Hi Again
You lucky person. Working backwards, this was written in 1917 when he was leaving the Herefordshire Regiment. He has a medal index card on the NA website -
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=6452479&queryType=1&resultcount=20 Which gives the additional number 190. This would have been allocated to him in July 1908 when there was an army re-organisation which created the TF. In most units they gave out the numbers in order of seniority of rank and time served.
It seems they only had one battalion that served overseas during WW1 -
http://www.1914-1918.net/hereford.htm Prior to WW1 his only full time service was in the KSLI during the Boer War. I was wrong about the meaning of South Africa 1900 and 1901. They are the dates he served. He earned the Queens South Africa medal with clasps for Johannesberg, OFS and CC. He would also have received the date clasp “South Africa 1901”. You will have to look at the KSLI medal roll to see if 5321 was his number with them, or after his return. The testimonial isn’t clear.
When he enlisted in 1895 there were two part-time outfits in Herefordshire. The Herefordshire Militia were the 4th (Militia) Battalion of the KSLI with headquarters in Hereford. There was also the 1st Herefordshire and Radnor Volunteer Battalion, aka the 3rd VB of the KSLI. They had one company in Radnor and headquarters in Hereford.
The difference was that the VB were like the modern TA – one evening a week, maybe a weekend a month, and an annual two week camp. The Militia were different in that, after an initial 6-8 full-time training they would only meet up for a 6-8 week camp. The Militia therefore suited casual workers only, who could take two month’s off. While the VB was more like a club. From the wording I would guess that he was in the Militia before the Boer War and joined the VBs after his return. Although it does say re-joined. The Efficiency Medal awarded in 1909 was for long service.
Here are links to researching both:
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http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/RdLeaflet.asp?sLeafletID=26=
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/rdleaflet.asp?sLeafletID=147 I would also contact Herefordshire Archives and ask if they have any Militia records.
Ken
