One never knows what story's hide behind a medal!!
Yesterday I acquired a QSA to a Fred Stockman of the Prince of Wales Light Horse with clasps Cape Colony, Orange Free State and South Africa 1901.
I asked our very own Kevin Asplin to obtain his attestation papers at Kew and what a surprise they contained!! Stockman, who I am guessing was a Russian Jew, was a Seaman off a ship in Durban harbour when he attested for service with a Cape-based unit.
Having taken an early discharge he headed north where, thanks to another friend Cam Simpson, I know he enlisted with the B.S.A.P. in Rhodesia. All of this was pretty standard stuff and hardly overwhelming but what piqued my interest was the annotation scrawled across his attestation paper - it read:-
"Killed in a coal mine explosion at Harwick, PA, USA 25/1/04 - Administrator of Estate Mr. E.A. Arthur, Attorney at Law, 314 Frick Building, Pittsburg, PA., U.S.A."
Does anyone else have a medal to a chap who was killed in this incident? I think it's a rare find.
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Regards
Rory
Yesterday I acquired a QSA to a Fred Stockman of the Prince of Wales Light Horse with clasps Cape Colony, Orange Free State and South Africa 1901.
I asked our very own Kevin Asplin to obtain his attestation papers at Kew and what a surprise they contained!! Stockman, who I am guessing was a Russian Jew, was a Seaman off a ship in Durban harbour when he attested for service with a Cape-based unit.
Having taken an early discharge he headed north where, thanks to another friend Cam Simpson, I know he enlisted with the B.S.A.P. in Rhodesia. All of this was pretty standard stuff and hardly overwhelming but what piqued my interest was the annotation scrawled across his attestation paper - it read:-
"Killed in a coal mine explosion at Harwick, PA, USA 25/1/04 - Administrator of Estate Mr. E.A. Arthur, Attorney at Law, 314 Frick Building, Pittsburg, PA., U.S.A."
Does anyone else have a medal to a chap who was killed in this incident? I think it's a rare find.
Regards
Rory