Ancestor Details
Name of Ancestor: Caleb Francis Vacchini
Ancestor's date of birth: 09/05/1870
Ancestor's date of death: 1946
Cause of Death: Fall from a building resulting in death.
Service Number: 452
Colony or State of enlistment: NSW, Place of Enlistment: Picton
Unit: C Squadron 1st NSW Mounted Rifles.
Rank attained in Boer War: SGT, Date Effective: Pre 1900, exact detail not available.
Highest Rank attained (if served after war): No record of post Boer War service.
Murray Page: 67
Contingent: Second New South Wales.
Ship: Southern Cross, Date of Sailing: 17/01/1900
Memorial details: War Memorial Wollondilly Heritage Centre - The Oaks NSW
Decorations: Queen's South Africa Medal with 6 clasps: Driefontein, Johannesburg, Diamond Hill, Wittenbergen, Cape Colony and SA 01. Queen's Jubilee Medal 1897.
Personal Characteristics: Athelete, Sydney Cove Medal possible for a sporting event.
Reasons to go and fight: A serving soldier
Details of service in war: February 1900 - March 1901. Served with: Le Gallais' Brigade, Lord Roberts' main column, Modder River to Bloemfontein - 4 to 14 March 1900. Le Gallais' Brigade, General Tucker's force, advanced post near Brandfort. With General Hutton's force, 1 to 13 May 1900, Bloemiontein to Kroonstadt during general advance to Pretoria. With De Lisle's Column, Ridley's Brigade, General Ian Hamilton's Force, Kroonstadt to Pretoria. Remainder of period of service, viz, to March,1901 with De Lisle's cloumn. "The Regiment now comprising four squadrons, took part in engagements at Abraham's Kraal and Diefontein and were reported to have 'rendered splendid service', Private Spearing recorded some of this action: 'The force marched about 6.5 kilometres and came in contact with the enemy and started firing with the big guns. And our fellows was in the front and did amount of good work and they all drove the Boers off the copie and they had to retreat to another copie across the veldt and they had good shots at them' ... 'and the Boers came of top of the kopje so we had to get as quickly as possible so they opened fire on us and they shot CPL Owens in the leg and CPL Osbourne's horse fell with him so the Captain picked him up and put him on his horse under heavy fire so it was game of him.'" Source: Extract from "Picton to Pretoria" by Sproul dated 1990 - Courtesy of Liz Vincent.
Service and life after the Boer War: Returned to Australia 29 April 1901. In 1917 was married to Louisa and living in Summer Hill near Sydney. His son also Caleb, served in 3 Bn AIF in WWI.
Descendant Details
Name of Descendant: Robyn McEwen, Croydon NSW
Relationship to Ancestor: Great NieceName of Descendant: Stuart Daniels, Callala Bay NSW
Relationship to Ancestor: Great Nephew
