Ancestor Details
Name of Ancestor: James Wickham Patton (AKA Wickham )
Ancestor's date of birth: 16/09/1880
Ancestor's date of death: 16/12/1967
Cause of Death: age related
Service and Life Before the Boer War: He was born in the Ghin Ghin area near Yea in Victoria. When he was ten his father took up a selection at Alectown near Parkes, in central Western NSW. The new property was called 'Pine Hillas' a teenager James acted as a bullock and team driver for his father hauling equipment and materials for the extension of the railway west of Parkes. He also carted goods to the railhead for farmers. He attempted to enlist in the Boer War in 1900 but although 182 centimetres he was rejected on the basis of poor chest expansion. He met up with a man named Finnigan who helped him train and improve his chest expansion. In 1901 he was selected for 3NSWMR but used the name James Wickham (his second given name) to avoid authorities realising that he had been previously rejected for service.
Service Number: 3393
Colony or State of enlistment: NSW, Place of Enlistment: Parkes
Unit: 4 Troop, 'D' Squadron, 3rd New South Wales Mounted Rifles.
Rank attained in Boer War: TPR, Date Effective: 01/03/1901
Highest Rank attained (if served after war): No evidence of post Boer War service.
Murray Page: 134
Contingent: Fifth New South Wales
Ship: SS Maplemore, Date of Sailing: 17/03/1901
Memorial details: Presbyterian section Trundle Cemetery, NSW
Awards/Decorations/Commendations: Queen's South Africa Medal with Orange Free State. Transvaal, South Africa 1901 and South Africa 1902 clasps.
Personal Characteristics: a determined man with wide country experience from a young age
Reasons to go and fight: Adventure and patriotism
Details of service in war: After landing at Port Elizabeth and being issued with weapons the unit moved to Norvals Pont. Here it rested for two weeks to allow the horses swollen legs to recover before moving to Standerton in the Transvaal where it undertook a further six weeks of training. Service: April 1901 - April 1902 in Free State and East Transvaal including Boer breakthrough at Langverwacht (24 February 1902).
Service and life after the Boer War: He returned home on the SS Aurania where troops on leave he remembered drank the town dry and generally created chaos. to prevent a repeat of this the ship anchored well clear of land in Melbourne. returning home he became a share farmer with George Elliott on 'Sunshine' at Alectown.He also married at this time. In 1915 he was able to get a subdivision of Murrumbogie in the Trundle district. James called his 520 hectare block Ghin Ghin. It was not until 1923 that it was well enough developed to move his family there. Whilst going into semi retirement at the outbreak of World War 2 he maintained an active interest in Ghin Ghin until his death.
Descendant Details
Name of Descendant: Robyn Ryan, Appin NSW
Relationship to Ancestor: Grand Daughter
