Ancestor Details
Ancestor's Name: George Hugh Mervyn Seaborn
Ancestor's date of birth: 05/10/1882
Ancestor's date of death: 31/05/1909
Cause of Death: Nephritis exacerbated by Boer War wounds and health problems
Service and Life Before the Boer War: Born Cootamundra NSW, grew up on Gunningbland Station, Parkes district. He was known as Mervyn.
Service Number: 95
Colony or State of enlistment: NSW, Place of Enlistment: parkes
Unit: 1 section A company New South Wales Imperial Bushmen
Rank attained in Boer War: PTE, Date Effective: 01/04/1900
Highest Rank attained (if served after war): No evidence of post Boer War service.
Murray Page: 93
Contingent: Fourth New South Wales
Ship: Armenian, Date of Sailing: 23/04/1900
Memorial details: Buried in Old Anglican Section, Parkes Cemetery
Awards/Decorations/Commendations: Queen's South Africa Medal with Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Rhodesia and Transvaal clasps.
Personal Characteristics: Easy going and friendly manner. The youngest soldier in NSWIB
Reasons to go and fight: Keen to fight for his country. His parents opposed his plans but he persisted and won them over
Details of service in war: He took a sheepdog presented by his father G W Seaborn - a Barb style of Kelpie called Jock, to war as the Regimental mascot. Was wounded in action, nearly bled to death and the surgeons believed that they found the exit wound. Eight years after the war he went to his doctor in Parkes complaining of pain and a growth under his arm. In probing the wound the Doctor discovered the bullet, 3 centimetres long and weighing 14 grammes. Towards the end of 1900 he came down with Enteric fever. The combination of this and pain from his wounds led to him being invalided home 26 January 1901. He served in Rhodesia and Western Transvaal.
Service and life after the Boer War: He returned to the family business as a stock and station agent but the bullet wound had damaged nerves in an arm which restricted his activities. From 1906 onwards he suffered repeated attacks of Nephritis probably as a result of his service. He took a job as Manager of the Stock Department of Hain and Searight in Sydney at the beginning of 1909 to be closer to medical attention. He was given a large farewell at the Evans Hotel with many prominent people of Parkes attending and was presented with a case of pipes. After several more attacks in Sydney he died on 31 May 1909. He was just 26, a casualty of the war but not counted in the statistics.
Descendant Details
Name of Descendant: Mary (Rita) Tom, Parkes NSW
Relationship to Ancestor: Niece
