Ancestor Details

Name of Ancestor: Arthur George Watson

Ancestor's date of birth: 13/10/1882

Ancestor's date of death: 1955

Cause of Death: Stomach Cancer

Service Number: 4931 Hampshire Regiment and 2279 Imperial Yoemanry

Colony or State of enlistment: Not applicable Place of Enlistment: Duke of York's Royal Military School, Chelsea. UK

Unit: 7^th Company 4^th Battalion Imperial Yoemanry

Rank attained in Boer War: TPR, Date Effective: On enlistment

Highest Rank attained (if served after war): SGT, Date Effective: Detail not provided

Murray Page: Not applicable - did not serve in an Australian Unit

Contingent: Not Applicable

Ship: Not known

Other Boer War Service:
     1. 7th Company 4th Battalion Imperial Yoemanry, Leicestershire Coy, March 1900 to June 1901.
     2. Hampshire Regiment 25th April 1902 to 8th September 1902

Memorial details: Detail not provided

Decorations: Queen Cape Colony, Orange free State, Transvaal, SA 1901, SA 1902,

Personal Characteristics: Detail not provided

Reasons to go and fight: 5 Shillings a day.

Details of service in war: The Imperial Yeomanry were not well employed during the Boer War. Recriuted from mounted militiamen in the UK, they lacked the horse and bush fighting skills of their colonial comrades, thus were given mundane tasks where lack of real action and disease did little for their morale. This meant that when called upon to fight, the results were not always creditable.

Service and life after the Boer War: No details provided.

Descendant Details

Name of Descendant: Lesley Watson, Newtown NSW
Relationship to Ancestor: Grand Daughter

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