Kings Royal Rifle Corps

[Yegvard]

Hi Folks

It has been suggested to me that Rfn Vance L Slade, 1163 joined The Kings Royal Rifle Corps in late 1898. Please can anyone tell me if this is so, and the if the KRRC were out in South Africa and for what period.

As I am having a little trouble identifying this chap any additional personal information would be most welcome.

Kind regards

Mike

[Kevin Garrad]

The 1st Battalion was already in Natal when war broke out, and became involved in the defence of Ladysmith.

Try krrcassociation.com/History/sawar.htm (with www.) for a brief timeline.

[Kevin Garrad]

You might also try FMP - they have details of Rifleman Vance Lanover Slade, 8th Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps, number R/32795, who died of wounds 14th October 1917.

Is this your chap?

[Yegvard]

Thanks Kevin for the link. Seems like they were kept busy.

Cheers

Mike

[Peter Goodey]

Give it a week or two and check the WO 97 records on FMP. The 1901-1913 tranche is supposed to be going on line this month.

[Yegvard]

Hi Kevin,

It's almost certainly the same chap. But that's only going off an unusual name. Not good practise.

This family tree work is part of a village War Memorial project, so not a relative of mine. The WW1 man is nailed, and was missing from the 1901 census.

Cheers

MIke

[ladysmith]

Mike - 4 battalions of the KRRC were in the Boer War. The principal actions of each is given below although not all men of the battalion were necessarily at all its actions. (Some arrived late as reinforcements, some were deployed elsewhere).

1st - Talana & Defence of Ladysmith through to the end of the war
2nd - Part in Defence of Ladysmith & part in Relief of Ladysmith
3rd - Relief of Ladysmith including Spion Kop. They weren't on Spion Kop itself but assaulted and took the adjacent feature of Twin Peaks from where the Boers were pouring a heavy fire into the troops on the summit of Spion Kop. Despite achieving their objective General Buller ordered their withdrawal on the basis that their CO had exceeded his authority in ordering the attack. The firing on to the summit of Spion Kop started up again.
4th - General work, much of it in the Orange Free State, late in the war.

If your man was KIA with the 8th battalion in WW1 he left the army and re-enlisted for WW1. The 8th battalion was only formed in WW1.

David

[Yegvard]

David,

Thanks for the Btn breakown. All I need now is to find out if he was actually there, or not.

Cheers

Mike