Digger with Previous Service in UK & South Africa

[mctaz]

One of the soldiers I'm researching from the 40th Bn AIF, saw previous service at home in the UK (he was Glaswegian) and in South Africa.

Most of the service I can identify but not clear on some of them:

1st Volunteer Bn HLI

71st HLI

Transvaal Scottish

?????? Rangers? (Natal?)

7th? Fortress Company, A.E (which I take it as being Australian Engineers? unsure when they became "Royal"

A & I staff ?

Jim

[sotonmate]

Jim

I can solve one bit for now,71st HLI was the 71st Regiment of Foot which was the Glasgow Highland Light Infantry when all Regiments of the British Army had just the number to identify them.

Best wishes

Sotonmate

PS....and here's a bit about the Transvaal Scottish with a ref to the Natal Rangers:

http://www.regiments.org/regiments/southaf...nf/08tvscot.htm

[Auimfo]

Jim,

Have you checked the ADFA database at http://www.aif.adfa.edu.au:8080/search

It repeats most of what was listed on the attestation form and might clear up your problem.

I'd check for you but I don't know the soldiers name.

Cheers,

Tim L.

[mctaz]

Thanks Tim, I had checked the ADFA database, but no joy there.

Thank you too Sotonmate, the Regiments.org page tells me his service with the Transvaal Scottish had to be after 1902.

Interesting that the HLI would let him go in South Africa!

The soldier's name was John Cunningham.

I was given a copy of a photo taken from a newspaper, which shows 4 sgts, but no accompanying text.

I've established the link between them in that they were all ex-instructors at Claremont in Tassie and were all part of the 9th Reinforcement.

So this photo had to be taken either prior to embarkation or shortly thereafter.

Left to right they are S.R Cole, J. Cunningham, C. Thompson & M. Traynor

Cheers

Jim

[Bob Doneley]

"Fortress Companies" were Permanent Force (Regular Army) units of the Australian Engineers. In 1902, after Federation, the armed forces of the former colonies were united to form the Australian Army. The Engineers at that time comprised a very small regular force of fortress and submarine mining companies which were primarily concerned with the coastal defences of the capital cities, and a number of militia units. On 27 September, 1907, Royal assent was given for the granting of the title "Australian Engineers" until 31 January, 1936 when the Corps was constituted as the Corps of Royal Australian Engineers embracing both regular and citizen units.

A & I Staff was the Administration and Instructional Staff, also Permanent Forces, who provided the backbone to the Militia units prior to WW1.

So it would appear that, after serving with the British Army, your man emigrated to Australia and joined the Permanent Forces - in other words, he became a professional soldier. Many of these men enlisted in the AIF at the outbreak of war, but many were refused permission to transfer because of the requirment for training new recruits.

[mctaz]

Thanks Bob,

I'm ashamed to say I spent most of my Army Service with RAE units yet had no idea of the Corps history.

I'd also pondered on A&I and since a lot of these men came from militia which seemed to comprise mainly of Artillery & Infantry I was guessing on that, but Admin & Instructional solves the query.

Interesting to see that none of these men seemed to have accomplished much in Active Service, they all seemed to have gotten sick in some shape or form, but this may well account for them having been in A&I, in that they weren't classified A1 (or whatever it was then) and then in late 1917, they were able to transfer due to the relaxed standards.

Jim

[Bob Doneley]

>>> Interesting to see that none of these men seemed to have accomplished much in Active Service, they all seemed to have gotten sick in some shape or form, but this may well account for them having been in A&I, in that they weren't classified A1 (or whatever it was then) and then in late 1917, they were able to transfer due to the relaxed standards. <<<

They would also have been a bit older. Many A & I men weren't allowed to enlist until later in the war - they were retained at home to train new recruits, and weren't allowed to either enlist or discharge (perhaps to re-enlist).