Lookup please: CH Hounsom

[joahou]

Hello
I am sorry if I am posting this in the wrong forum and please move it if it is.
I am trying to find out about my great grandfather's career in the armed forces.

I have him on the medal roll of 1902(WO 100/261), listed as Natal Police, regiment number 2533.
Name: CH Hounsom (Charles Herbert)
I know he came to South Africa as part of the military police in the Boer war and he never left SA.

I would love it if someone could give me more detailed information on his career in the army and also is there a way to see if he was given the medal?

Many thanks.
Jo

[km1971]

Hi Jo

There aren't any individual records for the Natal Police in the National Archives. The medal roll says he enlisted March 1901. It does not say that he served with any previous units.

You could check the passenger lists - on the Ancestry Worldwide sub for example - for him making his own way there from the UK. If he arrived from India, NZ etc he will not be listed in records in the UK. How to proceed really depends on what you know about his earlier life.

Ken

[joahou]

km1971
Are you saying that he did not enter the army in the UK but when he arrived in South Africa?
I have him on census in 1901 in the UK in an army barracks so I think he came to South Africa with the British army.

[t mo]

hi jo
is that your post on the boer war site ? .
also i,ve looked in service /pension records just in case of him being in british army but although there are a handful of hounsom,s he,s not one of them .

just checked passenger lists and found this , no first name but hounsom, left southampton 11 feb 1901 for south africa aboard the arundel castle ,occupation police .
well done ken for thinking of the passenger lists .
regards
trevor

[joahou]

Thank you Trevor.
Yes it is my post on the other site.
I guess my census record must not be correct if he left England in Feb 1901. If he states his occupation as police, does this mean he resigned from the police in the UK and then joined them in SA?
Thanks again for the info.

regards
Jo

[t mo]

hi jo
ok well i won,t bore [ no pun intended ] with the record on the boer war site but you did notice he was a trooper in the natal police , that too me sounds like he was in a mounted unit !?, as to wether he resigned from the police over here pure speculation on my part but it may be that he left with a proviso he could come back and resume his career here but found he liked the place so much he stayed so resigned some time later , it would mean searching for police records if they exist to find the answer to that .
what census record are you referring too only i can only find an 1891 cen for a charles herbert hounsom aged 13 living in hastings with mother and numerous others .
regards
trevor

[joahou]

Trevor I was looking at one that was stated as being for:

Charles Herbert Hodgson in 1901

As Hounsom is a commonly mispelled name I took this to be him as the Charles Herbert, date of birth and age are correct. But I am obviously mistaken and it was probably Hodgson.

regards
Jo

[t mo]

hi jo
that cen you were looking at had a c h hodgson born in nottinghamshire but never mind .
alsohave you checked out naairs for info on c h hounsom ? .
regards
trevor

[joahou]

Yes, Trevor, I realise that now. And yes, I have looked at the archives for CH but I think I only found his death notice. I will try to see if I can get more info from police records somehow.
Thanks so much for your assistance.
regards
Jo