Ancestor Details

Name of Ancestor: Simon William Strahan

Ancestor's date of birth: 13/05/1875

Ancestor's date of death: 11/07/1969

Cause of Death: Old age

Service and Life Before the Boer War: Simon was employed by the Victorian Railways. He Was born Simon was born at Jones' Creek near Tarnagulla. He worked as a ganger on the railway line from St Arnaud to Mildura. He enlisted twice - in January 1900 and after Federation.

Service Number: 251 and 443

Colony or State of enlistment: VIC, Place of Enlistment: Melbourne

Unit: 2^nd Victorian Mounted Rifles, 2 Bn Australian Commonwealth Horse

Rank attained in Boer War: PTE, Date Effective: January 1900

Highest Rank attained (if served after war): No evidence of post Boer War service.

Murray Page: 237 and 310

Contingent: Second Victorian and First Australian

Ship: Euryalus, Date of Sailing: 14/01/1900

Ship: St Andrew, Date of Sailing: 12/02/1902

Memorial details: Details not provided.

Awards/Decorations/Commendations: Queen's South Africa Medal with Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Transvaal. King's South Africa Medal with South Africa 1902 clasp.

Personal Characteristics: Patient, gentle, friendly, generous and proud of his Service and links to country Victoria.

Reasons to go and fight: Loyalty

Details of service in war: February - December 1900 with 2 VMR in northern Cape Colony, Free State, east Transvaal then west Transvaal. March - May 1902 with 2 ACH on the Natal border and west Transvaal.

Service and life after the Boer War: On his return from the Boer war Private Simon Strahan was treated as a hero. Streets of Tarnagulla were brightly decorated including a banner "Welcome Home". Hon DJ Duggan (Minister for Lands) presented Simon with a handsome medal struck from Tarnagulla gold. Simon married a St Arnaud lady, May Date, and settled in that town. From there he carried on his work as a ganger on the Railways maintaining the tracks between St Arnaud and Mildura.

Descendant Details

Name of Descendant: May Evelyn Ray, Brighton VIC
Relationship to Ancestor: grand daughter

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