> To: <[email protected]> > Cc: <[email protected]> > Subject: Ladysmith > Date: Sat, 17 May 2003 16:41:02 -0700 > Kathleen: I am very much interested in a copy of your picture via e-mail, > as I do believe my Grandfather also fought at Ladysmith. I received e-mail > from David Humphry whom is very familiar with the Boer War. I have copied > and pasted the original letter I sent to him and his replies. I have just > found my Grandfather's burial place after all these many years of searching. > I began in 1955. > Perhaps the other young man in the picture may be my Grandfather. I have > not had time to follow up with David's information he has supplied me, due > to the fact my husband just got out of hospital with a quadruple heart by > pass. Sincerely yours. Julia Schmitz > From: "David Humphry" <[email protected]> > To: "Julia Schmitz" <[email protected]> > Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 12:24 AM > Subject: Re: [BOER-WAR] Military Service Records Information > > > > Hi Julia, > > > > I must have missed your original posting but I 'lost' a number of e-mails > a > > few weeks ago and yours might well have been one of them. > > > > There is a P. Milward shown as wounded in the casualty list: > > > > 3868 L/Cpl. P. Milward 1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment wounded at Wagon > > Hill, Ladysmith 6 January 1900 > > > > If this is your grandfather - and the chances are that it is - there is > > quite a story. Ladysmith was besieged by the Boers from 2 November 1899 to > > 28 February 1900 and 1/Devons formed part of the garrison of 13,000 > soldiers > > locked up there. On 6 January the Boers launched their only serious > attempt > > to capture Ladysmith with an assault on the heights of Wagon Hill and > > Caesar's Camp to the south of the town. The battle lasted from 3.30 am > until > > 5 pm when 3 companies of 1/Devons were ordered to charge the remaining > Boer > > positions on the western crest of Wagon Hill in the middle of a > > thunderstorm. They had to cross 130 yards of open ground before they > reached > > the Boer position but they took it and ended the battle. > > > > I've been to the battlefield and I can promise you that it took a lot of > > guts to charge that position. I have a particular interest in this battle > > and in my collection I have the medals of a lieutenant and a lance > corporal > > of the Devons who were were killed in the charge. > > > > I suggest your next step is to check for his attestation and service > papers > > in series WO 97 at the Public Record Office at Kew, near London. You'll > need > > a researcher to do that but I can recommend mine if you want to try this. > > These papers, if they survive, should include enough personal details > > (birthplace, age on enlistment, etc.) to make a positive I.D. although > about > > 30%-35% of this series were destroyed in an air raid in WW2. > > > > It 's possible that he served in WW1 even if he was invalided to pension > in > > the Boer War. I have papers covering several men whose medals I have who > > joined up for WW1 despite apparently serious disabilities. Sometimes a > keen > > volunteer might have been able to hide a disability but the losses were so > > great that no doubt the authorities turned a blind eye as they needed > every > > man they could get. It's a fact that men turned down as not being A1 in > 1914 > > were accepted without question a couple of years later. This happened to > one > > of my grandfathers. If the Australian records show he served with them in > > WW1 then I see no reason to doubt it. Presumably he went to Australia to > > volunteer or perhaps even volunteered at the Australian embassy in > > Washington. This type of thing also happened. > > > > I hope this helps. > > > > Regards, > > > > David > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Julia Schmitz <[email protected]> > > To: David Humphry <[email protected]> > > Sent: Sunday, February 23, 2003 4:55 PM > > Subject: [BOER-WAR] Military Service Records Information > > > > > > > Dear David: > > > > > > I put in a query on my Grandfather on the Boar War on 22 January 2003, > got > > a > > > few replies but none very helpful. > > > > > > I did receive a very few replies, which wasn't very helpful. Someone > > wrote > > > that I possibly would get a reply from David Humphry who is a found of > > > knowledge. I was hoping I would hear from you but never did. > > > > > > Perhaps you can help me at this time. My Grandfather: Percival John > > Impey > > > Milward (Sometimes spelled with two ll's) served in the Boer War. He > was > > > injured in the early stages of the Boer War and received a pension over > > the > > > years while my mother was growing up. > > > > > > My Great Grandparents lived in Tasmania, their son, Percival was born in > > > Kew, Australia in 1877. Where he entered the service, I have no idea. > > When > > > he married my Grandmother, I have no idea either. But my mother was > born > > in > > > Newquay, Cornwall, England in November 1902, of which Percival was her > > > father. I have no record of marriages, but my Grandmother carried his > > > Surname as Milward. > > > > > > My Grandmother and Grandfather and Mother came to the United States > either > > > when mother was 3 or 6 months old. I can find no record of when or how > > they > > > got here, but mother (now deceased) was too young to know, but assume by > > > Boat, as I have two steel or metal type luggage containers that came > with > > > them. > > > > > > In my recent research to find my Grandfather, buried in Narrogin, > > > Australia, of which he abandoned the family and returned to Australia > > around > > > in the 1920's sometime. Supposedly remarried. When he was buried, > there > > > was no Information of any family, wife or anything. > > > > > > My mother had his discharge papers when I was a little girl, but they > were > > > burned in a fire, so I know that he did serve in the military. > > > > > > A strange thing that I found when searching the 1920 Census records, my > > > Grandfather, Grandmother and Mother kept their citizenship over in > > England, > > > never was naturalized or became US Citizen's. > > > > > > Another strange thing, when I searched for Percival's death information > in > > > Narrogin, it reflected that he had served in the Great War of 1914-1918. > > > How could this be possible? He was in the United States all this time, > > but > > > perhaps he lied to get the recognition there in Australia. If he had > been > > > injured in the Boer War, how could he be able to serve in another war if > > he > > > was receiving a pension? Too many unanswered questions. > > > > > > Many years ago, 24 Sep 1974, I wrote to the Dept. of the Army, Canberra, > > > A.C.T., Australia.. They returned a letter stating that they failed to > > find > > > any reference to a John Impey Percival Milward serving in the > Australian > > > Military Forces. That was 29 October 1974. > > > > > > Later years, I then wrote on 21 February 1976 and to Army Records > Centre, > > > Bourne Avenue, Hayes, Middlesex UB2 1RF. I received a reply back > stating: > > > "Percival John Impey Milward - I am to refer to your letter dated 21 > > > February 1976 and to state that a careful search has failed to disclose > > the > > > service documents of the above-named. It is indeed regretted that we > are > > > unable to assist further with your inquiry. Copy of Birth Certificate > > > herewith returned." > > > > > > Can you possibly help or give me any suggestions? I am at wits end to > > find > > > out information on his serving in the Boer War. > > > > > > Thank You. Julia Schmitz of Wickenburg, Arizona, USA > > > > > > >