Ancestor Details

Ancestor's Name: George Francis Burrows

Ancestor's date of birth: 01/01/1875

Ancestor's date of death: 01/01/1977

Cause of Death: Age related

Service and Life Before the Boer War: George was born in Norwich in the UK in 1875. At the time of the Boer War he ha already had service in the RAA of the NSW Forces possibly as a regular in 'A' Field Battery. This explains why he was enlisted as a sergeant in 2NSWMR. He was living in Darlinghurst at this time and is shown as a clerk. The press reported on a large party held of friends held to give him a send off. His brother John was already serving in 'A' Field Battery in South Africa but the paper noted that he had also another relative serving in South Africa.

Service Number: 24

Colony or State of enlistment: NSW, Place of Enlistment: Sydney

Unit: 2^nd New South Wales Mounted Rifles

Rank attained in Boer War: SGT, Date Effective: 01/03/1901

Highest Rank attained (if served after war): No evidence of post Boer War service

Murray Page: 112

Contingent: Fifth New South Wales

Ship: SS Custodian, Date of Sailing: 15/03/1901

Memorial details: Detail not provided

Awards/Decorations/Commendations: Queen's South Africa Medal with Transvaal, Orange Free State and South Africa 1901 clasps.

Personal Characteristics: Detail not provided.

Reasons to go and fight: Detail not provided.

Details of service in war: Served in the western Transvaal from 23 April to 1 October 1901, the principal operations being the capture of Potgieters convoy on the Vaal 24 May, 1901; capture by the regiment of General De la Rey's convoy of 106 wagons, and a large quantity of cattle and ammunition.

Served in the eastern Transvaal engaged in many night marches in resulting in over 1 000 prisoners being captured.

The during the year of 1901 his unit travelled 6 400 kilometres in every part of the Transvaal. One specially noteworthy feature was that, whilst constantly engaging the enemy only 18 men were taken prisoners and of them the large number were on the first fight at Korannafontein and through no fault of the men.

whilst not shown in the official records it appears that he must have suffered a bout of enteric as he is shown on the SS Fortunatus arriving back in Australia in January 1902

Service and life after the Boer War: After returning from the war he was noted as serving as a tram conductor. He was involved as a witness in a sensational case where a drunken passenger in Newtown who had been put off by the driver for being obnoxious to other passengers fired a revolver at the driver on the return trip. Fortunately the shot missed.

Descendant Details

Name of Descendant: Elaine Young, Ermington NSW
Relationship to Ancestor: 2^nd Cousin

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