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General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: mazzie74 on Saturday 04 June 22 13:00 BST (UK)
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Hi
My ancestor Walter Boiling (born 4th February 1879 Limehouse, London, England) joined the Scots Guards in 1897 (service number 1532).
He served in South Africa from 1900-1902 (2nd Battalion Scots Guards and then 3rd Battalion Scots Guards).
His record states he received South Africa Medals with clasps and was Mentioned in Despatches (London Gazette 29th July 1902).
His record is stamped: Nvittebergen, Cape Colony, & Transvaal.
I have downloaded the page from the London Gazette with his name but it is just a page with a list of names.
No reference to why he was mentioned in Despatches.
I've also searched newspapers but there's no reference to him.
Can anybody please find out why he was mentioned?
Thanks
Darin.
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Perhaps the Regimental Museum (assuming there is one) could help! (Sorry I haven't looked)
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Thank you for that.
I'll give it a try
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His service records are on Findmypast, if you have a subscription.
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He must have done something very worthy to be mentioned in Despatches.
By the way...
Boiling...any connection to a Boiling who wrote a book about JSSL?
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I'm not too sure about the writer Boiling.
I'll check that out thanks.
I have his service record from Fold3.
That's where I found out he was mentioned in Despatches.
Thanks
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Hi,
As you say, his name simply appears in amongst a list of other names. Contrary to popular belief, it does not follow that every military person mentioned in despatches did something in particular, on a certain day and which was worthy of note or explanation, especially with private soldiers. When someone is mentioned in despatches and their name is recorded in this way, it simply means that they were outstanding in their role, in this case, your ancestor came to the attention of his company commander (An officer) who thought so much of him that he recommended that the Regiment's Commanding Officer include him in a list of men worthy of being mentioned in a General's Despatches for outstanding work.
Be confident that your ancestor was an outstanding soldier.
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Thanks for that Ians1900
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Mazzini 74,
My late husband often spoke to me of a ...Boiling who was one of the JSSL group of National Servicemen of all three services at Crail in Fife in 1950,s whilst he was there.
Seemed such an unusual surname. (Won't give full name in case person still living.).
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Thanks for that Lola
My 2 x Gt-Grandmother was Ann Jemima Boiling who lived in Strood, Kent.
I haven't managed to find the whereabouts of all the siblings or cousins so there is a possibility they moved to Scotland.
Thanks.
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Sorry wasn't clear.
He was in Fife Scotland in the fifties but not born in Scotland.
Wherever they came from, they , the most intelligent ,were picked to learn Russian,when they joined up for National Service...and went to Bodmin and then Crail....and then to Cambridge or London universities.
Then to monitoring stations, Cyprus, Iraq etc etc. It was the cold war.
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Thanks Lola