Ancestor Details
Ancestor's Name: John Beauchamp Nicholson
Ancestor's date of birth: 15/07/1853
Ancestor's date of death: Unknown
Cause of Death: Unknown cause or year of death
Service and Life Before the Boer War: Architect in Queensland, mainly Brisbane
Service Number: 178
Colony or State of enlistment: Not Australia, Place of Enlistment: Pietermaritzburg, Natal, South Africa
Unit: First Imperial Light Horse
Rank attained in Boer War: TPR, Date Effective: 23/09/1899
Highest Rank attained (if served after war): No evidence of post Boer War service (was 47 when he finished his South African war service)
Murray Page: Not applicable did not serve in an Australian unit
Contingent: Not applicable
Ship: Was in south Africa on private business when he enlisted a few days before war was actually declared.
Memorial details: Imperial Lighthorse Memorial on Platrand, Ladysmith
Awards/Decorations/Commendations: Queen's South Africa Medal with Relief of Mafeking, Transvaal, Tugela Heights and Relief of Ladysmith clasps.
Personal Characteristics: Detail not provided.
Reasons to go and fight: Unknown
Details of service in war: The inception of the Imperial Light Horse (ILH) took place at Pietermaritzburg in September 1899, when war was a practical certainty. His unit first saw action at the battle of Elandslaagte, which was 21 October 1899. The ILH and the 2nd Gordon Highlanders, encountered the severest resistance during the progress of the successful attack. During the siege of Ladysmith the regiment had very frequently a prominent part to play. In April 1900 the unit made a gruelling march across the Transvaal to Mafikeng where they played a prominent part in the relief, Major Karri-Davies with six volunteers of the ILH to creeping into the town at dusk announce the besieging forces had been driven away to Baden-Powell, and report that the relief column would enter Mafeking during the night. The relief column including the ILH entered the town at 03:30h on the 17 April. Trooper Nicholson's last action before taking his discharge was on 6 and 7 July 1900 when there was severe fighting at Witklip, in the Bronkhorst Spruit district, when the ILH lost 2 officers and 7 men killed, and 8 non-commissioned officers and men wounded. (Ref: LINK taken 11 January 2014)
Service and life after the Boer War: Discharged 26 June 1900. Sailed to England and later emigrated to the USA.
Descendant Details
Name of Descendant: Christene Dennis, Narangba QLD
Relationship to Ancestor: great, great grandaughter
