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Archiver > BOER-WAR > 2003-09 > 1062439210


From: "David Humphry" <>
Subject: Re: [BOER-WAR] Finding someone from the 2nd Boer war
Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2003 19:00:55 +0100
References: <192.1f25b2e9.2c839ad3@aol.com>


Hello Simon,

3516 Driver S.L. Treece 'U' Battery Royal Horse Artillery was taken prisoner
at Sannah's Post 31/3/1900 and later released. In this action in the Orange
Free State Christiaan de Wet's Boer Commandos ambushed a British column
including 'U' and 'Q' Batteries RHA. 'U' were first into the trap and lost 5
guns and almost all its complement were taken prisoner. 'Q' lost two guns
but recovered others, an action which resulted in 4 of the battery being
awarded the Victoria Cross. This is a famous action and any Boer War history
will describe it in more detail.

'U' Battery certainly served in the relief of Kimberley but weren't at
Ladysmith. Being an artillery driver his job would have been to ride the
horses pulling a gun carriage as you mention. He wouldn't have been in
prison with Winston Churchill as Churchill had escaped long before he was
taken prisoner himself.

I suggest you first search subseries WO 100/139 which contains the Queen's
South Africa Medal rolls for the RHA as well as the King's South Africa
Medal rolls which are also in WO 100. You could then try WO 97 for his
service papers which may have survived. If unsuccessful there you could then
try WO 363 for WW1 papers (in case he also served in WW1) as papers of the
Boer War period are sometimes found with WW1 papers. About 30% of Boer War
era and 60% of WW1 papers were destroyed in the Blitz.

My information is that first time visitors to the PRO need to obtain a
reader's ticket in advance. If you haven't already done so you might want to
check this out before you go.

Regards,

David

----- Original Message -----
From: <>
To: <>
Sent: Sunday, August 31, 2003 7:39 PM
Subject: [BOER-WAR] Finding someone from the 2nd Boer war


> This coming saturday iam travelling to London to the Public Records Office
in
> the hope of finding some details about my Great Grandfather.His name was
> Samuel Treece and from a newspaper cutting I have from the 1950's which he
appears
> in he indicates he enlisted in London in 1898 and took part in the relief
of
> Kimberly along with other things but does not mention what other than he
was a
> POW for 9 weeks.
> He died in 1960.As this was over 10 years before I was even born I know
very
> little about him.
> My uncle has told me all he knows is that Samuel Treece used to reffer to
> something called the royal horse which I presume is the royal horse
artillery.My
> uncle said he also mentioned Ladysmith.Iam told he rode a horse pulling a
gun
> carriage.
> Its said he maintained he was in a POW camp with winston Churchill but who
> knows.
> Later after the boer war he spent time at the Curragh military camp in
> Ireland.
> The most annoying thing is he got medals etc for his time in the Boer War
but
> these vanished out of the family when he died.
> These could have proved useful for tracing his life.
> Does anyone know what would be the best place to look at the PRO to give
me
> the best chance of finding my great grandfather in the limited time I will
> have.
> Also can anyone surgest what the most likely regiment my great grandfather
> could have been in taking into account the places I mention.
> Thanks in advance.
> Simon
> Derby
> UK




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