Hi
According to service records from FMP and his Regiment (Royal Berkshires), William Edward Goodwin (b. 29 Jul 1873, Harwell) enlisted with 3rd Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment on 19 Nov 1894, and on 3 Jan 1895 was "transferred to the regular army", where he served until 3 Jan 1907. Papers from the Regiment show him joining on 4 Jan 1895, that he was in Unit 2 R Berks, Company 2 Mounted Infantry and that he was awarded the Queen's South Africa medal with clasps for Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Transvaal; and the King's South Africa Medal with clasps 1901 and 1902.
On Friday I was given an article from his local paper when he retired from his job as a village postman, and that says:
In 1890 he enlisted in the Royal Berkshire Regt., and was in South Africa when the Boer War broke out. He went through the whole of this campaign with the mounted infantry, being present at the activity at Bloemfontein and Diamond Hill, and the historic taking of Pretoria.
On his enlistment papers in Nov 1894 he answers No to the questions about whether he is currently, or has ever been, in the services, so I don't know where his joining up date of 1890 comes from.
As far as I can find, there's only one William Edward Goodwin born in/around Harwell in abt 1873, so it's hard to mix him up with other people of the same name. I had though I'd found him on the 1891 census as an agricultural labourer in Nuffield, Oxon, which is only 12-15 miles from Harwell. Here's the link to the 1891 census, that I reckon is him
There's not much on the Royal Berks Regimental website about their activities during the Boer War, and to be honest it's all a bit as clear as mud anyway, this military stuff.
What I really would like to know is - does his version of events (as detailed in the newspaper article) tally with the medals/clasps that he won?
His name is given in newspaper reports in September 1900 as having been killed in action in April 1900 at Dewetsdorp, but this was later corrected in November 1900 to him having been "severely wounded only".
Can anyone help me, please or point me in the right direction?
Thanks in advance.
STG
According to service records from FMP and his Regiment (Royal Berkshires), William Edward Goodwin (b. 29 Jul 1873, Harwell) enlisted with 3rd Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment on 19 Nov 1894, and on 3 Jan 1895 was "transferred to the regular army", where he served until 3 Jan 1907. Papers from the Regiment show him joining on 4 Jan 1895, that he was in Unit 2 R Berks, Company 2 Mounted Infantry and that he was awarded the Queen's South Africa medal with clasps for Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Transvaal; and the King's South Africa Medal with clasps 1901 and 1902.
On Friday I was given an article from his local paper when he retired from his job as a village postman, and that says:
In 1890 he enlisted in the Royal Berkshire Regt., and was in South Africa when the Boer War broke out. He went through the whole of this campaign with the mounted infantry, being present at the activity at Bloemfontein and Diamond Hill, and the historic taking of Pretoria.
On his enlistment papers in Nov 1894 he answers No to the questions about whether he is currently, or has ever been, in the services, so I don't know where his joining up date of 1890 comes from.
As far as I can find, there's only one William Edward Goodwin born in/around Harwell in abt 1873, so it's hard to mix him up with other people of the same name. I had though I'd found him on the 1891 census as an agricultural labourer in Nuffield, Oxon, which is only 12-15 miles from Harwell. Here's the link to the 1891 census, that I reckon is him
There's not much on the Royal Berks Regimental website about their activities during the Boer War, and to be honest it's all a bit as clear as mud anyway, this military stuff.
What I really would like to know is - does his version of events (as detailed in the newspaper article) tally with the medals/clasps that he won?
His name is given in newspaper reports in September 1900 as having been killed in action in April 1900 at Dewetsdorp, but this was later corrected in November 1900 to him having been "severely wounded only".
Can anyone help me, please or point me in the right direction?
Thanks in advance.
STG
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