironic given he was an instructor of musketry, he might have exchanged a few parting shots with Jerry.
Notwithstanding all that had gone before, the very serious and often desperate fighting that resulted in the gun shot wounds he received on the 7th of November 1914, would, I am sure, count for so much more to him.
The 1st Gloucestershire's had been on loan to the dashing General FitzClarence from the 3rd Infantry Brigade and on the 29th of October 1914, he had sent them up to the line at the Gheluvelt crossroads to counter a German "break in" to the British line, there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that CSM Smith's battalion prevented a huge disaster, FitzClarence, a VC winner, was killed on the 12th of November 1914, just a few hours after the defeat of the wretched Prussian Guard at Nonne Bosschen.

The Anglo Boer War and all of Smith's service within it, from the 1st of January 1900 to the end and then as a member of the garrison until the summer of 1904,would, I am sure, have been a holiday when compared with that amazing late summer of 1914 and beyond.

I salute a very brave man here today!

reeves_colin wrote: Hi

Very early into my research on to the Boer War

I have discovered a relative

William Henry Smith 5009 Gloucestershire Regiment.
Enlisted 1897 aged 18

served in SA 2nd BATTALION GLOUCESTERSHIRE REGIMENT
and later in WW1 in France

I have his Service record, and MIC from WW1.

Do MIC exists for the Boer Wars?
From the records I have

William was awarded the S A Medal with mentions for Kimberley and Paardeberg

Is there anymore information available on William Smith 5009?

thank you in advance

Colin