Who does this medal belong to?

[Merry]

BK6 updated from this thread


My great-grandmother was the only girl in her family, having seven brothers. Two of them were these chaps:

Inkermann Henry Wells - b 5th Nov 1854 at High Wycombe, Bucks - bap 5th Aug 1855 at Holy Trinity, Twickenham, Mdx

Henry Wells - b 4th Nov 1861 at Twickenham, Mdx - bap 15th Nov 1863 at Holy Trinity, Twickenham, Mdx

(There's another thread on here discussing where Inkerman(n) vanished to and the chances of him being called Henry/Harry when he had a brother of that name.)

I have a South African general service medal inscribed "11024 Sapper H Wells R.E." which having checked out the ribbon etc is from the 1st Boer War 1880/81.

Here's the problem......

I had thought the medal belonged to the younger of the two brothers, because I can't find him on the 1881 census (I think he died in 1885 in Brentford District)

Now I'm wondering (it's taken me over two years to make this connection!!) if I'm wrong and brother Inkermann had (understandably) dropped his first name before joining the army? Trouble is, he is here in 1881 when he should be in SA earning his medal!

Thanks to Elizabethherts, I have this entry for Inkermann in 1881:

WELLS, Henry Boarder Single M 28 1853 Sapper Royal Engineers High Wycombe

The bit in bold is the bit I'd not previously connected with the medal.

How can I prove which one of the two went to SA? I can't find a service record on FMP.

[kiterunner]

If you can get a death cert for the one who died in 1885 it should have his occupation, which might help. But maybe we can find something cheaper!

[Merry]

Yes, something cheaper would be nice!

[Merry]

Oooh:

Sapper H Wells R.E.

I wonder if this is also lurking in FMP records, but I can't find it?

[kiterunner]

Yes, if you search the army service records on FMP for soldier number 11024, Henry Wells born 1853 Windsor, Berkshire, comes up. It doesn't show a regiment on the results list.

[Merry]

Originally Posted by kiterunner

Yes, if you search the army service records on FMP for soldier number 11024, Henry Wells born 1853 Windsor, Berkshire, comes up. It doesn't show a regiment on the results list.

After all this time - I'd never noticed the advanced search for military records on FMP and have spent all afternoon wishing you could search with the army service number!! Easy when you know how lol Thanks Kate!!

[Merry]

Oooh, he's a Wesleyan Methodist

He was in SA until 27th Jan 1880. When did the war start??????!!!

[Merry]

Ah, 1879!!

[kiterunner]

When you look at the images for the above, it is the Royal Engineers, and he enlisted in 1871 giving his age as 18 (also birthplace is High Wycombe on the image), so we can rule out the younger Henry.

[kiterunner]

Ah, I assumed you had used the advanced search but had put in regiment as well as number and that was why you hadn't found him!