17th Lancers 1894-1902

[RowanR]

Hi, I hope I gave this the right name, I wasn't sure what to use. My great grandfather Edward Nicklin served in this unit during the above period but all I can tell from his service record is that he was in the Boer War, and I was wondering how to find information on what he might have been doing the rest of the time. (I've found a little bit of information about what the 17th Lancers did during the Boer War on www.angloboerwar.com but if anybody knows where to find any more I won't say no)

The dates in his record are:
Transferred to the 17th Lancers from the 2nd Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment 1 Sep 1894 (he was originally attested 10 October 1893) and he was transferred to the Army Reserve on demobilisation on 24 December 1902 (discharged on 9 October 1905)

His service is listed as
Home               10 Oct 1893 – 14 Feb 1900 (6 years 128 days)
South Africa   15 Feb 1900 – 10 Sep 1900 (146 days)
Home           11 Sep 1900 – 2 March 1901 (235 days)
South Africa   3 March 1901 - 26 Aug 1902 (1 year 177 days)
Home           17 Aug 1902 – 9 Oct 1905 (3 years 44 days)

I do know that he was in Fulford Barracks in York in 1897 because he marries at Fulford on 12 April 1897, also his son Harold Clifford Nicklin is born in 1900 in Cork, Ireland. His other children born whilst he's in the army are born at York or at Tutbury, where he is from, so I'm guessing his wife Florence was staying with either her family or his and not with him when they were born.

Also he has the following medals listed
Queens SA medal with clasp
Cape colony and O F State
Kings medal with clasp
S A 1901
S A 1902
As far as I can tell they just mean he served in South Africa for at least 18 months, was there in 1901 and 1902 and served in the Cape of Good Hope and Orange Free State but not in any specific actions.

Any help gratefully received, military history is an area I really don't know about.

[ShaunJ]

Interesting that his wife and children aren't listed on his military history sheet. It suggests that he married without permission from the Regiment.

[Andy J2022]

Shaun, they are listed on his record when he is re-enlisted for the First World War. He actually has a very full service record.
He completed his colour service on 24/12/1902 and was in the Reserve until his discharge 9 Oct 1905, having completed his 12 year engagement.
Then when WW1 started he re-enlisted into the 17th Lancers with the number GS 10344 on 31 Aug 1914. He was immediately transferred to the 8th Reserve Cavalry Regiment (the 17th Lancers then being in India). On 3 March 1915 he was transferred again, this time to the RASC Remount Section. He remained in the UK (and possibly Ireland) throughout the war. One document in his record shows he was due to be posted to the Curragh, but in an application dated 3 March 1915 he asked to be transferred to the Remount Squadrons Depot at Romsey.  This permission was granted. During his RASC service at Romsey, he was promoted to acting Cook Sergeant on 12 May 1915. His RASC number was R/4/090530. He was finally discharged and transferred the Z reserve on 26 Sep 1919.

[Andy J2022]

Edward must have come back from South Africa ahead of the rest of the Regiment which didn't arrive back in the UK until the end of October 1902. They were then stationed in Edinburgh. Edward was discharged at Canterbury on 9 Oct 1902, which was probably the reason he came back early.
The 17th Lancers were stationed as follows:
        1891    England (whole regt)    
     1893    Preston    
   1895    Leeds    
     1897    Ireland: Ballincollig    
     1900.02.14    at sea    ship: Victorian
     1900.03.10    South Africa    3 Cav Bde
     1900.11    South Africa    unbrigaded
     1902.11    Scotland: Edinburgh    
     1905    India: Meerut    
     1909    Sialkot
        Nov 1914 France and Flanders

[RowanR]

Thank you very much Andy. I see Ballincollig is in Cork so I guess Harold Clifford found it easier to give Cork for his birth place and I guess that that was somewhere Florence could go with him, like she later went with him to Romsey, since Douglas Edward and my grandmother Majorie Hilda are born there in 1916 and 1919. I haven't managed to work through his WW1 service record yet so the information you mention about that is very interesting.

Do you have any ideas why he would have been at Fulford Barracks when he marries in April 1897 when it seems the unit was in Leeds, or why he would have come back to England during the middle of the Boer War (and I need to go reread that, I've just realised that period is not 235 days), or why he would have come home early to be discharged?

I'm sorry if these seem like silly questions but Edward is my only direct ancestor to have been in the military, so it's a whole new area to me.