"Also, he would not have been in South Africa in 1881 for the Boer War - this event did not take place until the late 1890's." Not for the Second Boer War (the one we normally refer to as "the Boer War") -- but presumably he was there for the First Boer War (December 16, 1880 until March 23, 1881, according to Wikipedia). Best wishes, Peter McCaffery