Ancestor Details

Ancestor's Name: Frederick Sydney Daffern

Ancestor's date of birth: 1880

Ancestor's date of death: 28/03/1953

Cause of Death: Complications from Appendicitus

Service and Life Before the Boer War: Born Bedworth, near Coventry, Warwickshire, UK a bricklayer by trade. given the terms of enlistment of his unit it is highly likely that he was already serving as a trooper in the Warwickshire Yeomanry at the time of the Boer War

Service Number: 22779

Colony or State of enlistment: Not Australia, Place of Enlistment: Coventry, Warwickshire

Unit: No 5 (Warwickshire) Company 2^nd Battalion Imperial Yeomanry

Rank attained in Boer War: SGT, Date Effective: 01/02/1900

Highest Rank attained (if served after war): SGT, Date Effective: 18/12/1916

Murray Page: Not applicable - did not serve in an Australian unit

Contingent: Not applicable

Ship: SS Lake Erie, Date of Sailing: 01/02/1900

Other Boer War Service: On conclusion of his Yeomanry Service he remained behind in South Africa and joined the Cape Mounted Police.

Memorial details: Cremated Northern Suburbs Crematorium Sydney

Awards/Decorations/Commendations: Queen and King's South Africa Medals with clasps. 1914/15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal.

Personal Characteristics: A tall strong man who liked to play the piano and enjoyed a beer 180 cm tall, dark complexion, brown eyes and dark brown hair

Reasons to go and fight: To serve Queen and country

Details of service in war: The Warwickshire Yeomanry Squadron became 5^th Company, 2^nd Bn Imperial Yeomanry consisting of five Officers and 116 ORs and sailed for South Africa on SS Lake Erie, on the 1 February 1900. It arrived in South Africa on 25 February 1900 At Kleis Drift on 25 May, 1900, Major Orr-Ewing and 2 ORs were killed when trying to help wounded comrades, ten others were wounded. The 5^th Company took part in the search for General de Wet in the Spring of 1901. In May of that year they received orders to return home.

Service and life after the Boer War: After his South African service he migrated to Australia and at the time of World War one appears to have been working at the Orange Gasworks in NSW. He enlisted in the AIF on 18 December 1915 as No 2708 initially posted to 'A' coy 45 Bn then reposted to 'D' coy 53 Bn and finally to 1^st Pioneer Bn where he was promoted A/Sgt 18 December 1916. He was transferred to the RAE depot in the UK and reverted to Pte on 3 August 1917. His health was a concern and he was returned to Australia and discharged Medically Unfit for further operational service 3 April 1918. At the time of his death he was living in Norfolk St, Epping and was in Concord RGH.

Descendant Details

Name of Descendant: Brian Daffern, Redhead NSW
Relationship to Ancestor: Grand Son

Return to Descendant Database