Ancestor Details

Ancestor's Name: Septimus Ernest Athol Greentree

Ancestor's date of birth: 22/01/1872

Ancestor's date of death: 01/01/1961

Cause of Death: Old Age

Service and Life Before the Boer War: Born at Freeman's Reach on the Hawkesbury River, NSW. He travelled to South Afrca at the turn of the century.

Service Number: 30752

Colony or State of enlistment: Not Australia Place of Enlistment: South Africa

Units: 1^st Battalion Brabant's Horse. 2^nd Scottish Horse. South African Field Intelligence Division.

Rank attained in Boer War: CPL, Date Effective: Detail not provided.

Highest Rank attained (if served after war): Detail not provided.

Murray Page: Not applicable, did not serve in an Australian unit

Contingent: Not applicable

Ship: Was already in South Africa when hostilities commenced.

Memorial details: Detail not provided.

Awards/Decorations/Commendations: Queen's South Africa Medal with clasps for Wittebergen, Transvall, and Cape Colony and King's South African Medal with clasps for South Africa 1901 and South Africa 1902. British War Medal, Victory Medal.

Personal Characteristics: Detail not provided.

Reasons to go and fight: Detail not provided.

Details of service in war: He enlisted on the 16 June 1900 for service in the Boer War where he joined an irregular British South African unit known as 1^st Battalion, Brabant's Horse. This highly mobile Light Horse Unit was formed by then Briader General Edward Brabant, the South African Colonial commander of the Colonial Division. It had at its peak strenght approx 600 South African colonials, Australian, British and Canadian soldiers. It was heavily involved in fighting irregular Boer Commando Units, in particular in the Transvaal. Whilst with Brabant's Horse he attained the rank of Corporal. On the 7th March 1901 he was discharged from this unit to serve with the 2nd Scottish Horse until the 24th September 1901. He the served as an agent with the South African Field Intelligence Division (FID). The FID conducted a diverse range of field intelligence activies and was considered highly effective at combating the Boers in South Africa.

Service and life after the Boer War: At the conclusion of the Boer War he stayed in South Africa. When the First World War broke out September 1914 he was still living in South Africa. He joined the Cape Garrison Artillery (CGA) on 17 September 1914 at Cape Town at the age of 42. With this unit he travelled to German South Africa (today known as Namibia) where his unit saw action. He was discharged from this unit in Cape Town on 29 July 1915 after cessation of hostilities in German South Africa. He re-joined the South African forces in Cape Town on 22 April 1916, this time with the 11th South African Infantry at the age of 44. His unit was raised for service in German East Africa. After their successful campaign the unit returned to South Africa. He was honourably discharged from this unit on 13 December 1916 in Duban. At some time after the cessation of the First World War Septimus returned to Australia. Septimus passed away at the Narrabeen War Veterans home near Sydney in 1961.

Descendant Details

Name of Descendant: Richard Earl Greentree, Nambucca Heads NSW
Relationship to Ancestor: second cousin, twice removed

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