This is my first time on the boards, but I was hoping some here could help point me in the right direction.

My Grandfather gave me this photo of my Great-great Grandfather before he died. I was told that he'd been a "Buff" and fought in the Boer War, but as he was born in 1846 we doubt it was the (1899-1902) War.

I'm starting to think the verbal history is wrong. I thought my best way forward might be to identify the medals in this photo...except they don't look like any medals I've seen on military websites. They seem to have very distinctive shapes.

Does anyone recognise them? If nothing else, can I be sure they aren't from the Boer War?

We believe the photo is of:

John 'Jack' Hainsworth
b. 1846 in Yorkshire

We've also found him in every census (1851-1901). He was a Weaving Overlooker by trade.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

EDIT 2012 - Photo removed

Don't recognize the medals. Certainly not British campaign medals. As for the Boer War, he would have been old for the second Boer War but in age for the First Boer War (1880-81).

I think I've finally identified them as Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes 'jewels'(in case that helps anyone else).

Are there any recommended websites with information on those serving in the first Boer War? Everything I've found so far has been on the second.

As far as I know there isn't any web site that covers 1st Anglo-Boer War soldiers. The main reason is there is no single or group of official documents that idntifies those that took part, unlike the 2nd Anglo-Boer War where the Queen's South Africa medal rolls identify all those who took part.

What I can tell you is all British soldiers were serving in the regular army, unlike the 2nd Boer War where reservists and yeomanry cavalry served aand there were only a handfull of regiments involved and the force was only around 3000 men in total.

Unless you already know the regiment a man served with and the date of discharge then finding any proof that a person served in the 1st war will be difficult.

Pleased you finally identified the medals and thanks for posting the information.

Jeff

Thanks very much for the information. That gives me a much better sense of context.

It's helps me understand the verbal family history better.

Thanks again!

Neglected to mention in my last.

You mentioned the “Buffs”, the Royal East Kent Regiment, pre1881 known as the 3rd [East Kent] Regiment of Foot. They didn't take part in the 1st Anglo-Boer War, but the 2nd battalion did take part in the latter stages of the Zulu War of 1879 and those present were awarded the South Africa Medal 1877-1879, with 1879 clasp. None of the medals in the photograph are military.

Appearing in the 1881 census as a married man with Wife & 3 children born locally he certainly didn't serve in the 1st Anglo-Boer war and unless you find something in the earlier census that states otherwise then I would suggest he was never a military man. Maybe there's another in your tree that served in the one of the Boer Wars that he's being mixed up with.

Jeff

Oh, Drat. I don't think there are any other relatives to get mixed up with I'm afraid. My other great-great-grandfather was also in the 1881 census as a painter decorator.

I went back to the only other thing we had which was this hankerchief, but it seems it was sold to generate funds for the 2nd Boer War. (The photo isn't actually of our hankerchief, but it's the same.)

I guess I'll have to assume it's a mix up unless I find more information to support it.

Try that image again.

Your image can't be viewed [at least by me] it just gives an error message as:
Server Error in '/USERDOCSTORE' Application. It then goes on to say that present settings prevent remote viewing of image and a load of other stuff I don't understand.

I think I know the sort of thing you mean though.

Final thoughts.

For men who weren’t regular soldiers [or reservists] one of the largest group of soldiers to serve in South Africa during the Boer War were those who volunteered to serve in the Imperial Yeomanry.

Most were already members of locally raised County Yeomanry Cavalry Regiments that were only intended for home defence not service abroad. To overcome this an Act was passed creating the Imperial Yeomanry for service in South Africa.

The reason I mention it is on Kevin Asplin’s site at http://hometown.aol.co.uk/kevinasplin/home.html he lists all members of the I.Y. and there are 2 Hainsworth’s listed:

Hainsworth, James Michael, 802, Private,10th Coy., 3rd Bn. I.Y and
Hainsworth, Lionel, 1973, Private, 11th Coy., 3rd Bn. I.Y.

The 3rd Battalion I.Y. was sponsored by Yorkshire & Notinghamshire Yeomanry Cavalry regiments. The 10th Company 3rd Bn was raised in 1900 and sponsored by the Nottinghamshire Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry (Sherwood Rangers) and the 11th Company by the Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons.

It was common for men to volunteer for nearby I.Y. units if their own was over subscribed. May be worth noting the names for future reference – you never know.