I wanted to research my great grandfather William McCombe and prove or disprove family lore that he served in the Boer War, it’s been difficult because of the lack of records and what records remain have little detail.
William was born in June 1880 in Strabane Ireland and worked in Londonderry, he served in the The Great War as a Corporal 15814 with the 10th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers at the Somme and then Sgt before being moved to the Labour Corp. After the war he continued paramilitary service in the UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) and received a life pension for damage to his hand in the Great War before emigrating to NZ in 1925.
The records for the Boer War have a Pvt 4809 W McCombe who served with the 8th Kings Royal Irish Hussars who was awarded a QSA Medal and a Transvaal Clasp. In other records the same person has "OFS,T,SA01" which I take to be a QSA and Transvaal and Orange Free State Clasp. This person was “discharged in ignominy” which I take to be a fairly serious offense, something akin to a court martial which might explain why he never keep anything to confirm service in this war (as a theory).
Other than family oral tradition which is now very second or third hand the only fact I can identify is a photo post enlistment for The Great war (attached) but before he returned where he has a ribbon above his left pocket, it looks like dark, light, dark and the theory is this is a QSA medal ribbon.
The arguments against are age being born in 1880 seems to late and he was back in Ireland in the 1901 census. I also suspect anyone discharged in ignominy would not be accepted for service again.
Maybe someone knows of the movements of the 8th Kings Royal Irish Hussars which would not match this timeline or could identify where the records for a court martial might still exist. Anyone have a probability that this is true or false. I have attached the photo with the ribbon and a linked to dropbox folder with other records, any help appreciated.
www.dropbox.com/sh/928pcsarakyqjan/AADrh...jBSBEltijq26rsa?dl=0
Aaron
William was born in June 1880 in Strabane Ireland and worked in Londonderry, he served in the The Great War as a Corporal 15814 with the 10th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers at the Somme and then Sgt before being moved to the Labour Corp. After the war he continued paramilitary service in the UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) and received a life pension for damage to his hand in the Great War before emigrating to NZ in 1925.
The records for the Boer War have a Pvt 4809 W McCombe who served with the 8th Kings Royal Irish Hussars who was awarded a QSA Medal and a Transvaal Clasp. In other records the same person has "OFS,T,SA01" which I take to be a QSA and Transvaal and Orange Free State Clasp. This person was “discharged in ignominy” which I take to be a fairly serious offense, something akin to a court martial which might explain why he never keep anything to confirm service in this war (as a theory).
Other than family oral tradition which is now very second or third hand the only fact I can identify is a photo post enlistment for The Great war (attached) but before he returned where he has a ribbon above his left pocket, it looks like dark, light, dark and the theory is this is a QSA medal ribbon.
The arguments against are age being born in 1880 seems to late and he was back in Ireland in the 1901 census. I also suspect anyone discharged in ignominy would not be accepted for service again.
Maybe someone knows of the movements of the 8th Kings Royal Irish Hussars which would not match this timeline or could identify where the records for a court martial might still exist. Anyone have a probability that this is true or false. I have attached the photo with the ribbon and a linked to dropbox folder with other records, any help appreciated.
www.dropbox.com/sh/928pcsarakyqjan/AADrh...jBSBEltijq26rsa?dl=0
Aaron