Ancestor Details
Ancestor's Name: John Milvington Ford aka Milvington
Ancestor's date of birth: 13/02/1870
Ancestor's date of death: Detail not provided.
Cause of Death: Not stated
Service Number: 897
Colony or State of enlistment: Not applicable, Place of Enlistment: "Authorised to join" in Cape Town South Africa.
Unit: NSW Lancers
Rank attained in Boer War: TPR, Date Effective: November 1899
Highest Rank attained (if served after war): Cannot locate record of post Boer War service.
Murray Page: 11
Contingent: First New South Wales
Ship: Was already in South Africa
Awards/Decorations: Queen's South Africa Medal with clasp: Cape Colony
Memorial Details: New South Wales Lancers' Memorial Museum, Parramatta NSW.
Personal Characteristics: Love of adventure.
Reasons to go and fight: We assume that his reasons would be for loyalty to England and a love of adventure. Brother of Trooper Theron Ford of Thorneycroft's Mounted Infantry.
Details of service in war: He joined the NSW Lancers in Capetown on that unit's arrival in Capetown. He had been working in the Mines in South Africa. He was a POW captured at Slingersfontein, he escaped from Watervale, Pretoria with 14 others made his way to Lourenco Marques (now Maputo) in Mozembique. After 3 months travel he rejoined his unit at Capetown.
Service and life after the Boer War: He returned to working in the Mines in South Africa after the war was over. He did not return to Australia.
Descendant Details
Name of Descendant: Jennifer Wheeldon, Wentworth NSW
Relationship to Ancestor: Great NieceName of Descendant: Dorothy Forrester, UNDERWOOD QLD
Relationship to Ancestor: Granddaughter
