Anyone Met A Boer War Veteran?

[Essexboy68]

Hi Folks

Unfortunately I have never met a Boer War veteran, & only know of 1 WW1 veteran that I have met. However, my great grandfather served (as a Coldstream Guardsman), & I was told about him by his surviving children & my Dad, although it appears he never spoke too much about his experiences.

I think, as has been mentioned already, that many of us have met veterans, but were just not aware of it. I have 2 memories of boer war veterans, one was the cavalryman (already mentioned) who appeared in the excellent BBC series "Soldiers" (I really wish someone would repeat it), & the other was the report around 1980 of the last veterans reunion, when it was decided that as there only about 10 left, & they were spread across the globe, it was not a viable proposition anymore.

Regards

Mark

[Edward_N_Kelly]

In one of my former incarnations I met the last three Boer War veterans of the South Australian contingents. Nice fellows but my interests wee not then awakened as they are now to my regret.

I was part of a the relevant Minister's posse presenting them with free (non-means tested) medical treatment for the remainder of their life. That was quite a thing 30 years ago in Australia.

They were an annomoly actually - the legislation mentioned only WWI personnel until someone piped up what of those Boer War veterans who for some reason or another did not make it to WWI or did not otherwise do qualifying service in WWI (it had to be with Australian Forces). That at the omission of those who served with AN&MEF had to be corrected after the legislation was presented to Parliament (by way of an amendment). Later amendments added those who served with other Commonwealth Forces but were nominally Australian eg those who were in the UK for some reason at the outbreak of war and enlisted in the British forces there. At least several Boer War veterans were aded to the free treatment list as a result of this from memory - one serving with the South Africans in SW Africa and in Europe and another with the British Army. Both returning to Australia some time in the 1920's.

Cheers

Edward

[Paul Nixon]

... That at the omission of those who served with AN&MEF had to be corrected after the legislation was presented to Parliament (by way of an amendment).

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Oops! I can imagine the scene... You could add an alternative caption to the Bateman cartoon (below); "The man who forgot the Boer war pensioners."

[docchippy]

Attached pic of obituary for George Ives - last Boer war veteran

[DavidWFox]

Thanks all, for the continuing responses.

I just missed out on interviewing one - possibly.  One Old Contemptible I interviewed at The Star & Garter found himself in Khaki in 1901, just as the Boer War vets were returning to the UK.  He was 104 when I met him; as bright as a button, and lived to be 106. 

Paul

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Paul

I remember from my childhood a character known to me as uncle Bill - he married an aunt of mine late on in life - who had served in the Buffs in the Boer war. He was an ex Dover policeman - can remember a story he told of the privations the rank and file troops suffered in terms of poor rations - and how they raided an officers supply train to suppllement their own rations on one occasion.

Regarsd

Dave Fox

[Paul Nixon]

Docchippy - thanks for the obit. Interesting that the last Boer War vet died 92 years after the conflict ended. Using the same maths we'll be making our final tributes to the last WW1 vet in 2010.

Dave and others thanks for the contributions - less tangible contact with the Boer war than I would have thought actually.

Paul

[Dave_59]

too old for military service...at 34???

What about conscription...up to 40/41yrs???

Dave

[truthergw]

I am surprised at the low number of positive responses in this thread. There are numerous members on forum who fall into the category of old git who must have met these men on a daily basis.  , some probably waved them off in the first place.

Andy

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I spent the first two years of my working life with a WW1 veteran. (RHA). We made weekly visits to a club where quite a few of his cronies met. Some had not been as fortunate as him and were missing a limb or suffering from exposure to gas. It is a good bet that some of these men would have been Boer War veterans. Trouble is, none of them talked about it. When they did tell a young lad a tale, it was usually wildly exaggerated and ended in a loud chorus of guffaws all round. I never thought that one day I would be passionately interested in these men's experiences.

[FredJCarss]

I met on many occasions as a youngster George Donaldson who served in some mounted outfit. He told me they had to buy their own horse. He lived to a right old age and re-married at 87!! (My father was best man). George wanted to give me his sword but my father put his foot down (Bu**er it).

Fred

[Rob Bulloch]

I am surprised at the low number of positive responses in this thread. There are numerous members on forum who fall into the category of old git who must have met these men on a daily basis.  , some probably waved them off in the first place.

Andy

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Hello To the Forum,

As I fall into the "Old Git" category I remember years ago meeting an old gent that moved to our village in Scotland when he retired a very interesting old chap, he would come into our miners club every afternoon (exept Sunday) and have a wee dram he would talk about his life in the Scots Greys and about the Boar War, he joined the regiment as a boy and told us his first rank was "Osler" he also served in WW1 but he did not talk about it very often he was a very interesting old gent and he would always say when he started a story now listen lads if I have told this story befor please tell me I will never forget this man his name was John McLean Queenanne, he was originally from around the Ayrshire Coast

Yours Aye Rob B.

[Marisan]

I remember Boer War Veterans at the Anzac services in New Zealand in the mid sixties ( I was only 10)

[DMcNay]

The documentary "Sons of the Blood" which was first shown in the 1970s is well worth a viewing if you manage to find a copy.

Made by Kenneth Griffith, he interviews many of the surviving veterans of the Boer War, and was present at the last meeting of the Veterans Association, where they formally disbanded.

I can't recommend it enough.

David

[centurion]

As a small boy (of about 6) I met a number of Boer War vets who were friends of my Grand parents. Unfortunately I was too young to appreciate who I was meeting. They were in their 70's I did go to tea with an elderlycouple (both over 100 but quite chipper - he kept bees and we had some of the honey - he had been a small boy (about my age) in India during the mutiny, again I was too young and too shy at the time to ask any relevant question (and perhaps he couldn't remenber any answers). The past is closer than you think.

[PDW]

I met a Boer War veteran in Tasmania in 1972. He told me he was with the mounted infantry and as he was only 17 was always the one ( of each group of four men) told to hold the horses when they dismounted and went into action. He recalled he got upset about this was eventualy permitted to have a shot at some Boers.

Peter

[geraint]

As a very young bloke in his 50s, (me!) I recall my grandfather, the youngest of 10 children had an elder brother serving with a cavalry outfit during the Boer War, and later in WW1 with the SWBs. My grandfather possessed his sword, and an old muzzle loader, and he promised them to me. On his death, as similarly mentioned by a previous member, my gran and mum decided I was too young (1980 - 25 years old) for such grown up toys, AND THEY THREW THEM AND HIS MEDALS AWAY!

(Exit stage left fuming, weeping and looking for the whiskey!)

Geraint

[stuartd]

Here's a little You Tube number on George Ives, the last Boer War veteran mentioned above:

Interesting clip I thought!

[Nigel Marshall]

I don't think I ever met a Boer War veteran myself as there were only about 8 volunteers from my town but my Grandmother remembered the day they came home. She would have been about 8 at the time. Her uncle, Pte. W. Wiseman, picked her up and put her on his shoulders for the march from the Railway station to the Town Hall.

Tom

Hello Tom,

I don't suppose you remember making this post, but my Great Granddad was born in Wednesbury in 1861.

He came from a fairly prosperous family of Irish immigrants out of Tipperary. As the youngest son he was destined, within the constraints of family tradition, for the priesthood, being as he was, the youngest son. He had differing ideas and joined the Staffs Militia twice, both times without the permission or even knowledge of his family, and twice he was hauled out. The second time the family brought him home he was told in no uncertain terms that a third attempt to join the Army would result in him being cut off from the family.

So, he got on a train and went to Dover to join the regulars, enlisting into the York and Lancaster Regiment, giving his name as Anthony instead of his true identity of Andrew Kilkenny. He was duly disowned and served until 1902 when he was dischrged to an address in Aldershot. He served with his battalion in Egypt in 1882, followed by a stint in the very unhealthy (at the time) Bermuda, and later he served in the South African War in the rank of Colour Serjeant.

My Grandad and his siblings were all, bar one, born in barracks. Family legend has it that as a middle aged man, as he waited on a platform for a train, his brother came to stand within 6 feet of him, fixing him with a filthy look before turning his back on him. The two did not speak and the outcast never again had any contact with his family.

All the best,

Nigel